Things You'll Need:
- Deck of cards
- Playing surface
- Pad of paper
- Pen
- 4 players
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Step 1
Determine the order of play. To determine the order of play for the game of Black Maria, simply deal out the cards one at a time. The first person to receive a Jack is the first dealer and play continues to his right around the table in a clockwise direction.
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Step 2
Deal the cards. For the game of Black Maria, the deck is dealt out in its entirety. Each player will start off with 13 cards in her hand.
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Step 3
Pass your cards. After everyone has had a chance to look at their cards, each player will select three cards from and pass them to the left. It is up to you which cards to pass, and you must accept those cards passed to you from the player to your right.
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Step 4
Play your hand. Once the cards have been exchanged and incorporated into the hands, the player to the left of the dealer will lead. Play continues in a clockwise direction with each player either following suit (if possible) or throwing off (only if they do not have a card in the suit that was led). The person with the highest card wins the trick.
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Step 5
Tally the scores. After all the cards have been played and the tricks have been taken, count out the number of point cards you’ve acquired during the round. The Black Maria is worth 13 points and each Heart is worth 1 point. As soon as one player accumulates 100 or more points, the game is done. The person with the lowest number of points wins the game.
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Step 6
Win the game.
