How to Play the Card Game Clabber

Clabber is like many of the trick-taking games played today, except you’re not awarded the number of tricks you take, but the actual point value of cards in those tricks. Plus, you’ll also have the chance to win additional points for the combination of cards in your hand. Trump is called, tricks are played and if you’re lucky enough to rack up more points than your opponents, you increase the total of your overall score, especially if you’re not the team that called trump.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of cards
• Pad of paper
• Pen or pencil
• 4 players

1. Reduce the size of your deck by removing the 8 through 2 of all suits. For the game of Clabber, you’ll only be playing with a deck of 24 cards: ace, king, queen, jack, 10 and 9 of hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs.

2. Decide partners and have teammates sit opposite one another at the table.

3. Determine the order of play by dealing out the cards face up until one player is dealt a jack. This person will act as the first dealer. Subsequent deals will move to the left in a clockwise direction around the table.

4. Deal out the deck until each player has a total of six cards. The last card of the 24-card deck is dealt face up in front of the dealer. This card is used to determine trump before it is placed in the dealer’s hand.

5. Bid your hand, starting with the person to the left of the dealer, by either "accepting" the suit of the face-up card as trump or passing. When all players pass, the card is simply placed in the dealer’s hand and another round of bidding will commence. If someone announces they want trump to be the suit of the face-up card, this suit will become trump for that round (the dealer will still place the card in his hand).

6. Lay a card, starting with the person to the left of the dealer. You must follow suit when possible. If you are unable to follow suit, you must play a trump card on the trick. The highest card, or the highest trump card on a trumped trick, takes the trick. The winner of that trick will lead the next card.

7. Announce your hand combination after the first card from each player's hand is played on the first trick. You and your team can win additional points if you have certain combinations in your hand. The person who has the hand with the highest combination is the only one who wins points for her team. The other team will not score any points for this stage of the round (see the Tips section for further information on rank order and value).

8. Continue to play cards until all tricks have been taken. You and your partner are tasked with taking tricks with as many points as possible, but not all cards are worth points (see the Tips section below).

9. Earn points from the tricks you’ve taken. If your team called trump and took more points, your team and your opponents earn the value of the cards in your respective hands. If your team called trump and took less points, only your opponents earn the points in their hands.

10. Win the game of Clabber by being the first team to hit at least 500 points in your overall score.

Tips & Warnings

• For Clabber, the ranking order of cards are A, K, Q, J, 10 and 9.
• Rank and points of combinations are as follows: 4 jacks = 200, 4 of any other card = 100, run of five cards in one suit = 100, run of four cards in one suit = 50, run of three cards in one suit = 25, two trump (king and queen) = 20.
• Points for trump cards are as follows: jack = 20, nine = 14, ace = 11, 10 = 10, king = 4, queen = 3.
• Points for non-trump cards are as follows: ace = 11, 10 = 10, King = 4, queen = 3, jack = 2, nine = 0.