Cassino is a fishing card game for 2 to 4 players. The aim is to gain as many cards and points as possible by winning revealed cards from the table.
This game is especially popular in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and the USA. Thus, the game’s name can also be spelled Casino or Kasino, and the regional rulesets might vary.
Cassino comes with a standard deck of 52 playing cards without Jokers. The dealer shuffles and deals face-down cards to each player (two players – 12 cards, three players – seven cards, four players – four cards). Then, the dealer reveals four cards on the table, the pool, and puts the remaining cards aside.
In two- and three-player rounds, each player competes on their own. In four-player games, you form teams of two.
The player to the dealer’s left starts by playing one card face-up with one of the following effects. Here, Aces are worth 1 point, number cards are worth their pip value, Jacks are worth 11, Queens 12, and Kings 13 points.
- Trailing: Add any card to the pool.
- Pairing: Use the card to pick up any number of cards with the same rank or a build of the same value from the pool.
- Combining: Use a numbered card to pick up two or more cards with a combined value of your card from the pool.
- Building: Face cards cannot be built; only numbered cards can be used here.
- Type 1: Lay one card on top of another if their combined value matches a card in your hand. For example, place a Three onto a Four and say “building Seven” if you have a Seven in hand. The built cards are now regarded as a single Seven and cannot be split up for pairing or combining. Such builds can be picked up by any player via pairing; further building is possible, too.
- Type 2: Lay one card on top of another if their values are the same. For example, place a Five on another Five, or on a Three and a Two, which have been built to Five, and say “building Fives” if you have a Five in hand. This built can only be picked up with another Five now, which cannot be changed via build type 1 anymore.
If you take all cards from the pool, the next player must play a single card to the table without any effect. Otherwise, each player has the same options each turn. After all hand cards are used up, new cards are dealt from the remaining cards only to the players, not to the table anymore.
Playing ends after the remaining stack and all hands are empty. If any cards remain on the table after the last player’s final turn, they get to pick them up.
The player or team with the most cards wins three points. Furthermore, one bonus point each is awarded for capturing the Ten of Diamonds, The Two of Spades, each Ace, the majority of the Spades suit, and each time the player or team emptied the pool. Other or additional bonuses may come with different Cassino rulesets.
You will usually play multiple rounds until one player or team reaches or passes a score of 21 and wins the game.
