Before the first hand
The reading-room guide below is written for an adult reader who has never sat at a felt table. It walks through the order of play in plain English, then sets out the rules a first-hand reader is most likely to be asked about by the players at the table. There is no jargon to learn before the first deal.
Before the first hand, three reading-room notes belong on the table. Read the joker rule of the room you are about to enter. Read the upper limit on points if several hands are being played. Read the stake band and the time the evening allows. These three notes are the most common source of first-evening confusion, and they are also the easiest to settle before the cards are dealt.
The deal
A 13-card game deals one face-down card at a time to each player until every player has thirteen cards. One card is turned face-up to start the open pile; the rest of the deck becomes the closed pile. The player to the right of the dealer picks up the closed pile first.
The order of play
On a turn, a player picks one card from either pile (open or closed) and then drops one card face-up onto the open pile. The reading-room note is that the drop is the move. The pick only sets up the next drop.
A turn in three reads
- Read the open pile: which cards help, which cards do not
- Pick from the pile that helps the next drop
- Drop a card that is least useful to the hand
The joker
The joker, where the rules of the room permit it, substitutes for the card the reader needs to complete a run or set. A printed joker (a card marked as a joker by the deck manufacturer) usually substitutes for any card; a wild joker (a randomly chosen card at the start of the hand) substitutes only for its printed rank and suit.
The reading-room note most adult readers find useful here is to keep the joker in mind but not in hand. A joker kept for the declaration is often more useful than a joker played early.
Runs and sets
A run is a sequence of three or more cards of the same suit in order (for example, 5-6-7 of hearts). A set is a group of three or four cards of the same rank across different suits. A pure sequence is a run with no joker; a valid declaration must include at least one pure sequence.
Why a pure sequence matters
A pure sequence is the cornerstone of a valid declaration. A hand without a pure sequence cannot be declared, regardless of how many jokers or near-runs it contains. The reading-room note is to settle the pure sequence before the rest of the hand.
The declaration and the show
When a player believes the hand is valid, they declare. The remaining cards are sorted into runs and sets, the hand is laid face-up on the table, and the score is calculated. A hand with no valid declaration is dropped, and the player pays the maximum score for the round.
Scoring
A standard 13-card game scores the cards left in the other players’ hands against the player who declared. Face cards count ten, numbered cards count their pip value, and aces count either one or ten depending on the room’s rules. Jokers usually count zero if the declaring player has them; if a non-declaring player holds jokers in their losing hand, they usually count their full value.
A first-evening checklist
- Read the joker rule of the room before the deal
- Settle the pure sequence before the rest of the hand
- Keep a joker for the declaration if the room allows
- Drop the card least useful to the hand, not the most useful to the table
- Set a session timer and a stake ceiling before the first deal
Where to go next
The reading-room routes most first-evening readers open next are the strategy notes, the comparison ledger on apps and the responsible-play page. They sit on the table in that order.
Why the first hand is the most useful
The first hand is the most useful hand the reader will play. The reading-room desk's note is that the first hand sets the pace of the evening more than any other hand; a reader who has played the first hand slowly has read the most useful version of the room. The reader who has read this note has read the most useful description of why the first hand is the most useful.
The desk's read is that a slow first hand is also the most useful response to most first-evening mistakes. A reader who has played the first hand slowly has read the most useful response to most rushes.
Three first-hand habits worth practising
- Read the open pile before picking
- Pick the card that helps the next drop
- Drop the card that helps the hand least
What does not change between hands
The pure-sequence rule does not change. The joker behaviour does not change. The declaration rule does not change. The reader who has read the rules guide has read the rules that apply to every hand the reader plays.
What to read next
The routes that pair well with this one are the formats comparison ledger, the strategy notes and the responsible-play page. They belong on the table in that order.
What does not change between hands
The pure-sequence rule does not change between hands. The joker behaviour does not change between hands. The reading-room desk's note is that the rule is a fixed list; the reader who has read one hand has read the most useful description of the next. The reader who revisits this note has read the most useful confirmation that the rule has not changed.
The desk's read is that the pace of the hand does change between hands. A reader who has played the first hand slowly has read the most useful response to most first-evening mistakes.
- The pure-sequence rule is a fixed list
- The joker behaviour is a fixed list
- The pace of the hand is the reader's choice
- The reader who has played the first hand slowly has read the most useful first evening
The reading-room reader who has read this list has read the most useful description of what does not change between hands.
What the reader does if the rule changes
If the pure-sequence rule changes, the desk publishes a short shift note in the bulletin. The reader who has read the bulletin has read the most useful description of the change.
What to read next
The routes that pair well with this one are the formats comparison ledger, the strategy notes and the responsible-play page. They belong on the table in that order.
What the desk reads when it revisits this note
When the desk revisits this note on the quarterly review cycle, the desk reads the page against the source and against the reader's likely intent. The reading-room note is that the page is more useful when it has been read at least once by the reader before the revision; the reader who has read a page once has read the most useful baseline. The reader who revisits a page after a quarter has read the most useful updated version.
The desk's read is that the quarterly review also creates a small archive of dated revisions. The reader who has revisited a page after several quarters has read the most useful arc of the page. The desk publishes a dated note at the foot of every page when a revision has changed the content. The reader who has read the editorial standards page has read the most useful description of how the desk handles revisions.
The desk reads every page against the same three criteria. First, accuracy against the source. Second, plain-language writing without jargon. Third, adult-reader framing, no promotional language. A page that meets all three criteria on the quarterly review has read the most useful test. A page that fails one of the three has read the most useful reason for a revision.
What the desk does not revise
- The desk does not revise the URL of a page once it has been published
- The desk does not revise the publication date of a page without noting the revision
- The desk does not revise the editorial voice of a page without noting the revision
- The desk does not revise the page structure without noting the revision
The reading-room reader who has read this list has read the most useful description of what the desk does not revise.
How the desk handles reader feedback
The desk reads every message sent to the contact page. The desk replies within a week to messages that include a name, a return address and a clear subject. The desk publishes a dated correction note at the foot of a page when a verified error has been reported. The desk's read is that a feedback message with a dated source is more useful than a feedback message without one; the reader who has included the source has read the most useful feedback format.
The desk also reads the messages for patterns. A pattern the desk has noticed in reader feedback is the request for more practical examples; the desk responds by adding more examples in the next quarterly review. The reading-room reader who has written a feedback message with a specific example has read the most useful contribution to the next quarterly review.
Three kinds of useful feedback
- A correction with a dated source
- A practical example that illustrates the page's content
- A suggestion that links the page to a related page in the room
The reading-room reader who has included one of these three has read the most useful feedback format.
What the reader should expect on the next quarterly review
The reader should expect a small update to the page's content. The desk publishes a dated note at the foot of the page when the update has changed the content. The reader who has revisited the page after the quarterly review has read the most useful updated version. The reader who has read the editorial standards page has read the most useful description of how the desk handles updates.
The desk's read is that the quarterly review is also a useful opportunity for the reader to revisit related pages. The reader who has revisited the related pages has read the most useful full route. The reader who has read all three related pages has read the most useful reading-room spine for this route.
What to read next
The routes that pair well with this one are the games note, the strategy note and the responsible play note. The reading-room reader who has read all four has read the full how to play spine.