Goal of the Game

In Advantage (or Vigoda), two players compete to accumulate the highest number of pairs of cards with the same value. The ultimate goal is to end the game with the largest amount of pairs in your score.

Setup

To start the match, follow these steps:

• Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Deal three cards face up in the center of the table; this will be the center.
• Deal three cards to each player. Note: hands must be open (face up), so both players can see the opponent's cards.
• The remaining cards should be placed face down to form the stock (draw pile).

Gameplay

The game proceeds in rounds, always starting with the player who is not the dealer. Each round follows this order of phases:

1. Dropping: Players discard cards to the center.
2. Switching: After both have discarded, the players swap hands with each other.
3. Picking: After the swap, each player (starting with the non-dealer) may exchange a card from their hand for a pile in the center.
4. Pairing: Only after both have completed their picking actions (or have passed), they can form pairs with the cards in their hands for scoring.

Actions and How to Play

Dropping

Each player must discard at least one card, but may choose to discard two. The rules for discarding to the center are:

• Face cards can be discarded on face cards or aces of the same color.
• Number cards can be discarded on number cards or aces of the same color.
• Aces can be discarded on number cards or face cards of the same color.
• A card can be placed on any other card of the same rank (value).
• 10s are completely wild and can be placed on any card; additionally, any card can be placed on a 10.

If a player cannot discard anything, they may draw ONE card from the stock (without showing it). If they still cannot discard, they must pass. If a player has already discarded one card and cannot discard any more, they cannot draw from the stock and must pass.

Switching

After the discards, the players perform the switching, swapping their hands with each other.

Picking

In this phase, a player can exchange a card from their hand for a pile in the center. They take the pile and place a card from their hand in its place, face up. The picking rules follow logic similar to discarding:

• A face card can be exchanged for a pile whose top card is a face card or an ace of the same color.
• A number card can be exchanged for a pile whose top card is a number card or an ace of the same color.
• An ace can be exchanged for any pile whose top card is of the same color.
• Any card can be exchanged for a pile whose top card is of the same rank.
• Any card can be exchanged for a pile whose top card is a wild 10, and a 10 can be exchanged for any pile.

If they cannot perform the exchange, the player may draw ONE card from the stock. If they still cannot, they must pass. The player is free to pass on the draw in any round.

Keeping a Hand of Three

Each player must maintain at least three cards in their hand during the game (except when the stock runs out). Hands must be replenished with cards from the stock whenever necessary, after dropping or after pairing.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends as soon as the stock is exhausted AND a player can no longer perform dropping or picking (or if a player runs out of cards). When this occurs, the opponent can no longer gain new pairs.

Point Counting:

• The winner is the one with the highest number of pairs of cards of the same rank.
• In case of a tie in the number of pairs, the player with the highest four of a kind wins.
• If no one has a four of a kind, the dealer wins if the count is odd; otherwise, the dealer loses.

Irregularity Rules:

• Accidental pairs: If you form a pair in your hand by accident, you can only count it after performing a picking. This can only be done once per round.

Tips for Winning

Consult the manual for details regarding this section.