Texas Showdown — How to Play

Game Objective

Texas Showdown is a card game of the trick-taking type, where the goal is to avoid winning tricks. Each trick won is worth 1 penalty point, and the player with the fewest penalty points after several rounds wins the game.

Setup

To begin, follow the steps below:

• In games with 3 players, remove the black (colts) and gray (skulls) cards from the deck and store them in the box.
• In games with 4, 5, or 6 players, use all the cards.
• Shuffle the cards and deal them equally among the players. Each player should hold their cards in hand.

Game Flow

The game is played in several rounds, and each round consists of as many tricks as there are cards in each player's hand.

A trick works as follows:

• Players play one card from their hand, clockwise, placing it face up in the center of the table.
• The player who has the 0 card always starts the first trick of the round by playing that card. In games with 3 players, the player who has the 11 card starts the trick.
• The other players must play a card of the same color as the one already in the trick. If they don't have a card of the corresponding color, they can play any card from their hand.

The player who plays the highest-value card of the predominant color in the trick wins the trick. In case of a tie between colors, the player who plays the highest-value card among the tied colors wins the trick.

The player who wins the trick starts the next trick, freely choosing which card to play. If the trick was won with the highest-value card of a color, the player can choose who starts the next trick.

Actions and How to Play

During the game, players perform the following actions:

• Play a card: In each trick, players must play a card from their hand, following the color and value rules described above.
• Win a trick: The player who plays the highest-value card of the predominant color in the trick wins the trick and must place it in a separate pile in front of them.
• Start the next trick: The player who won the trick starts the next trick, choosing any card from their hand.

End of Game and Scoring

A round ends when all players have played all the cards from their hand. Each trick won is worth 1 penalty point. Record each player's points and start a new round by shuffling and dealing the cards again.

The game ends when at least one player reaches or exceeds the defined number of penalty points:

• 3 or 4 players: 15 points
• 5 players: 12 points
• 6 players: 10 points

The player with the fewest penalty points wins. In case of a tie, all tied players are considered winners.

Tips for Winning

Here are some tips to improve your chances of winning:

• Try to avoid winning tricks, especially those with high-value cards, as they increase your penalty score.
• If possible, play cards of less frequent colors to reduce the chance of winning tricks.
• Use strategies to influence who starts the next trick, especially if you won a trick with the highest-value card of a color.