Grasshopper Poker
Grasshopper Poker Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
Poker cards:
- 4 colour sets of 8 cards each
Garden cards:
- 14 Grasshoppers
- 13 Corn
- 13 Strawberries
- 13 Broccoli
- 13 Blackberries
24 win chips
Preparation for the Game
Each player chooses a poker card set of one colour and picks up all 8 cards in his hand. If you are playing with less than 4 players, put the other sets back into the box.
Place the win chips at the ready.
Shuffle the garden cards well and place them face down on the table in a draw pile.
Reveal 3 garden cards from the draw pile and place these in the common display.
Important: If you reveal cards of the same category, place them on top of each other (staggered).
Game Overview
In every turn, the players bid with their poker cards for the garden cards in the display. After 8 rounds, the last card in the hand has been played and the round ends with an intermediate score. When all the garden cards have been used up, the game ends and the winner is determined.
This Is How a Turn Is Played
Each player chooses one of his poker cards from his hand and places it face-down in front of them. When every player has a card in front of them, they all reveal their selected card at the same time and compare the result.
The player with the highest number first selects a category in the common display and takes all cards of that category. Then the player with the second highest card and so on.
- The players may not pass up selecting a category.
- Each player may only pick once. Left-over categories stay in the display.
- If there are not enough categories to pick, last players get out empty-handed.
The players then cultivate their own private garden with the cards they have won (see Garden cultivation).
Every player places the played poker card face-down to the side. This card can no longer be played in this round.
The common display is then made up to 3 cards with cards from the draw pile. Here again: if you reveal cards of the same category, place them on top of each other.
The Bidding
Same cards cancel each other out!
If two or more players have played poker cards with the same value, these are not considered for choosing from the common display. They come away empty-handed from this turn.
Ace
If a player plays his ace, he gets all cards in the common display.
X Card
If a player plays his X card, he gets nothing and takes no category from the common display.
BUT: If an X card and an ace were played at the same time, the X card takes over the power of the ace and the X card gets the whole display.
Don't forget: Same cards cancel each other out, also counts for the ace and X card.
Stalemate
If no player could choose a category from the display, because only same cards and/or X cards were played, there is a stalemate situation.
In this case, an extra garden card is placed in the common display from the draw pile (on top of an existing category if applicable) and the players all choose a new poker card to bid for the new display.
If there are two stalemates in succession, all 4 cards of the common display are placed on the discard pile. Three new garden cards from the draw pile are played in the display and a new turn begins.
Garden Cultivation
The won garden cards are laid out in your own private garden, sorted into categories. Plants are placed in vertical rows and grasshoppers horizontally at the top.
Harvesting = 1 win chip
As soon as a player has cultivated a set of 3 plants of the same category in his private garden, he harvests these and swaps the 3 cards for 1 win chip. The 3 cards are placed on the discard pile.
Note: left-over plants remain in the private garden.
Plague of Grasshoppers
If three or more grasshoppers land in a private garden, they eat up the entire garden. All garden cards, including all grasshoppers, are placed on the discard pile.
Important: if a player gets plants and grasshoppers, which cause a plague, at the same time, he may not cultivate the plants anymore.
End of the Round and Intermediate Score
A round ends, when all players have played all 8 of their poker cards. Any cards left over in the common display are left there.
The player with the most plants in his private garden (grasshoppers are not counted) gets 1 win chip. In case of a draw, all winners get 1 win chip.
The players pick up the 8 poker cards, which they have placed to one side and the common display is filled up to 3 cards again. A new round begins.
End of the Game and the Winner
The game ends, when all of the garden cards have been used up. A final intermediate score is made and the winner with the most chips is determined.
If there is a draw, the player with fewer grasshoppers in his private garden wins. If there is still a draw, then there are several winners.
Game for Two Players
The game for two players is played by the same rules except that: if there is only one winner in a turn, the player must take the whole display.
Beginners' Variation
For an easier game, the special function of the X card can be left out. The X card is then just a pass card and does not take over the function of the ace.