Target
Target Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Players and Equipment
Players: 2 to 4 players, ages 8 to adult.
Equipment: 28 Target cards (with a large target on the back) and 82 Playing cards (with a plain back). There are four suits: hexagon, star, diamond, and circle.
To Begin
- Separate the two types of cards. Shuffle the Playing cards and the Target cards separately.
- From the Playing card deck, deal five cards to each player, face down. The remaining cards are placed face down to form the stock. Leave room beside the stock for the discard pile, which is empty at the start of the game.
- From the Target card deck, deal 5 cards face up in the center of the table.
- The youngest player takes the first turn. Play proceeds clockwise.
Your Turn
- Begin your turn by drawing either the top card of the stock or the top card of the discard pile. (If the discard pile is empty, draw from the stock.)
- If you can and want to, play a meld needed to win one or more of the visible Target cards by laying the meld out on the table.
- If you have six cards in your hand, end your turn by discarding one card face up onto the discard pile. (Therefore, if you meld, you don't discard.)
Winning Target Cards
- Each Target card describes the valid melds for winning that card, as well as a point value for that card.
- You win a Target card by being the first to play one of the valid melds described on that card.
- When you win a Target card, take it and keep it to show that you have won it. Deal a new Target card to replace each card you've won. (If the Target deck is empty, simply continue play with the remaining Target cards.)
- The cards that you played to win the Target card are removed from play and are not used for the rest of the game. (Don't place them in the discard pile.)
- Don't draw extra cards from the stock to replace the cards you've played. By not discarding on future turns, you will slowly rebuild your hand to 5 cards.
Example: The meld 2-3-4-5 wins the Target card "Straight: 4 cards in sequence including a 3" (3 points).
Wild Cards
- Wild Cards (which have one number but all four suit symbols) represent whichever suit the holder chooses.
Example: The meld 3, Wild 7, 8 wins the Target card "Flush: any 3 cards this suit" (2 points).
Winning Multiple Target Cards
- You may win two or more Target cards on a single turn.
- In a combination meld, the same Playing card may be part of more than one meld. If any part of your combination meld meets the requirements of a Target card on the table you win that Target card.
- If you share a Wild Card between two or more melds, it must represent the same suit for each meld.
Example: The combination meld 1-5-6-7 wins both the Target card "Flush: any 3 cards this suit" (2 points) and the Target card "Straight: 3 cards in sequence including a 7" (2 points).
Example: The combination meld 3-3-3-5-5 wins all of these Target cards: Full House, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, and Flush.
Winning the Game
- When the stock is empty the game is over. (The player drawing the last card from the stock may complete their turn.) The game also ends if all of the Target cards have been won.
- Add up the point values of the Target cards that you've won. High score wins.
Understanding the Target Cards
(Examples are in brackets.)
- STRAIGHT: 3 or more cards in numerical sequence. "0" is the lowest card, so 0-1-2 is a straight but 8-9-0 is not. (2-3-4)
- FLUSH: 3 or more cards of a single suit (diamond-diamond-diamond)
- STRAIGHT FLUSH: 3 or 4 cards in sequence in a single suit (2 diamond-3 diamond-4 diamond)
- SKIP STRAIGHT: 4 cards in a skipping sequence (3-5-7-9)
- MIXED STRAIGHT: 4 cards in sequence, 1 card in each suit (5 hexagon-6 star-7 diamond-8 circle)
- TOTAL: 3 cards which add up to a specified value (0-2-2 totals 4 or less, 9-9-6 totals 23 or more)
- THREE OF A KIND: 3 cards of the same rank (7-7-7)
- TWO PAIR: 2 cards of one rank and 2 of another (4-4 6-6). Both pairs may also be of the same rank (3-3 3-3).
- FULL HOUSE: 3 cards of one rank and 2 of another (5-5-5 3-3). Both sets may also be of the same rank (8-8-8 8-8).
- ALL ODD: any 5 odd cards (1-3-5-5-7)
- ALL EVEN: any 5 even cards (0-2-2-4-8)