Who's the Ass?
Who's the Ass? Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Goal of the Game
The aim of the game is to get rid of your own cards as quickly as possible. As soon as a player manages this, they end the game. Every card still in the other players' hands earns them minus points. The ass card is especially dangerous. By itself, it costs 20 minus points. Whoever has the fewest minus points after several games has won.
Game Contents
- 110 cards (104 number cards, eight each of the values 1 to 13, 5 jokers, 1 ass)
- 1 rulebook
Setup
Whoever has had the worst luck in life so far gets pen and paper. On it, they note down the minus points per player over the course of the game. Their left-hand neighbor first sets the ass card aside, shuffles all the remaining cards, then tucks the ass card somewhere among the first 39 cards of the stack, and finally deals out the cards to the players according to the table below.
| Number of players | Cards dealt per player | Number of cards in play |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 13 | 39 |
| 4 | 13 | 52 |
| 5 | 13 | 65 |
| 6 | 13 | 78 |
| 7 | 13 | 91 |
| 8 | 13 | 104 |
| 9 | 12 | 108 |
| 10 | 11 | 110 |
| 11 | 10 | 110 |
| 12 | 9 | 108 |
How the Game Is Played
The player with the ass card is the starting player. They play one or more cards with the same number value. Then, clockwise, the next player takes their turn. They must raise or pass.
- Raising means: the same number of cards must be played, but with a higher number value.
- Passing means: no cards are played (because the player cannot or does not want to raise).
Whoever plays first always determines the number of cards that are in play for that trick. If they play 1 card, all other players must also play 1 card or pass. If they play, for example, 3 cards (with the same number value), all other players must also play 3 cards or pass. Whoever plays cards must always play a higher number value than the one last played.
Each player lays their played cards face up in front of themselves on the table, so that everyone can see who the cards came from. Once every player has had a turn and has raised or passed, a round is over. The played cards are turned face down and gathered onto a pile. They belong to no one and have no further significance. The player who played the highest cards in a round is always the new starting player. Play continues round by round in this way until a player has no cards left in hand.
Jokers
There are 5 joker cards in the game. They can take on any number value from 1 to 14. If a joker is played together with number cards, it automatically takes on the number value of those cards.
Example: Two 10-cards and a joker count as three 10-cards.
If a joker is played by itself, it has the value "14." This is the highest value, and it can no longer be topped.
A single joker can also take on the value "1," if a player wants to use it to fend off the ass card (see "The Ass Card" below).
Whoever still holds a joker in hand at the end of the game receives 14 minus points for that card!
The Ass Card
The player with the ass card is the starting player in the first round. If they wish, they can play it immediately in the first round. Whenever the ass card is played (whether in the first round or a later one), there is an ass round. Different rules apply here:
- The ass card always has the value zero.
- No player may pass, and no one has to raise. Every player must play 1 card of any value, regardless of whether the value is higher, equal to, or lower than the card played before it.
- Whoever played the highest card must take all the cards played in that round (including the ass card) into their hand. If several cards with the highest number value were played, the player who played that value last must take all the cards into their hand.
How Do You Get Rid of the Ass Card Again?
Whoever has "caught" the ass card may not play it again immediately in the next round! This is only possible again at the earliest in the round after next. To do this, though, the player must be the starting player.
Only the starting player can play an ass card! The ass card stays in the game until the end (like an Old Maid card). It wanders from one player to another. A player can also receive it several times in one game. But only the player who holds it at the end of the game is the ass, because they receive 20 minus points for it!
End of the Game
If, at the end of a round, at least one player has no card left in hand, the game is over.
Note: if a player plays their last card during an ass round, the game is only over if they do not have to take cards in that round! Now the scoring happens. All players add up their minus points. The ass card counts as 20, a joker as 14; for all other cards, the minus points equal the card's number value. The minus points are noted down per player on the sheet.
Whoever has the fewest minus points overall after a previously agreed number of games, or a set amount of playing time, is the winner.
Examples
A Normal Round
Arno is the starting player. He plays 3 cards: 6/6/6. Babs raises: 8/8/Joker. Chris passes. Danny raises: 10/10/10. Erik passes.
Danny has played the highest cards. He is the new starting player. Before Danny begins the new round, the played cards on the table are gathered onto a discard pile.
An Ass Round (no player may pass!)
Arno is the starting player. He holds the ass card and plays it: Ass. Babs plays her lowest card: 2. Chris plays a: 1. Danny plays a: 2. Erik plays a: 1.
Whoever played the highest card must take all the cards played in that round into their hand. If the highest value was played more than once, the player who played that value last is the ass. In this example, that is Danny. He takes all 5 cards into his hand and is the new starting player. He may not play the ass card again immediately, but only at the earliest in the round after next, and even then only if he is the starting player.