The game of Dutch

The Rules

The objective is to have the lowest score at the end of the game.

A game is made up of multiple rounds.

Terms

bench

the face-down cards in front of each player

deck

the face-down deck placed in the middle of the playing table

discard pile

the face-up pile, next to the deck, created by the dealer turning over the top card of the deck. All cards added to the discard pile must be face up.

penalty

an additional card given to a player for breaking a rule

The term bench is used because this is a game without a ‘hand’.

Each player is dealt four cards, face down.

The player arranges their cards in a 2x2 grid (without looking at their faces), after which they may not be re-arranged.

On the dealer’s signal, all players look at any two of their cards. Looking before the dealer or at any time after, unless explicitly allowed, is a penalty. It is important to remember your cards throughout the game. Suits don’t matter, except for Kings.

The dealer takes the top card from the deck and places it beside the deck (face-up), the round begins immediately.

Play runs clockwise from the left of the dealer.

The round ends after a player has called Dutch, and all remaining players have played their final turn.

The game ends when any player’s score reaches 100 or more, at which point the player with the lowest score is the winner (see Tie Breaking if two players end a game with the same score).

Card Scores

  0  —  Red Kings (Hearts & Diamonds)
  1  —  Aces
2—9  —  Numbered cards (face-value)
 10  —  Jacks, Queens
 13  —  Black Kings (Clubs & Spades)

• Numbered cards score at face-value eg. a 5 of Clubs scores 5 points
• Suits don’t matter except for Kings

Special Cards

A special card is triggered only when it is placed onto the discard pile (face-up)

• Queen lets you look at any card in any players bench (including your own)
• Jack lets you swap any two cards in any two different benches (including your own)

On Your Turn

On your turn you may do one of the following:

• Draw one card from the deck and look at it. Then either,

  • Exchange it with one of your own cards (without looking at it)
  • OR Discard the card (face up) onto the pile.

• Draw one card from the pile and exchange it for one of your own cards.

• Call “Dutch”
  Dutch may only be called on your turn, at the start of your turn, and your turn immediately ends. All other players play one more turn, after which the round ends (see Round End)

If at the beginning of your turn you have zero cards, then Dutch is automatically called for you (see Round End).

The Snap

Any player may ‘snap’ one of their own cards onto the discard pile if it matches the card that is currently face-up on the discard pile.

This can be done at anytime, it does not have to be your turn.

Each card on the discard pile may be snapped only once, a snapped card cannot be snapped again.

If multiple players try to snap at the same time, the first card onto the discard pile wins the snap, any other players must take back their card and a penalty card.

If a player snaps incorrectly (wrong card), or if the card they were snapping has already been covered or pulled, they must take the wrong card back and take a penalty card from the deck (without looking at it).

Round End

At the end of a round, all cards are turned over and each player’s score for the round is totalled.

Whichever player called Dutch — whether deliberately or by default — must have the lowest score or they take a penalty from the deck for each player who scored equal or lower than them.

Each player’s score is recorded.

When one player’s score reaches 100, the player with the lowest total score is the winner.

Tie Breaking

If two players finish a game with the same score, the player who scored lowest score in the final round is the winner.

Tips

• Dutch is a game of knowledge. For this reason, in your first turns in a round you almost always want to learn what your two blind cards are (by drawing a new card and discarding your dealt card), even if one of the two cards you know is a high card that you will want to get rid of.

Optional rules for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan Game of Dutch:

For players comfortable with the basic rules, there are an approximately infinite number of variations and modifications that make Dutch the only card game you’ll ever need to know.

• The Snap can be expanded to include snapping cards from other players cards. If the player snaps from another player’s cards, the player may then give one of their cards to the player. An incorrect snap from another player’s cards results in a double penalty for the player. This makes games more chaotic/fun/intense but is likely to leave less experienced players feeling excluded.
• A Queen played by the last player before a round ends following a Dutch call allows play to continue for another round