I'm going to describe an addictive and popular game played among backpacking travellers. As with many traveller games it has more names and rule variations than you can shake a stick at. I will cover both my preferred rules and some of the variations I have encountered. The key point is to make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules at the start of the game!
The history of the game is one of evolution. The game as originally invented may have been 'Cabo', a memory game invented in 2010 by Melissa Limes, but with different rules. Many of the rules are preserved from the original game, which is described here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_(game)
The game was subsequently crossed with snap, and an Israeli game called 'Yanif', to produce the fast paced game.
A detailed description of possible rule variations is in a numbered list at the end. Generally "see #"
For my preferred balanced set of rules see
the-game-of-kabul
The general description of the game is as follows:
Each player has 4 cards infront of them on the table, face down, arranged in a square. At the start of the game you may look at two cards, without showing them to the other players. The other two cards are initially unknown. (See 1)
The objective is to have the minimum score at the end of the round, the score is the sum of the value of the cards. For example, if at the end you have a 2, 5, 7 and 9, your score is 23. Some cards have special scores (See 2).
The general play of the game involves exchanging your cards for lower numbers, or getting rid of them entirely, using the rules described. To do this you must remember both your cards and any cards of other players.
Once the starting player is decided (see 3), the game progresses in turns, in the chosen direction of play (see 4). On your turn you take a card from the deck or discard pile (see 5). With this card you can either:
- Play it as an action, if the number is associated with an action (see 6)
- Swap it with one of your face down cards, revealing the old card fairly (see 7)
- Discard it (no effect)
Playing a card as an action allows you to do the action which corresponds to the number on the card. Actions typically include:
- looking at one of your cards
- looking at one of someone else's cards
- 'blind swap' - swapping a card of yours for one of someone else's without looking at them
- 'super swap' where you get to look at both cards and swap if you choose.
For which cards give which action (see 6). Generally you can only play the action when you draw the card from the deck (see 8).
Replacing one of your face-down cards with a card drawn from the deck is a typical move. The old card is then revealed fairly so all players can see this (see 7), and placed on the discard pile. The new card is placed face down in the same position, other players do not get to see this card. Generally the card discarded has no meaning, you don't play the action. Replacing a card allows you to know more of your cards, or simply reduce your score by exchanging high numbers for low ones.
The speed element comes from the ability to snap/smash cards:
When somebody (including yourself) discards a card, if you have a card with the same number face down you can take that card and 'smash it', by placing it face up on the discard pile. This can be done at any time, even if it's not your turn (see 11), but only if you are the first player to react to the discarded card. If two players have the same card only the faster player may smash, the slower player must take it back (see 9). If the card is incorrect (a different number) there is usually a penalty (see 10). Smashing is good because after this you have fewer cards, fewer cards usually means a lower score (good). In many rules you can also smash the cards of other players, and give them one of your cards instead (see 9c).
To decide when the round ends, on their turn one player will call out the name of the game (see 12b). Only the first player to say this has any special effect (see 12c). The game then proceeds so the other players each get one more turn, and then the cards are revealed and the score is counted. The calling player must have the lowest score (see 12d), or some penalty results (see 12e). If a player has no cards left they may be forced to end the game (see 12f).
The game consists of multiple rounds, with the score from each round added up. When the worst player crosses a score threshold, such as 100 points, the game ends. The player with the lowest total score wins. The game may be subject to scoring rules from Yanif (see 13).
There are a few general rules enforced throughout the game, see 14 and 15, which improves the gameplay. Essentially this is a game of memory not deception, and to avoid players physically blocking each other during a contested smash.
Playing a tactical game generally involves the following:
Knowing as many of your cards as possible by exchanging them with cards drawn from the deck, or using actions.
Knowing other people's cards by using actions, or watching any cards drawn or thrown to the discard pile.
Taking good cards from other players using actions.
Smashing cards whenever possible.
Calling the name of the game when you have a low score (generally below 2).
The list of rule details and variations:
1. At the start of the game you may check two cards. The most common rule is that these must be the two cards closest to you. Don't forget these cards! You are allowed to check only once, if you catch someone checking again this is usually a penalty.
Other rule variations allow for checking any 2 of the 4 cards, and other players must try and remember which of the cards you know.
2. Some of the cards have special scores.
Most cards are scored by their number value with aces low:
Ace=1 point
2 = 2 points
3 = 3 points etc.
Often one of the cards will have a negative score (-1). This card is beneficial to have in your hand, and can beat having 0 cards in your hand.
For special cards one example is:
Jokers are 0 points
JQK are 10 points, except for
Red kings which are -1 points
Another common combination is:
Jokers are -1 points
JQK are 10 points, except
Red kings are 0 points.
Other variations are:
If there are no Jokers in the deck the ace may be chosen as a 0 point card.
JQK cards may be 11,12 and 13 points.
Sometimes black kings are 20 points.
3. Choosing the starting player for the first round may be by simple luck (drawing the highest card), or by 'smash to start'.
With 'smash to start' the dealer flips the top card from the deck onto the discard pile and repeats until one of the players is able to smash a card. The next player in the circle after the player who smashed goes first (the smash counts as the first turn of the starting player).
For subsequent rounds the first player may either be: the player next to the dealer, or the player who called <game name>, or the loser, or the lowest scoring player, or the next player in the circle, or repeat smash to start each time.
4. Some countries choose to play card games in different directions. I've lost track of which prefer to go clockwise around the circle, and which anticlockwise. I have acknowledged the following: choose a direction, someone will repeatedly claim it is backwards for them. (Psst clockwise is best)
5. In most versions on your turn you can choose to take a card either from the deck or from the discard pile. Some rules only allow you to take from the deck.
Usually if you take a card from the discard pile you cannot play the action. This card can only be exchanged with one of your face-down cards.
6. Which cards give which action varies, but the actions are commonly
Look yours = look at one of your cards
Look others = look at one of someone else's cards (with care not to reveal this to others!)
Blind swap = swap one of your cards for someone else's without looking (see 6b)
Super swap = swap with looking (see 6c).
Which cards give which actions varies between rule sets, but my preferred rule set is as follows. This gives lots of action cards for a fast paced game!
7,8 = look yours
9, 10 = look others
J, Q = blind swap
Black Kings = super swap
Other variations on the action cards give only one card for each action. Such as 7 = look at yours, 8 = look at others, 9 = blind swap. The choice of number-action is fairly arbitrary, I have encountered different sets.
6b. Blind swap of two cards. You cannot look at either of the cards during the swap.
The general rule is that this must be a swap between one of your cards and another players cards. One variation of this rule allows swapping a card between two other players, thus potentially disadvantaging them both due to unknown cards.
6c. The super swap (usually black kings).
This allows you to swap one of your cards, with one of someone else's, but with the advantage of looking at one or both of them first. If you don't like what you see you can decline the swap (you must state this, it's a game of memory not deception and sleight of hand). In some rules you can look at both cards before deciding whether to make the swap. In other rules you may look at only the card belonging to the other player during the swap (you cannot see your own). A third variation is that if you do not like the card belonging to the other player you may complete the swap with a third unseen card of another player.
7. In the fast paced game all players can react to a discarded card and try and smash their own on top. If you block this card with your hand so that one of the players can't see it they may get rather upset! Take your hand away as fast as possible. This is especially important when discarding cards from your set of face-down cards. You must reveal it fairly to all players including yourself by flipping it away from you as fast as possible. It's not generally fair to pick the old card up, have a good look at it yourself, and then show it to others by discarding it.
8. Playing actions. In most rules you can only play the action if you draw that card directly from the deck, not the discard pile. You don't get to play the action when you throw away a face down card which was an action card.
However in some rule sets you do. In these games you can stock up actions by replacing them into your face-down cards and play the action when you discard it by replacement.
9. Smashing cards. If two people try and smash on the same card only the fastest player 'wins' and the slower player must take their card back. Usually it's clear who was faster because their card is the one underneath touching the discard pile, if the card may have slid underneath from the side an independent player must decide who was the faster. There is no penalty for being too slow, unlike choosing the wrong card (see 9b), but they have a disadvantage in that other players know their card. Occasional variations of the rules allow multiple players to smash on the same number, which removes the speed element from the game. It's a more relaxing but less exciting game.
Generally only one card can be smashed, but some rule sets allow that if one player has two cards of the same number they can smash both in one go.
There is an aggressive variation of the rules where the faster player can then go around the table and smash the same numbered cards of the slower players. This means a player with slightly faster reactions can nearly win in a single move. The excessive dominance of a fast player in this situation can greatly reduce the fun for everyone else, I wouldn't recommend it.
9b. Making a mistake with the smash.
If you smash a card but it's the wrong number you must take a penalty (see 10).
The smash occurs the moment the card is turned over and anyone can see the number, you can't take it back once it's flipped over. If you realise it's the wrong card while the front is still hidden you may be able to take it back.
Some rule sets allow you to try a different card after you have made a mistake with one card and taken the penalty. In other rules you only have one chance to smash the correct card. It also varies of other players can smash one of your cards after you have made a mistake.
9c. Smashing other people's cards.
A common rule is that if you know someone else's card and you see that number discarded you can smash their card. The advantage to this is that you then give them one of your cards (usually the worst). You will need fast reactions to beat someone to their own card though! It makes knowing other people's cards more valuable and leads to some real connection between the players. Having someone know your cards is suddenly dangerous.
10. Penalties. Mistakes in the game are usually penalised. The penalty is one extra face-down card taken from the deck and added to the players set. In some variations of the rules the penalty may be two extra unknown cards!
It's generally funny to penalise every mistake, common failures include:
Trying to smash the wrong number
Accidentally flipping a nearby card when you try and smash
Taking your go out of turn (it gets confusing when people smash out of sequence)
Doing the wrong action for your card (looking at a card you receive in a blind swap)
Looking at your initial two cards more than once.
11. Smashing just before your turn. Sometimes a rule is added so that if you smash a card immediately before your turn (on the card discarded before you by the previous player), this becomes your turn, and you are effectively skipped.
12. Calling the name of the game, Eg. Kabul
You call the name of the game when you think you have the lowest points of any player and you want the game to stop. Each other player then gets one more turn, the cards are revealed and the scores counted.
12b. In most variations you can only call the game name, Eg. 'Kabul' when it is your turn. There may be special rules for situations where you have zero cards remaining, see 12f.
The two general options are that either calling Kabul is your entire turn, and you don't draw a card. This makes it more challenging to call Kabul, and has risk excitement.
Or that you take a turn as normal and call Kabul at the end of your turn.
12c. When you have called 'Kabul' or other name, there may be special rules which affect you. A common rule is that after you call Kabul, your cards are 'locked' and nobody can steal them with a blind swap. This is necessary to protect the player who calls the game, otherwise all other players attack them (and nobody wants to call Kabul). Whether the calling player can smash a card while their cards are 'locked' also varies between rules.
12d. The player who calls the name of the game must finish with the lowest score or pay a penalty. What to do in the event of a tie (same score) varies.
Generally if the cards are locked as per 12c then the player who called Kabul loses in the event of a tie. This balances with the protection of having locked cards.
Alternatively if their cards are not protected after calling Kabul then a tie may be considered a win (no penalty).
12e. The penalty for calling the name of the game and then not having the lowest score varies between rule sets. Common options are:
A score penalty of: +5/+10/+20/+50
50 points is a very serious price to pay!
Alternatively the penalty may be starting the next round with 5 cards instead of 4, which is a very minor effect.
12f. I don't think smashing cards was in the original game. How to handle the case where someone has smashed all 4 cards and now has zero cards has several possible options:
12f option 1 - the game stops instantly. I have played this a few times. It's unambiguous, which makes the rules clear, but it can be harsh on other players who are holding one high value card at the end.
12f option 2 - you must call <game name> on your next turn. In this case smashing will simply force you to call when next possible, but by smashing your last card you have taken a risk, someone with 0 or -1 may beat you. If you smash your last card just after your turn the other players effectively get to go twice more.
12f option 3 - you can continue playing and drawing cards. This is often combined with an unpleasant rule where even though you have zero cards, if you see a red king you can keep it (adding cards isn't otherwise a rule). In this variation the game continues until somebody gets a red king (or perpetually). Sometimes if you smash someone else's card with no cards of your own you give them a new card from the deck.
13. Often some scoring rules are borrowed from games such as Yanif.
If a player finishes a round and their total score becomes exactly 50 points the score goes back to 0. If someone finishes on exactly 100 their score goes back to 50.
This has an advantage in that it gives players who are losing a chance to get back into the game if they target exactly the needed score. On the other hand it can lead to perpetual games where scores loop between 0 and 50.
14. You can't change the position of your cards except for the rules described.
It's a game of memory and speed not deception and trickery. People need to eat, drink and smoke, not watch someone's fingers.
Anyone who subtly moves their cards has missed the point, don't play with them.
15. The one hand rule. It's more fun to play this game with the one hand rule. Sometimes this rule is the right hand, but that's a bit unfair on anyone who favours the left.
Using one hand reduces massive collisions when everyone goes for the same card and makes it more challenging for the current player to react to their own actions.
