In some variations, the first player is chosen once the cards are dealt, and it’s based on the lowest card that is face-up.

Typically, you start dealing with the person on your left.

One variant has the dealer place 3 of the cards face-up on top of the original 3 face-down cards. This makes the game a bit harder, as you can’t place easy-to-play cards face-up. [3] X Research source

One variation says the first player with a face-up 3 starts the game by playing a card from their hand. [6] X Research source If no one has a 3, it moves to 4s. Another variation says the person to the left the dealer plays the lowest card in their hand. As an example, say the starting card is a 6.

You can use any higher card, but it’s smarter to play your lower cards first. For instance, if the starting card is the 6 of hearts, you can play a 6 of spades, a 7 of diamonds, or a king of clubs. You could also play 2 6s or 3 8s. The cards are ranked with the ace as the highest and the 3 as the lowest. The 2 is a special card that resets the deck.

So if you played 1 card, you pick up 2. In some variations, if you draw a card that’s the same number as the last card you played on the pile, you can play it. This rule only applies if the next player hasn’t added a card yet. [8] X Research source

You can play any card after you play a 2 or 10.

The player who played the last card can play any card, starting the discard pile again. In some variations, anyone can jump in to finish 4 of a kind. For instance, if the dealer plays 3 7s, someone across the table can play 1 7 to complete 4 of a kind, even if it’s not their turn. It then becomes their turn, skipping the other players.

Remember, you have to play a card if you can.

If you can’t play a card, you follow the same rule as before and pick up the discard pile. Once you pick up a pile, you must play all of those before playing from your cards on the table.

If you pick up the discard pile, you must play those before continuing to play your face-down cards.

The game can continue after the first person is out, but it’s more fun to start another game instead.