Cassino (game)

Cassino is a card game for two, three, or four players, played with a standard deck of playing cards. The object is to score twenty-one points by taking tricks.

The deal

The dealer deals four cards to each player, two at a time, and, in the first deal, four cards face up to the table. In subsequent deals, the dealer replenishes the players' hands, but not the table. The deal rotates only at the end of a complete round, when the deck has been exhausted.

The play

Beginning with the player to the dealer's left, each player plays one card at a time, performing one of the following actions:

• Any card may be discarded face up to the table
• Any card may be used to take another card of the same denomination that is face up on the table
• A number card may be used to take two or more cards whose pips total the number on the card being used to take them. For example, a player may take a 3 and a 6 with a 9, or may take a 2, 4, and 4 with a 10.
• Number cards may be "built" upon, as follows: a player may place one number card on another already on the table, announcing their sum by saying "building tens", "building sixes", or whatever the sum is. The two "built" cards are thereafter treated as if they were a single card of the total value. They may then be taken by the player who built them, or by any other player with a card of the correct denomination. A later player may also build the stack still higher. For example, one player places a deuce onto a three already on the table, and says "building fives"; the deuce and the three are now a unit, as if they were a five. The next player may place another deuce on the pile and say "building sevens".

A player may not make a build of a number unless their hand contains the correct number card to take the build later.

Face cards do not have a denomination in Cassino and are not available for building.

It often occurs that some cards are left over on the table at the end of the last deal. These cards ("sweeps") are taken by the player who took the last trick.

Scoring

The round is over when the stock has been exhausted and the last deal played. Players count their tricks and score points as follows:

• Most cards: 3
• Most spades: 1
• Each ace: 1
• 10 of diamonds ("big cassino"): 2
• 2 of spades: ("little cassino"): 1

Thus there are 11 points to be won in each round. Typically, the winner is the first player to score 21 or more points total.

If "most cards" or "most spades" are held by two or more players, no points are awarded in that category.

In some localities, taking sweeps is worth an additional point.