Kartu Sama is a card game I invented with my children. It’s similar to UNO but played with a regular 54-card deck. It’s designed to be quick and fun, but not as hectic as UNO since there are no time-sensitive actions.

Setup

  1. Shuffle the cards.
  2. Deal 3 cards to each player, then 2 more.
  3. Place 1 card face up — this will be the discard pile.
  4. Deal 3 more cards.
  5. Place the remaining cards face down — this will be the draw pile.

Gameplay

A game can be played for points or by counting the number of rounds won. It can be played with or without Jokers. The rules are the same, but Jokers have specific effects.

Start of Turn

  1. Play one card from your hand onto the discard pile, face up. It must share a common trait with the top discard card — either the same rank or the same suit.
  2. If the player has no valid card to play, they draw 2 cards and skip their turn.
  3. If the player had only one card before drawing, they draw nbj − 1 additional cards.
  4. The round ends when a player must draw but the deck is empty, or when a player plays their last card.
  5. It ends immediately. Drawn cards still count.
  6. Players total the points of the cards remaining in their hands.

Scoring

  • Number cards score their face value.
  • Face cards (J, Q, K) score 1 point.
  • Aces score 11 points.
  • Jokers score 20 points.

In a points game, players add up their points each round. In a victory game, the winner of a round is determined as follows:

  1. The player with the lowest total points.
  2. If tied, the player with the most cards.
  3. If still tied, the player with the lowest master card.

Joker Variant

  • A player may discard a Joker on any card, but must then discard nbj additional cards that follow the discard rules. Jokers can be stacked.
  • If the player cannot play the required additional cards, they draw nbj × 2 cards.