Rook

Categories: Board games

Descriptions:

Rookis a trump-based trick-taking game played with a deck ofRookplaying cards. It was first sold in 1906 byParker Brothers. TheRookdeck is similar to astandard deck of cards, but has only numbers from 1-14 in four colors (no face cards or card suits (spades, etc.)).

The standard game is a 4-player partnership game with the 1's, 2's, 3's, and 4's removed for a deck of 41 cards (with theRookcard). Each hand, players bid forTrump, and then the partnership that won the bid must make the amount of points bid in the hand. Play of each trick is similar toWhistgames likeBridge. The card led must be followed by a card of the same color. A player may play a trump color if they have none of the color led. The highest card of the color led wins the trick, unless the trick is trumped, and then the highest trump wins the trick. TheRookcard can be played at any time, and always wins the trick. UnlikeWhistorBridge, theamountof tricks is not important, but certaincountcards (5's, 10's, 14's, and theRookcard) taken in tricks are worth points, which is how the game is scored.

The standard game is 4-player, but there are variants for 2-player and 3-player in the rules, and there also are many variations and house rules used in play.

Rookhas also been referred to asMissionary Poker. TheRookdeck, with no-face cards or suits from astandard deck of cards, has often been a card game played by religious groups who object to usinga standard deck of cards.