Coins

Coins is a trick taking card game for three players. A Spanish deck of 48 cards is used. The suits are Cups, Coins, Swords, and Clubs. Suit values are relative: Cups contain Coins, Coins buy Swords, Swords chop Clubs, and Clubs smash Cups. The ranks, from high to low, are Ace, King (Rey), Knight (Caballo), Knave (Sota), and 9 to 2. Trick card valuesThere are three types of tricks, as follows. The three cards of the trick are of three different suits. Suit A beats suit B, and suit B beats suit C (see the suit relative values above). Suit A wins the trick. Two cards of the trick are of the same suit and the third is of a different suit. The higher ranked, same-suit card wins the trick (see the ranks above). The three cards of the trick are all of the same suit. The highest ranked card wins the trick. Object of the gamePlayers initally agree on a target score such as 10 or 15 or 20 points. Each card of the Coins suit is worth one point. As soon as one of the players reaches the target score, he wins the game. PlayThe dealer of the first hand of the game is the oldest player. In subsequent hands, the player to the right of the winner of the last trick deals. The player to the dealer's right shuffles the cards. The player to the dealer's left cuts the deck. The entire deck is dealt face down, one card at a time, clockwise, beginning on the dealer's left. After all the cards have been dealt, the player to the dealer's left leads the trick by placing any card from his hand face up on the table. Then the player to that player's left likewise plays any one of his cards. Finally, the third player (the dealer) plays any card. The player with the highest valued card in the trick (see TRICK CARD VALUES above) wins the trick. The trick winner adds the number of Coins in the trick to his total, collects the three cards of the trick, and places them face down on his stack of tricks. The winner of the trick leads the next trick.