Mao

a crazy memory card game

for 4 or more

 

 

This game is known by many names, some of them unprintable here. 

 

 

 

 

This crazy game requires a good memory. The longer the game, the more memory required!

 

Basic play goes very much like Crazy Eights: on your turn, you discard a card from your hand that matches either suit or number of the top card of the discard pile... unless, of course, another rule requires you to do something else. If at any time you can't or don't want to play, you simply draw one card, and that is your entire turn: unlike Crazy Eights, you don't get to immediately play that card if it is playable.

 

 

Five Rules About the Cards:

   1. When you play an 8, it skips the next player; i.e., after you play, the second player around the circle from you goes next.

   2. When you play an Ace, it reverses the direction of play; i.e., if play was going around to the left, the player on your right goes next and play continues around to the right.

   3. Kings are wild and can be played on anything as long as it doesn't break another rule (like the 7's rule below). As you are playing a king, you announce what suit the next player has to play. If you don't announce a suit right when you play it, anyone may quickly announce a suit of their choice.

   4. When you play a 7, the next player has to play another 7 OR draw two cards for every "live" 7 in the stack, and this constitutes their turn. When a player doesn't have a 7 and has to draw, all the 7's played already become "dead", and the next player no longer has to play a 7: they can match suit or number or play a wild card. However, if they do play another 7, this new 7 is "live" and the next player must follow the 7's rule.

   5. Whenever you play a Spade, you have to announce the rank and suit of the card you play; e.g., if you play the 3 of Spades, you have to say, "3 of Spades".

 

Ten Rules About Play:

   6. Swearing and cursing are not allowed.

   7.  Delaying the game is not allowed: players may take a few moments to decide which card to play, but unnecessary delay of game (for instance, if a player doesn't know it's their turn or is just plain taking too long) is not allowed. 

   8. Questions are not allowed during play.

   9. If you need to ask a question, discuss a play, shuffle the deck because there are no more cards on the Draw Pile, or take a break for any other reason, call "Time Out" and all players must put their cards facedown on the table in front of them. You are now official Not In Play. You may now ask questions, but all other rules still apply.

 10. You are not allowed to touch your cards during Time Out.

 11. Time Out ends when ALL players have said "Time in", THEN everyone picks up their cards and play continues where it left off.

 12. If your turn ends and you have one card left, you must announce, "Last Card" before the next player takes their turn. If two turns go by, you can no longer be penalized. 

 13. When you play your last card, you must say, "Mao." Hence the term: Mao Out.

 14. If someone breaks a rule, any player may give them the top card off the Draw Pile facedown as a penalty card and must announce what rule they broke while doing so: "Swearing", "Delay of Game", "Question", "Touched your Cards during Time Out", "Misplay" or "Out of Turn" (yes, you can be penalized for playing the wrong card or playing out of turn since they delay the game), and so on.

 15. If you Mao Out, you make up a new rule that applies for the rest of the game!

 

NOTE: If the players decide to take a break and continue the same game later, any new rules (#15 above) still apply. However, if you end the game and later start a new one, only the original 15 rules apply. Another way of saying this is that any rules your group make up, only apply to that one game. Next game, you'll get to make up other new rules!

 

TO START THE GAME:
1. The dealer deals everyone 7 cards and places the remainder of the pack face down in the center.

2. When all players have said they are ready (allowing time to arrange their hands, clarify any rules they're unsure of, ask any questions, etc.), the dealer turns over the top card and the game begins.

3. Play goes to the left. 

3. It is as if the dealer played that first card, so: A) if it is an 8, it skips the next player, B) if it is an Ace, play reverses and goes to the right, C) if it is a king, the dealer announces what suit the next player has to play (if they don't, another player can quickly announce the suit!), and D) if it is a spade, the dealer has to announce the rank and suit.

 

GAME STRATEGY:

1. Like all card games, you have to keep your cards in plain sight. 

2. Don't penalize yourself. If you break a rule, shhhhhhh! Keep it to yourself. Bringing attention to your mistakes will only cause other players to pay more attention to you in the future.

3. If you draw instead of playing a card, don't draw attention to it: just quietly draw a card. If the next player didn't notice, they can be penalized for Delay of Game! 

4. Before ending a Time Out, it is useful to remind everyone who's turn it is and which direction play is going. This is not required, so if you aren't sure, it is certainly okay to ask those things before the Time Out ends.

5.  Pay attention to how many cards other players have. Be especially sure to penalize anyone who doesn't announce "Last Card".

6. Use your wild cards strategically. It's usually better to draw one card than to play a wild card just to get another card out of your hand. 

 

 

 

TREVOR'S QUALITY GUARANTEE:
YOU WILL BE 100% SATISFIED AND
YOUR GROUP WILL HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF FUN...
OR IT'S FREE!

 

[TREVOR's Recommended Card Games]
 

   

trevor@trevorthegamesman.com

PO Box 463, Haydenville, MA 01039