Cambio

How to play Cambio

Goal

Have the lowest total in your hand when the round ends. You’ll only have seen some of your cards, so remember what you’ve seen and swap the high ones away.

The deal

• Everyone is dealt 4 cards face down, in two rows. Two jokers are shuffled into the deck.
• Before play, everyone looks at 2 cards in the row nearest them, then turns them back down.

On your turn

1. Draw the top card of the deck, or take the top card of the discard pile.
2. Swap it for any card in your hand. The card you give up goes face up on the discard pile, and uses its power if it has one.
3. Or, with a card from the deck, just discard it, and use its power if it has one.

Powers

• A card you discard on your turn has a power, whether it came off the deck or out of your hand. A snapped card never does.
• 7 or 8: peek at one of your own cards. 9 or 10: peek at one of someone else’s. Jack: swap one of your cards with someone else’s, unseen. Queen: swap any two cards on the table, in anyone’s hands, unseen. Black King: look at one of your cards and one of someone else’s, then choose whether to swap them.

Snapping

• Whenever a card is discarded, anyone may throw a card of the same rank from any hand onto it, out of turn. Snap someone else’s card and you give them one of yours to fill the gap.
• Snap a card that doesn’t match and you’re dealt 1 card face down as a penalty.

Calling Cambio

1. Once everyone has had 1 turn, at the start of your turn, you can call Cambio instead of drawing.
2. Everyone else gets one more turn. Nobody can swap or snap the caller’s cards.
3. Every hand is turned over and scored.

Scoring

• Cards count: an Ace is 1, number cards their number, a Jack 11, a Queen 12, a black King 13, a red King −1, a joker 0.
• If anyone ties or beats the caller, a bad call adds 10 to the caller’s score.
• The game ends when someone reaches 100 points, and the lowest total wins.

Variations

Picked in the lobby before the game starts.

• Play to: 100 points. The host can also choose 50 or 150.
• Cards each: 4. The host can also choose 6.
• First look: 2 cards. The host can also choose none or 1 card.
• Jokers: 2. A red and a black are shuffled in. The host can play without them.
• Powers: Classic. The host can also choose None, so no card does anything when discarded.
• Queen: Swap any two. The host can also have the Queen swap one of yours with someone else’s, as the Jack does.
• Powers from: Deck or hand. The host can also give powers only to cards discarded straight from the deck.
• Snapping: Anyone’s. The host can also choose Your own or Off.
• Picture cards: J 11 · Q 12 · K 13. The host can make them all worth 10.
• Red King: −1. The best card to hold. The host can make it 0.
• Joker: 0. The host can also choose −1 or −2.
• A bad call: +10. What calling Cambio costs when someone ties or beats you. The host can also choose doubled or no penalty.
• Missed snap: 1 card. Dealt face down to whoever snaps a card that doesn’t match. The host can also choose 2 cards.
• Earliest call: After 1 round. The host can also choose any time or after 2 rounds.
• Remember for me: Off. You have to remember what you’ve seen. On, cards you’ve seen stay face up on your own screen, so there’s nothing to memorise.