Setup & dealing
Shuffle the full deck, jokers included. Each player is dealt a hand (typically 7 cards). The rest becomes the face-down draw pile, and one card is flipped face-up beside it to start the discard pile.
Play begins with the player after the dealer and moves clockwise — until an 8 says otherwise.
Matching suit or rank
On your turn, play a card that matches the top of the discard pile by suit or by rank. A ♥ on a ♥, a 9 on a 9 — either works.
Can't play? Draw one card from the pile. If it plays, you may play it immediately; otherwise your turn ends.
The special cards
2 — Draw two
The next player draws two cards and loses their turn — unless they respond with a 2 of their own, stacking the penalty for the player after them.
Joker — Draw five
The next player draws five cards. Jokers stack on jokers, and the totals get ugly fast.
7 — Skip
The next player is skipped. Sevens chain: each additional 7 skips one more player around the table.
8 — Reverse
The direction of play reverses immediately. In a two-player game, an 8 acts like a skip.
J — The wildcard
A Jack can be played on anything. When you play it, make a demand: name a suit the next player must follow, or demand that they play a special card.
A demanded player who cannot deliver must draw. The Jack is how you steer the game — and how you set traps.
Draw stacks
Penalty cards accumulate. If a 2 lands on you and you answer with a 2, the next player faces a draw of four. Two jokers in a row is a draw of ten.
A stack only stops when a player can't (or won't) add to it — that player draws the entire total, and play continues.
Multi-card plays
Holding several cards of the same rank? Play them together in a single turn — four 9s at once, or three 7s that skip three players in one motion.
The first card of the set must legally match the discard pile; the rest follow by rank.
Finishing & "Kadi Moja!"
The moment you are down to one card, you must call "Kadi Moja!" — before the next player takes their turn. Miss the call and you draw penalty cards as the table sees fit (the app enforces it for you).
You cannot win on a special card. Your final card must be a normal one — no 2s, 7s, 8s, Jacks, or jokers. If your last card is special, you're not done yet.
Play your final normal card after a clean "Kadi Moja!" and the game is yours.
Scoring
When a round ends, everyone still holding cards counts them against their score. Lowest total wins the long game.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 3 – 10 | Face value |
| Jack | 10 |
| Queen | 2 |
| King | 4 |
| 2 | 20 |
| Joker | 50 |
Notice the sting: the cards that hurt others hurt you most when you're caught holding them.
Elimination mode
For longer sessions, play to a points ceiling. Cross the limit and you're out of your chair — the last player standing takes the table.
Every round matters: a single unlucky joker in hand can be the end of you.
Cheat mode
An optional house rule for tables that like danger. With cheat mode on, you may secretly hide one card from your visible hand and play as if it doesn't exist.
But any player can call you out. Caught cheating, you take a heavy draw penalty. Accused falsely, your accuser pays instead. Bluff well.
Cheat mode is opt-in — every player at the table agrees before the deal.