Show notes
Sound the alarm, it's the second half of Evil Games Club's latest nefarious reign over the clubhouse! This time, Adia, Dylan and Dale take their misdeeds to new heights with an "Evil Games Jam." Can they invent a playable game and test it in a single episode? What maddening mechanics will be unleashed from these malevolent minds? Take shelter under your headphones and listen if you dare!
PromptCreate a game you might find in a casino, where the house always wins.Game typeCard gamePlayer count3MaterialsStandard deck of 52 playing cards
SetupIn this game, the Patrons and the Dealer oppose each other. In the spirit of the prompt, the idea is that the Dealer needs to win against the Patrons, but keep them interested enough to keep playing.
- The Dealer wants to win against the Patrons.
- The Patrons will work with each other to make more matches than the Dealer—while having fun!
Setting up the game:
- Decide who will be The Dealer.
- The Dealer shuffles the deck and deals each player 5 cards, face down.
- The Dealer deals themselves 5 cards, face down.
- Play starts with the person to the Dealer's left and proceeds clockwise.
RulesGOAL
Patrons want to create more sets of matching 4 cards than the Dealer before the deck runs out. A set = 4 cards of the same number.
Heads up! Here are some important notes:
- The Dealer's rules are slightly different than the Players' rules. The differences are noted below in line with the regular rules.
- The discard pool is not the same thing as the discard pile. A discard pool is created during each round and then merged into the discard pile at the start of the Dealer's turn each round.
PLAYER TURNS
On each player's turn, they will take the following steps in order:
- Draw cards
- Switch cards
- Discard
(Dealer only) Before you draw cards, move the cards in the discard pool from that round into the discard pile.
1: DRAW CARDS
On their turn, each player takes one of the following actions:
- Draw up to 2 cards from the deck and place it face up in front of them
- Draw up to 2 cards from the discard pool and place it face up in front of them
- (Dealer only) If the player is the Dealer, they can pick up to 2 cards from any of the Patrons' hands and put them face up on the table OR put them directly into their hand
2: SWITCH CARDS
The player may then swap cards from their hand for cards they just drew, maintaining a hand of 5 cards. Patrons can only switch "like for like"—cards of the same color or number. Examples:
- Swap the Queen of Spades for the Five of Clubs
- Swap the Four of Diamonds for the Four of Spades
The Dealer doesn't have to follow the "like for like" rule. They can switch whatever cards they want. Unfair? Yep! That's the point.
3: DISCARD
The player should now have 5 cards in their hand and 2 cards leftover—either ones that were switched out, or ones that were drawn and not switched. The player must do one of the following before the end of their turn:
- Discard the leftover 2 cards into the discard pool.
- (Dealer only) Hand the leftover 2 cards to the Patron from which you drew your cards in step 1 of this turn.
MAKING A SET
A set is created when a single player holds 4 cards of the same number in their hand. When a player creates a set, they place all four cards on the table, then draws back up to a 5 card hand.
PLAYING TO WIN
Players take turns, clockwise, until the deck is expended. If the Dealer has made the most 4-card sets by the end of the game, the Dealer wins. If the Patrons have more 4-card sets than the Dealer, the Patrons win!
SHARING INFORMATION
Patrons can share information about their hands with each other by placing their hands face-up on the table. If you do this, know that the Dealer will get to see what's in your hand, too!
That's all the rules that we're allowed to talk about. If you try out the game, let us know what you think!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
