Hand is a rummy-family card game: in every round you try to get rid of all your cards before your opponents by forming legal melds. Points here are penalties, so the lowest total wins. This guide covers the basics, then summarises the variants.
What you need
- Cards: two 52-card decks plus two Jokers, 106 cards in all.
- Players: 2 to 4 in Hand Classic and Saudi Hand (everyone for themselves), and exactly 4 in the two partnership variants (two teams of 2).
- Number of rounds: chosen by the host before the start: 3, 5, 7 or 9, and it cannot be changed once the match begins.
A round step by step
1. The deal
Each player gets 14 cards. The player on the dealer's right gets a fifteenth card and starts the round by discarding one card to the "fire pile". The rest are placed face down as the draw pile.
2. Your turn: three steps
- Draw one card from the draw pile or take the top card of the fire pile.
- Do what is allowed: lay down melds, add to melds, or replace a Joker.
- Discard one card to the fire pile to end your turn, unless the round ends because you got rid of all your cards.
Only the top fire card can be taken, and you may not discard it again in the same turn.
3. Legal melds
- Run: 3 or more cards of the same suit in consecutive ranks, such as 5♥ 6♥ 7♥.
- Set: 3 or more cards of the same rank in different suits, such as 9♠ 9♥ 9♦. A set holds at most 4 cards.
4. The opening
The opening is your first legal lay-down. In Hand Classic the total value of your new melds must reach 51 or more, and you may open with several melds in the same turn. Melds submitted together are accepted or rejected together, and before opening you may not add to melds or replace Jokers.
Card values: 2 to 10 are worth their face value, J, Q and K are worth 10 each, and the Ace (A) is worth 11. Example: 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ (40) plus 4♠ 4♥ 4♦ (12) is 52, a valid opening.
After opening, you can form new melds, add to any legal meld on the table (even your opponents'), and replace Jokers.
5. Taking from the fire pile
If you are not opened, taking the fire card obliges you to make a legal opening in the same turn, and you may not discard before meeting the requirement. If you are already opened, you simply continue your turn normally.
The Joker
The Joker stands in for a missing card inside a run or set, and only one Joker is allowed per meld. After opening, you may take a Joker out of a meld by putting the correct natural card in its place. A Joker left in your hand at the end of the round counts 15 points.
Round scoring
The round ends immediately when a player's card count becomes zero after a legal move:
| Situation | Points |
|---|---|
| The player who went out | -30 |
| A player who opened and did not go out | + total value of the cards left in hand |
| A player who never opened | +100 |
Round points are added to a cumulative total, and the match winner is the player or team with the lowest total after the chosen number of rounds.
The "Hand" finish
If you lay down all your cards in a single turn without adding to anyone else's melds, having played nothing in your earlier turns of the round, that is a "Hand": you score -60, the others' penalties are doubled (x2), and a player who never opened gets +200.
The four variants in brief
- Hand Classic: 2 to 4 players, a 51 opening for each player.
- Hand Partnership: 4 players in two teams, a personal 51 opening each.
- Saudi Hand: the first to open needs 51, then the next player needs the last accepted opening + 1; the bar returns to 51 each round. The Ace is 1 only in a run starting A-2-3.
- Saudi Hand Partnership: the opening belongs to the whole team: 51 for the first team, and at least the first team's opening + 1 for the other.
Common beginner mistakes
- Taking a fire card before checking your opening: if unopened you must open in the same turn.
- Delaying the opening: a player who has not opened by round end pays +100.
- Keeping the Joker in hand: it costs 15 points.
- Including an illegal meld: the whole opening is rejected; 5♥ 6♦ 7♥ is not a run.
Quick questions
What if the draw pile runs out?
The older fire cards are shuffled into a new draw pile, up to 3 times. If the round still cannot continue, it is a no-contest and every score is zero.
Does the highest score win?
No. Points are penalties, and the winner has the lowest total.
Next step
ERAM CARDS is an online multiplayer card and board game app, starting on Android in Arabic and English. Full rules: full Hand rules page.