Five Crowns
Five Crowns is a rummy-style card game played over 11 rounds, where the goal is to end the game with the lowest total score. Each round, players are dealt a number of cards equal to the round number (starting at 3 and ending at 13), and try to form sets (same rank, different suits) and runs (sequential cards of the same suit). Each round has a wild card that matches the round number (e.g., 6s are wild in round 6), plus Jokers which are always wild. Players take turns drawing and discarding cards until someone “goes out” by arranging all their cards into valid sets/runs with one card left to discard. The remaining players get one last turn, and any unplayed cards score points. After 11 rounds, the player with the fewest points wins.
🎯 Goal of the Game
You want to have the lowest total score by the end of the game. You get points for the cards you couldn’t get rid of each round—so the trick is to go out first or dump your high-value cards before someone else ends the round!
👥 Players
2 to 7 players. Best with 3–6.
🃏 The Cards
Five Crowns uses a special deck:
- Two decks combined, but only numbers 3 through King in five suits: Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds, and Stars.
- There are also wild cards and Jokers.
🔄 Game Overview
There are 11 rounds, and in each round, the number of cards dealt increases by one:
- Round 1 → 3 cards
- Round 2 → 4 cards
- …
- Round 11 → 13 cards
In each round, the wild card is the number that matches the round. So:
- In round 3, 3s are wild
- Round 4 → 4s are wild
- Up to round 11, where Kings are wild
Jokers are always wild, no matter what.
▶️ How to Play a Round
- Deal cards to everyone (based on round number).
- Put the rest in a draw pile. Flip one card face up to start the discard pile.
- On your turn:
- Draw one card (from the draw pile or the discard pile).
- Discard one card.
- Your goal: make a hand with one or more sets (3+ cards of the same number but different suits) and/or runs (3+ consecutive cards in the same suit).
- Wilds and Jokers can stand in for any card.
🚨 Going Out
- When someone can play their whole hand in sets/runs with just one discard left, they “go out.”
- Everyone else gets one last turn to play their hand.
- Then everyone lays down what they can, and leftover cards count against them.
🔢 Scoring
Any cards not in sets/runs after a round are worth:
- Number cards = face value
- J, Q, K = 11, 12, 13 points
- Jokers = 50 points
- Wilds (non-Joker) = 20 points
🏁 Winning
After 11 rounds, total everyone’s points. The player with the lowest total score wins!