KHASINO · THE COMPLETE OFFLINE RULEBOOK
This guide describes the South African Khasino house rules implemented in this game. Local groups may play differently. The foundation is shared, but the dealing, teams and scoring change with the game format.
APPLIES TO ALL FORMATS
Use four suits—♠ spades, ♥ hearts, ♦ diamonds and ♣ clubs—with ranks Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. For sums, an Ace counts as one. Kings, Queens and Jacks are not used.
You play one card from your own hand on an ordinary turn. A legal action may allow additional groups to be handled before the turn finishes.
A loose card lies unclaimed on the shared table. A played card can capture matching loose cards, a build of its value, or table groups that add up to its value. Several separately complete groups can be taken in one legal capture sequence.
You cannot discard a second independent loose card of a value already present as a loose card or build. Use a legal capture or other permitted action instead.
Combine the card you play with loose table cards to make a build of value 1–10, while retaining a card of that value in your hand. For instance, hand 5 + loose 4 makes Build 9 only if you keep a 9. An additional completed group placed on that build must itself total nine.
Your matching card is a commitment to that build; dropping your last matching card onto your build is not allowed. A matching-rank pair can also establish a compound build of that same value: hand Ace + loose Ace makes Build Ace if you retain another Ace. The two cards are separate complete groups, so the opponent cannot change its value as if it were a simple two-card sum build. Similarly, hand 5 + loose 5 may declare Build 5 when another 5 is retained, or Build 10 when a 10 is retained.
A player may change an opponent's simple two-card, single-group build by adding a card to increase its value and retaining the new matching capture card. Example: opponent's 4 + 5 = Build 9, then your Ace makes Build 10 if you retain a 10. You cannot raise your own build this way or change a compound build.
Only the top card of an opponent's captured pile is accessible; covered cards are hidden. A pile's exposed card cannot by itself be used to start a brand-new build. It can help complete a group on an established build or a table-grounded capture.
Newly exposed cards may be used in sequence if each preceding group was completed legally. You cannot take two covered cards at once to finish one group.
The capturing hand card must remain exposed on top of the capturing player's pile. On a build, higher-ranked cards sit underneath lower-ranked cards within each group, and newer completed groups sit above older ones. In competitive modes, buried build cards are not revealed simply by inspecting a stack.
TWO PLAYERS · ONE OPPONENT
Practice, Classic and Local Pass-and-Play use the same 1v1 deck and house rules. Practice provides guidance, Classic hides strategic assistance, and Local Pass-and-Play lets two humans take turns on one device with a private handoff screen.
Each player receives 10 cards. When that deal is played, the remaining 20 cards are dealt as 10 to each player. Cards and builds already on the table remain in place. Turns alternate between you and the computer.
During the first deal, if you own a build, you cannot discard an unrelated loose card: finish your build, capture, load or make another permitted play.
Practice 1v1: guided controls, visible build details and explanations of legal moves.
Classic 1v1: no strategy hints or captured-card counts; you see only exposed pile/build cards with the small build-value marker. You use drag-and-drop or deliberate action selection. The continuation timer is 10 seconds and restarts after each accepted continuation.
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Most captured cards | 2 points (split 1–1 on a tie) |
| Most spades | 2 points (split 1–1 on a tie) |
| All four Aces | 1 point each = 4 total |
| 2♠ | 1 point |
| 10♦ | 2 points |
The most-cards and most-spades bonuses are awarded to the player with more of each; ties split those categories. The player who made the last capture receives leftover loose cards and builds when the match ends.
FOUR PLAYERS · TWO TEAMS
Two teammates combine their captured cards for scoring, but each player still has a separate hand, exposed captured pile and build ownership.
A (you) and B form one team; C and D form the opposing team. All four players receive 10 cards, using the complete 40-card deck. Turn order is counterclockwise A → C → B → D, rotated from the chosen starter.
If A/B start, you may choose whether you or partner B leads after inspecting your hand.
There is one captured pile per player. A or B may legally use exposed cards from opponents C and D, including one from each pile to form separate or combined complete groups when the table base permits. You may not use your teammate's exposed captured cards.
Team scores combine A+B versus C+D only at the end.
A teammate can strengthen a partner's build without automatically taking ownership. If A has publicly built 9 and that build is captured by an opponent, B can rebuild it on A's behalf using that public evidence, provided A has not subsequently played the retained 9. B cannot inspect A's hidden cards to invent a new promised rank.
When a partner is about to capture a build and the other teammate may still hold its matching card, an eligible Stay prompt gives the teammate ten seconds to respond. A timely Stay can lead to loading and ownership transfer; silence allows the capture. Opponents see the resulting public move, not the private prompt.
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Most captured cards | 2 points (split 1–1 on a tie) |
| Most spades | 2 points (split 1–1 on a tie) |
| All four Aces | 1 point each = 4 total |
| 2♠ | 1 point |
| 10♦ | 2 points |
All captured A+B cards count together against captured C+D cards. The two-point majority categories are split 1–1 when teams tie. At the end, remaining table cards go to the individual last capturer's pile and therefore count toward that player's team.
THREE PLAYERS · NO TEAMMATES
You (A), Computer 1 (B) and Computer 2 (C) compete independently. The turn sequence is counterclockwise A → C → B → A.
Deal 13 cards to each of the three players, with the remaining card placed loose in the middle. There is no stock and no second deal.
Deal 3 cards to each player, place one loose card on the table and leave 30 cards in the stock. After finishing a turn, only the player who just acted replenishes their hand to three while stock remains. The remaining cards are played out when the stock is empty.
Each player has their own build area and captured pile. Opponent top cards may contribute to legal grounded actions, never buried cards. A captured card can be followed by another complete capture group or by adding a complete table-only group to your retained matching build, without playing a second hand card.
The lowest scorer in the previous completed Three-Hand match starts the next one. If several players tie for the lowest score, the starter preference attempts to leave the previous winner playing last; an established seating order resolves any remaining tie.
| Category | Points |
|---|---|
| Each Ace | 1 point (4 total) |
| 2♠ | 1 point |
| 10♦ | 2 points |
| Most cards / most spades | No scoring points; tie-breakers only |
Most captured cards and most spades earn zero points in Three-Hand. If the highest seven-point scores are tied—for example, 3–3–1—the winner is determined by most captured cards, then most spades, then 10♦.