HT Games
Objective: Be the first player to get rid of all your cards by successfully bidding on and winning contracts.
Players: 3-6 players
Cards: A standard 52-card deck.
Setup:
1. Deal: Each player receives 7 cards if playing with 3 or 4 players, or 6 cards if playing with 5 or 6 players.
2. The Pit: The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form the "Pit".
3. Trump Card: The top card of the Pit is flipped face up to determine the trump suit.
Gameplay:
1. Bidding:
* Players take turns bidding on contracts.
* Each contract is a specific number of tricks (3, 4, or 5) that a player wants to win during a round.
* Bidding starts at 3 tricks and goes up in increments of 1 trick.
* Players can pass on a bid, but once a player bids, they are "in" and must continue bidding until they win the contract or pass.
* The player with the highest bid wins the contract.
2. Winning the Contract:
* The player who wins the contract leads the first trick by playing any card.
* Players must follow suit if possible. If they cannot follow suit, they can play any card.
* The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless the trick contains a trump card, in which case the highest trump card wins.
* The winner of the trick leads the next trick.
3. Winning the Round:
* The player who wins the contract must win the number of tricks they bid on to win the round.
* If they fail to win the required number of tricks, they are "set" and must draw a card from the Pit for each trick they failed to win.
* If they succeed, they discard all the cards they won in the round.
4. Game End:
* The game continues until a player has discarded all their cards. This player wins the game.
Special Rules:
* Going Alone: A player can declare "Going Alone" before bidding, meaning they will try to win the contract on their own, without any help from other players. If they succeed, they get 2 points for each trick won.
* Underbidding: If a player goes alone and fails to win the contract, they are set for every trick they failed to win, even if they won some tricks.
* Overbidding: If a player goes alone and wins more tricks than their bid, they still only get 2 points for each trick they won.
* Penalty for Failing to Bid: If no player bids on a contract, the player to the left of the dealer must bid on the next round.
Scoring:
* Each player receives a point for each trick they win, except for the player who wins the contract, who gets no points.
* If a player goes alone and wins the contract, they get 2 points for each trick won.
* If a player goes alone and loses, they get 0 points and are set for every trick they failed to win.
* The player who gets rid of all their cards first wins the game.
Variations:
* Some versions of Pit allow players to play cards from their hand even if they cannot follow suit, allowing for more strategic play.
* Some versions use a different scoring system, such as awarding points for winning rounds or for the number of cards discarded.
Tips:
* Try to understand the bidding system and what it means for the other players.
* Watch the cards played to get an idea of what your opponents might have in their hands.
* Be careful about going alone, as it can be risky, but also rewarding.
* Don't be afraid to pass on bids if you think you don't have a good chance of winning the contract.