Game: Rook

Thread: Re: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

swandive78 — 2008-11-22T00:46:57+00:00

I've always thought of Rook as a light Bridge, but it probably has more in common with Bridge's grandpa, Whist. With the exception of the Rook card, it bears a lot of resemblence to Whist, and the practice of stripping the deck is a bit of a European tradition in other card games.

If you don't like Rook, the probability that you will not like Bridge is pretty high.

Thread: Re: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

swandive78 — 2008-11-22T00:40:07+00:00

EndersGame wrote:
Your feedback

I welcome some feedback on the above questions. How do you think that Rook is best played:
1. With Rook or without Rook?
Gotta have the Rook! (Although I will leave it out if playing with a new player who feels it's "not fair" to use the bird)

EndersGame wrote:
2. Three point cards or four point cards (1 High = 15 points) per suit?
I prefer 3 scoring cards, but the 4 scoring card variations are fun every once in a while to change things up. The "Red 1" is also a great variation every now and then.

EndersGame wrote:
3. Some cards (5-14) or all cards (1-14)?
After trying the games without stripping the deck, I found that using the rules' proscribed numbers of cards tends to keep the play moving a a fast pace, so I tend to go along with the rules, although there is something that annoys me about stripping cards out of a deck (the stripped cards do not "age" and wear at the same rate as the unstripped cards--is that a bit OCD?).

EndersGame wrote:
4. Rook is high trump or low trump?
Rook is best a high trump, but playing it low trump is another good leveling mechanism.

As I said, I tend to be a bit old school about Rook. For example, I prefer the old unintelligent dummy two-player version to the open dummy hand played by the bid loser version now included with the basic Rook deck.

But the main point is, I'll play it however I need to, as long as I get to play it!

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whoami — 2008-11-08T01:52:57+00:00

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whoami — 2008-11-08T01:49:55+00:00

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whoami — 2008-11-08T01:48:03+00:00

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whoami — 2008-11-08T01:47:38+00:00

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whoami — 2008-11-08T01:47:11+00:00

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EndersGame — 2008-09-10T03:13:12+00:00

English-French text on cards from bilingual edition of Rook

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eightbit — 2008-02-12T15:55:45+00:00

box back 1994 Hasbro

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eightbit — 2008-02-12T15:55:15+00:00

box front 1994 Hasbro

Thread: Re: "Rook for 2" rules

morrigambist — 2008-01-19T13:15:47+00:00

This is the regular Rook with card holders. My copy of this has no rulebook, but it is probably easiest to play as though it were partnership Rook with a 5-card nest (minimum bid is 70). The last time I played this, I wiped out the bidder before she could win a single trick. This is too easy to do with an exposed hand as your partner, so the bidder should probably make the first lead.

Thread: Re: Official Rules For Four-Player Partnership Rook

Larry Welborn — 2007-10-27T19:17:33+00:00

Thanks for posting the various games. Apparently my family plays none of these, but rather a variant combining part of the rules for the 1 high partnership with the rules for Kentucky discard.

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RedV — 2007-09-22T07:39:23+00:00

100th anniversary card fronts.

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RedV — 2007-09-22T07:37:33+00:00

100th anniversary card backs.

Thread: Re: Rook Variant: Rook Card 10 1/2

garry_rice — 2007-09-03T13:07:32+00:00

Its the only way we play. Makes for much better strategic play - it seems senseless to have the most valuable card also the highest card...one just calls the rook as one's partner every time in that scenario, but when it's 10.5 you don't need the rook to take the game.

Thread: Re: Rook Variant: Rook Card 10 1/2

Mr. K — 2007-09-03T12:52:49+00:00

We played with a similar variant, where the Rook card was a 7.5. I lost to an eight of trump but will beat a seven. It takes the power of the rook away but keeps the points, making it a more strategic play.

Thread: Re: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

Jonny5 — 2007-07-26T14:05:42+00:00

I've only ever played with the 1-High variation (I didn't even know it was a variation). I've heard of playing with the Rook high and I think that's a vastly inferior version, far too much luck tied to one card.

I've generally played without the 20-point bonus to the team taking the most tricks, making the hand worth 180 points. Another way I've played is with the 1s worth 20 points each, for 200 points per hand.

In short:
1. With rook
2. 4 point cards
3. All cards
4. Rook low trump

I prefer this game to any game I've played with standard playing cards. Both for 4 players as discussed in this article and with the Mystery Partner version for 5 players.

Thread: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

EndersGame — 2007-07-25T20:03:41+00:00

The printed copy of the rules by Parker Bros says the following about the inclusion of the Rook: "The original game of Kentucky Discard did not include the use of the Rook Bird Card. However, this card has become so much a part of the game that its use is now prescribed for tournament play. It adds an exciting element of surprise and speeds up the game slightly as well. Decide before play if you will include it." So historically it would appear that the game was first played without the Rook, and it became popular at a later date in some of the variations of the game.

Should you play with the Rook or without the Rook? Its inclusion or absence can have quite an impact on the game, and so there are several other considerations that need to be taken into account. It is not just a matter of whether or not to include the Rook card! Here are some reflections on this question and others that are tied very closely to it:

1. With Rook or without Rook?

Since it is worth 20 points, the Rook is an extremely valuable card. If the Rook trumps some big point cards, it could win as many as 40 points, which is a third of the points in a 120 point game of Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules). In my opinion this adds too much chance to the outcome of a hand, because unless you have the Rook yourself, it is a matter of chance whether the Rook ends up in your partner's hand or your opponents, meaning that as much of a third of the points is decided by luck. As the rules point out, this adds a surprise element and will be fun for some. But those looking for a more skilful game might find that this makes the game too dependent on luck, because it makes it difficult to bid effectively - the game depends too much on who has the Rook.

For this reason, I think that by excluding the Rook card, the Kentucky Discard (Original Rules) results in a slightly more strategic game than the Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules). The Rook in a Book published by Winning Moves notes that the tips it gives on bidding, discarding, and play assume the Rook Bird Card is not in play - this also suggests that a more strategic form of the game is played without the Rook.

2. Three point cards (120 point hand) or four point cards per suit (200 point hand)?

To diminish the chance value of the Rook, perhaps it is better to include the Rook card only when playing the 1-High Partnership Variation where the 1 becomes the highest card in each suit, and is an additional counter worth 15 points. When a hand is around 200 points (with 20 points given to the partnership winning the majority of tricks) instead of 120 points, this means that the Rook is only 10% of the total points. The Rook is also the lowest trump in this variation. If the Rook is used, I'm inclined to favour this variation of the game, usually played with a kitty of one (although you could play with a kitty of five as well).

3. Some cards (5-14) or all cards (1-14)?

Given that with 1-High variation there are now four point cards (1, 14, 10, 5) in each colour instead of three, more non-point cards are needed to balance this out and allow for more skilful play. This is probably the reason why all cards (1-14) are usually used in this variation of the game, otherwise there will be too many point cards in play. On the other hand, if the 1-High variation is not being used, there are too few points cards in play to make it worthwhile to play with all cards (1-14), because the game will be longer and there will be too many tricks without any points.

4. Rook is high trump or low trump?

In the official rules of the 1-High Partnership Variation (similar to the "Hoyle/Princeton Rules" commonly used when played with regular playing cards), the Rook is also the lowest trump, which further reduces its impact, and makes for interesting strategy. Perhaps playing the Rook only works if there is a 200 point hand, and when using all cards (1-14). In this variant using it as highest trump should be possible, but perhaps there are also good reasons for playing it as the lowest trump instead.

Conclusion and recommendation

In short, my suggested ways of playing partnership Rook for those who want a strategic game:
1. Without Rook: Kentucky Discard (Original Rules)
use cards 5-14, nest of four, 9 cards/tricks, 100 point hand, 200 points wins.
2. With Rook: 1-High Partnership Variation
use cards 1-14, nest of one, 14 cards/tricks, 200 point hand, 500 points wins
(Rook = 20 and lowest trump, 1 = 15 points and highest in suit, 20 bonus points to winner of majority of tricks)

In the end, however, it is largely a matter of preference - those looking for a fun game and who enjoy the element of surprise and luck that results from the Rook card, will continue to best enjoy the Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules) form of the game. Those looking for a more strategic game, will probably prefer the two variations I recommend in the previous paragraph.

For a more complete comparison of the different four-player partnership variants, see these threads:
http://bgg.cc/thread/185722 (Official Rules For Four-Player Partnership Rook)
http://bgg.cc/thread/185725 (Playing with regular playing cards)

Your feedback

I welcome some feedback on the above questions. How do you think that Rook is best played:
1. With Rook or without Rook?
2. Three point cards or four point cards (1 High = 15 points) per suit?
3. Some cards (5-14) or all cards (1-14)?
4. Rook is high trump or low trump?

Thread: Relationship between Rook and 200 (Deux Cents)

EndersGame — 2007-07-25T19:50:44+00:00

Preamble

The game "200" (in French: "Deux Cents") is played in the Atlantic provinces of Canada, and seems to be a version of Rook played with regular playing cards. Several years ago I tried devising a way of playing Rook with regular playing cards, and when I stumbled across the rules for "200" some time afterwards, I was startled to discover that they were virtually identical with what I'd come up with. I suspect that 200 has descended from Rook, or vice versa, and would welcome hearing from anyone who knows anything about the relationship between the two games.

Here are the rules for 200 as they were passed on to me some time ago. They closely resemble the Kentucky Discard version of Rook. A more detailed description of the rules and variations of 200 is available here: http://www.pagat.com/kt5/200.html

200 (Deux Cents)

Introduction

The game of 200 is the most popular game among Acadians in South Eastern New Brunswick. I don't know how far it extends into other Acadian areas and other parts of New Brunswick, although it seems that Auction 45 is more popular in the North East of the province. 200 is very similar to ROOK. The name comes from the score required to win.

Players and cards

The game is a partnership game for 4 players. It is played with a deck of 40 cards from the Ace (high) down to the 5 (low). Card values are as follows: Ace is worth 10 points, the 10 is 10 points and the 5 is worth 5 points for a total of 100 points in the deck.

Deal and Bid

The entire deck is dealt out one card at a time. Starting with the player to the left of dealer, players bid the number of points they think they can pick up in tricks. Each player must bid higher than the previous player or pass. The winning bidder gets to name the trump suit. The bidding rules are as follows:
1) The lowest bid is 50 points
2) Bids progress in increments of 5 or multiples of 5
3) If a player passes, he cannot bid again in that hand.
4) Bidding continues until 3 players have passed.
5) See one additional bidding rule in scoring section below.

Play

The winning player names the trump suit. The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick (variation: some play that the winning bidder leads the first trick, similar to the game 500, but this is not standard). Players must follow suit if possible; if unable to follow they may play any card. The trick is won by the highest trump in it, or, if it contains no trump, by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads to the next.

Scoring

At the end of the hand, each team adds up the points that they have picked up in their tricks. If the winning bidders picks up the amount of their bid or more, they score the amount they pick up. If they do not make their bid, the amount of their bid is deducted from their score (the score can go into the negative, called “in the hole”). Regardless of the outcome, the other team scores the amount of points that they pick up. The first team to score 200 wins. If both teams pass 200, the highest wins.

Variations

There is one major variant and a few scoring variations

1) In the game variant, the dealer passes 9 cards to each player and deals 4 cards to a kitty (usually one at a time during the deal). The winning bidder picks up the kitty and makes his best 9 card hand and discards 4 cards face down. One of two restrictions apply to the discards.
a) the most common rule is for the discarded cards to go to the winners of the last trick, who get any points discarded (one variation suggests the discarded point cards go to the non-bidding team). In this case, a few require that the player announce upon discarding whether or not there are points being discarded.
b) a few people have a rule that does not allow points to be discarded.
Note: It seems that serious players of the game regard the “kitty” version as more for beginners.

2) One scoring variant requires that the winning team pass 200 on a winning bid. In other words, if a team passes 200 but did so on a hand that they did not win the bid, the game would continue, unless the other team also had more than 200 (this rule is virtually identical to the rule for the game 500).

3) There is also a bid called "cent pour deux cents" or 100 for 200. This means that the bidding team must pick up all the points and is credited with 200 points for doing so (thus winning the game if their score was not negative). They only lose 100 points in they do not make their bid.

4) This is a very common scoring & bidding rule. When a team reaches 100 points, they are "required to bid". If they do not make at least one bid in the bidding round, they do not score any points for that hand, even if they set the winning bid. This rule does not affect the scoring of the other team. The effect of this rule on the bidding is usually as follows:
a) If a team with 100 points bids first, the first player usually bids 50 in order to avoid not counting. They can sometimes get caught with this bid, however, if everyone passes. If the first player has a biddable hand, he may sometimes bid 55 so the partner will know it is a valid bid. (Partners usually don't bid against each other - if a person bids against his partner it is usually a sign to his partner that he has a very good hand or is totally incompetent!)
b) If the team with 100 points bids second, the first team will often make a high opening bid to try and force the other team to pass and not get any points.

5) Some play with the addition of a joker (called the “Rook” card), which functions as highest trump and is worth 20 points. Total points in a hand then increases to 120, and the total required to win a game is 300. This variation (used only with a kitty of five cards) is virtually the equivalent of the official tournament rules for “Kentucky Discard” Rook.

Thread: Playing Rook with regular playing cards

EndersGame — 2007-07-25T16:38:16+00:00

Over the years I've come across several versions of four player partnership Rook played with regular playing cards. Perhaps this will be helpful for people looking to try the game without needing a special Rook deck. Additions can be made to this list, but there are two popular variants of Rook played with regular playing cards, as described by reliable sources. These correspond to two main variants of official Rook, i.e. "Kentucky Discard Rook (Tournament Partnership Rules)", and "1-High Partnership Rook", both of which are described in the official Parker Bros rules, and the Rook in a Book published by Winning Moves.

200 (Deux Cents) (= Kentucky Discard Rook?)

Described by: John McLeod at pagat.com
http://www.pagat.com/kt5/200.html
Referenced source: Atlantic and French Canada.

Cards and values:
5(=5 points), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10(=10 points), J, Q, K, A(=10 points)
Joker/Rook (if played) is highest trump, worth 20 points

Main variations:
a) no kitty, no joker: 10 cards/tricks, 100 point hand, 200 to win
b) kitty of four, no joker: 9 cards/tricks, 100 point hand, 200 to win
c) kitty of five, with joker: 9 cards/tricks, 120 point hand, 300 to win

Comparison with official Rook rules: these last variations are identical to the "Kentucky Discard Rook" variation described in the official Parker Bros rules.

More cards: It is also possible to play with the 2, 3, and 4
a) With variation (a) listed above (i.e. no kitty, no joker), this results in 13 cards/tricks (with 20 point bonus for winning most tricks), and corresponds to "Regular Partnership Rook" in Rook in a Book (p.35), and is a more serious game that parallels contract bridge.
b) With variation (b) listed above (i.e. kitty of four, no joker) this results in 12 cards/tricks and is described as "Roque" by David Parlett in The Penguin Encyclopedia of Card Games (p.204). Referenced source: Iran and the Middle East.

Hoyle Rules (= 1-High Partnership Rook?)

Described by: Albert Morehead in Hoyle’s Rules of Games (p.114), Amy Wall in Idiot's Guide to Family Games (p.132), and Peter Dutton at The Internet Rook Page
http://peter.dutton.net/rookrules.html
Referenced source: Princeton and elsewhere in the USA

Cards and values:
2, 3, 4, 5(=5 points), 6, 7, 8, 9, 10(=10 points), J, Q, K(=10 points), A(=15 points)
Joker/Rook is lowest trump, worth 20 points

Main variation:
a) kitty of one, with joker: 13 cards/tricks, 200 point hand, 500 or 1000 to win.

Special rules:
1. After the bidding round, each player passes three cards alternatively to right and left (highest bidder to declare trump after all cards are passed, but before he looks at his new cards)
2. There is a 20 point bonus for the team winning the last trick

Comparison with official Rook rules: this is identical to 1-High Partnership in official Parker Bros rules, but the 1-High Partnership rules have two main differences: 1. the 20 points bonus goes to the team winning the majority of tricks; 2. there is no passing of three cards (which seems to be borrowed from Hearts).

Less cards: It is also possible to play without the 2, 3, and 4. This results in 10 cards/tricks, and is described as a variation on the Hoyle Rules.

Thread: Official Rules For Four-Player Partnership Rook

EndersGame — 2007-07-25T16:35:26+00:00

Since Rook has been played for over 100 years, many local variations and rules have emerged. Here is a list of the official variations for four-player partnership play that I compiled several years ago, based on the official rules published by Parker Bros, and Rook in a Book: The Official Players Guide published by Winning Moves.

OFFICIAL RULE VARIANTS FOR FOUR-PLAYER PARTNERSHIP ROOK

Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules)
Cards: 5-14, plus Rook (41 cards)
Dealing: nest of five, 9 cards/tricks
Point cards: Rook (20 points and highest trump), 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: last trick wins points in nest
Scoring: 120 point hand (minimum bid 70), 300 points wins

Variation: Kentucky Discard (Original Rules): no Rook, i.e. nest of four, 9 cards/tricks, 100 point hand (minimum bid 50), 200 points wins

Regular Partnership (Original Game)
Cards: 1-14, no Rook (56 cards)
Dealing: no nest, 14 cards/tricks
Point cards: 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: 20 points for winning majority of tricks
Scoring: 120 point hand (no minimum bid), 200 points wins

1-High Partnership
Cards: 1-14, plus Rook (57 cards)
Dealing: nest of one, 14 cards/tricks
Point cards: Rook (20 points and lowest trump), 1 (15 points and highest in suit), 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: 20 points for winning majority of tricks
Scoring: 200 point hand (minimum bid 75), 500 points wins

This last variant is popularly played with regular playing cards (sometimes known as the "Hoyle" or "Princeton Rules"), with two differences: 1. The 20 points goes to the winner of the last trick; 2. After the bidding round, each player passes three cards to the player beside him (alternatively left and right) as in Hearts. Details here: http://bgg.cc/thread/160917

VARIANTS BASED ON "KENTUCKY DISCARD (TOURNAMENT RULES)"

The Red 1
Cards: 5-14, plus Rook and the red 1 (42 cards)
Dealing: nest of six, 9 cards/tricks
Point cards: Red 1 (30 points and highest trump), Rook (20 points and second highest trump), 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: last trick wins points in nest
Scoring: 150 point hand, 500 points wins
Comparison with Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules): adds a higher 30 point trump

Buckeye
Cards: 1,5-14, plus Rook (45 cards)
Dealing: nest of five, 10 cards/tricks
Point cards: Rook (20 points and highest trump), 1 (15 points and highest in suit), 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: last trick wins points in nest
Scoring: 180 point hand (minimum bid 100), 500 points wins
Comparison with Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules): adds elements of the 1-High variant, i.e. addition of 1s as highest trump worth 15 points, and option of shooting the moon. It is called Kentucky Rook at pagat.com's page on Rook.

200 (Deux Cents)
Cards: 5-14, no Rook (40 cards)
Dealing: no nest, 10 cards/tricks
Point cards: 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Scoring: 100 point hand (minimum bid 50), 200 points wins
Comparison with Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules): eliminates the Rook and the nest. It is the same as Kentucky Discard (Original Rules) but without the nest. This variant is popularly played with regular playing cards in French Canada, and is regarded as a more skilful game than Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules). Details here: http://bgg.cc/thread/160917

VARIANTS BASED ON "REGULAR PARTNERSHIP"

Dixie
Cards: 1-14, no Rook (56 cards)
Dealing: nest of four, 13 cards/tricks
Point cards: 13 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: 20 points for winning majority of tricks, last trick wins points in nest
Scoring: 120 point hand (minimum bid of 70), 200 points wins
Comparison: Like Regular Partnership, but with a nest and 13 is point card instead of 14

Display
Cards: 1-14, no Rook (56 cards)
Dealing: no nest, 14 cards/tricks, hand of declarer's partner is played face up as a dummy by declarer
Point cards: 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: 2 points for each trick captured
Scoring: 100 point hand (minimum bid 70), 200 points wins
Comparison: Like Regular Partnership, but with a face-up dummy hand like Bridge

Boston
Cards: 1-14, no Rook (56 cards)
Dealing: no nest, 14 cards/tricks, hand of declarer's partner is played face up as a dummy by declarer
Point cards: 14 (10 points), 10 (10 points), 5 (5 points)
Other points: 4-10 points for each trick captured dependent on trump color (yellow=4, green=6, black=8, red=10, no color=10)
Scoring: 156-240 point hand (minimum bid 70), 1000 points wins
Comparison: Like Display, but the color of trump affects point value, so it is even more like Bridge.

Nate's Kentucky Rook (ver. 3.0) is shareware software that enables playing partnership Rook with computer players. Many of the official variants listed above have been implemented and can be played using this excellent software, including: Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules - with Rook), Kentucky Discard (Original Rules - without Rook), Regular Partnership, 1-High Partnership, Buckeye, and Dixie. Download it here:
http://webpages.charter.net/nebsoftware/

The default "Kentucky Rook" variant seems to be virtually identical to Buckeye, except that the top card of the nest is revealed, and there is no option to shoot the moon.

This image (a screenshot from a spreadsheet courtesy of the creator of the above mentioned software) clearly summarizes some of the differences between the officially recognized variations of Rook listed above:

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This chart summarizes the official variants, although Nate's Kentucky Rook software includes other variations as well.

NB: I wonder if the chart values of Tour. Style (= Kentucky Discard Original Rules without Rook) need revision - I'd suggest a minimum opening bid of 50 and an end score of 200 to win.

Thread: Re: Rook - A Light Review

Neil Thomson — 2007-07-04T23:18:04+00:00

nerman8r wrote:
Thanks for the review. I just picked this up at a thrift store. One problem though, the instructions I got read differently than your explanation of the game, in at least four ways:

My rules do not mention that the first bid has to be at least 50 points. Nor is there a bid ceiling, although it makes sense for there to be one.

The nest is only used in the two-player variation

There is no mention of the player who takes the last trick getting the nest.

The Rook card is not used in the standard game, but in some of the other games described in the Rook rule book.

I don't see anything wrong with your version of the rules, but am confused at the discrepancy.

Hi Michael - thanks for reading the review.

Before I begin I'll make the guess that Rook is probably one of those games that has had many versions and incarnations over the years and this could well be a reason for any rule discrepancies. The rules I have here could be a newer set or refinement made by the company or indeed the rules you have could be newer than mine. For comparisons sake my rules are copyright dated 2001.

Now onto your points.

I started with 50 points because this is the minimum bid in the 2 and 3 player rules. In a 4-player partnership game it states that the opening bid must be at least 70 points. I probably should have mentioned that the minimum bid is 30 points in 5 and 6 player games but didn't want to bog the review down in too much detail. You are correct on the bid ceiling - it would make no sense to bid more points than are actually available.

My rules are set-up with the 4-player partnership rules outlining the game in detail and then other rules are provided for 2,3,5 and 6 player games (outlining only the differences from the 4-player partnership rules). Under the 4-player partnership rules it states, "...then deal out all cards one at a time, including a five card nest." The rules for other number of players never omit the nest so I believe the nest is used for any number of players.

From the rulebook, "The player who takes the last trick captures the nest and scores any Counters found in it."

From the 4-player partnership rules - "For this game, remove the 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's and add the Rook Bird card, for a total of 41 cards."

It is your comment in this point that makes me believe that Rook probably has had multiple rule sets over the years given the nature of the game and we are quite possibly looking at two different sets. My rules also make reference to a Deluxe Master Rulebook of 80 pages (available from Winning Moves)!

I would try out the rules from my review and compare them to yours to see which you like better.

Happy Gaming.

Neil

Thread: Re: My favorite house rules for Rook

petermal — 2007-07-04T02:04:34+00:00

I grew up playing with the Rook being the lowest trump. I have never heard of it being the highest, but I think that would take the suspense out of the card.

I also grew up playing "set partner" rather than "called/hidden partner", though I have played it that way. While it isn't my preference, I do like it alot when playing with 5 players.

We also never threw points in the kitty. To me, when you play set partner and you throw points in the kitty, the winning bidder/team gets everything they need. I like the tension that comes with having a non-trump 5 or 10.

Anyways, this is a great game, and as long as people are playing it and having fun, who am I to say that 13's can't score, that playing hidden partner is inferior and that you can't put points in the kitty?

Peace.

Thread: Re: Please help clarify Rook Rools

nerman8r — 2007-07-04T01:38:03+00:00

It seems to me that there are many different ways to play, and different people use their own house rules.

Thread: Re: My favorite house rules for Rook

nerman8r — 2007-07-04T01:36:36+00:00

That's funny. I just read the rules of this game, which I just acquired, and was thinking that it would be good if 13's were worth points, instead of 14. I'm glad to know you've tried this and enjoy that variant. I will try playing that way.

Thread: Re: Rook Variant: Rook Card 10 1/2

nerman8r — 2007-07-04T01:32:28+00:00

Seems like a good variant to me.

Thread: Re: Rook - A Light Review

nerman8r — 2007-07-04T01:28:53+00:00

Thanks for the review. I just picked this up at a thrift store. One problem though, the instructions I got read differently than your explanation of the game, in at least four ways:

My rules do not mention that the first bid has to be at least 50 points. Nor is there a bid ceiling, although it makes sense for there to be one.

The nest is only used in the two-player variation

There is no mention of the player who takes the last trick getting the nest.

The Rook card is not used in the standard game, but in some of the other games described in the Rook rule book.

I don't see anything wrong with your version of the rules, but am confused at the discrepancy.

Thread: Rook - A Light Review

Neil Thomson — 2007-07-02T22:05:06+00:00

All of my reviews aim to offer a brief overview that allows people to get a good feel for what the game may offer them. I feel that other reviews can be sought if detailed game mechanics is what you are after.

Summary

Game Type - Card Game
Play Time - 30-60 minutes
Number of Players : 2-6
Mechanics - Trick Taking
Difficulty - Pick-up & Play
Components - Good (Cards feature a matte finish but graphics are merely functional)

Rook is a classic trick taking card game dating back to 1906. The aim is to score a set number of points (which vary based on the number of players) and like most card games the deck consists of 4 suits. The suits come in four colours; red, green, black and yellow. Each suit features the cards 1-14 and there is also the Rook card, which I will get to later. Some cards are removed depending on the number of players involved and this helps maintain the games balance. So far this is all pretty standard. But from here the game throws in a few twists that make the game an interesting experience.

A hand begins by dealing out the deck to each player and 5 cards are dealt into a nest in the centre of the table. Each player must now assess the strength of their hand and possibly make a bid. A bid is a call that any player can make and it signifies how many points they believe they can win. Unlike other trick taking games ‘Rook’ does not care about the number of tricks you can win. Instead it is the points you collect within the tricks you win that is important. Only the 5, 10 and 14 cards are worth points (5, 10 and 10 respectively) and these are called counters. Being able to capture counters in the tricks you win is the crucial element. The lowest bid that can be made is 50 and the highest is 120 (this will vary depending on the number of players and therefore the number of cards in play). Once a bid is made the next player can choose to increase the bid or pass. Winning the bid comes with risk (see below) but it also bestows some benefits.

The first privilege for winning the bid is to add the 5 nest cards to your hand. Then you must discard any 5 cards to the nest to return your hand size to the right number. The nest really adds a bit of luck to the game but hopefully it will feature high valued cards, cards of a suit you already have plenty of, and possibly a counter card or two. Being able to discard 5 cards is an excellent way to short-suit your hand and clever players may even hide counter cards in the nest and plan to win the nest at the end of the hand! (see below)

The bid winner then gets to name the trump suit for the hand. The hand can now begin and ‘Rook’ plays like a classic trick taking game where a card is led and suit must be followed if possible. If a player cannot play the lead suit then they can choose to play a trump, which takes precedence over the lead suit, or they can throw off. Each trick is won by the highest valued card of the lead suit or by the highest trump card played. The winner of the final trick also wins the nest cards and this can lead to a meta-game of sorts as each player tries to find a way to keep the card that will win the final trick. At the end of the hand each player counts up their counter cards to see what score they have collected. The first player to reach the set points for victory will win.

Points Needed for Victory

4 Player Partnership - 300 Points
2 Players - 300 Points
3 Players - 200 Points
5-6 Individual Players - 150 Points

But there is a potentially nasty sting to winning the bid. If the bid winner fails to collect the points they bid for then they will lose points equal to their bid and get no credit for any points they did win.

This usually results in a situation where the other players scramble for any points they can gather. But more importantly they are trying to take the bid winner down and will often throw points to their opponent’s winning tricks just to ensure the bid winner does not get them later. This can be very nasty indeed. Of course if the bid winner succeeds then they get points equal to their bid.

Finally there is the Rook card that is used in 4-player partnership games. It features a bird (the Rook) and it is worth 20 points. It can be played at any time to win any trick (regardless of what was led) and is very powerful in helping to win the bid or to deny someone else who may have thought they had the perfect hand! If the Rook is led then the other players must play trumps if they have them. This can be a great way to draw trumps from the table, especially midway or late in the hand. If someone else leads a trump and you hold no trumps, you must play the Rook if you have it.

The Final Word

Rook is a clever take on more modern trick taking games. It can be quite cut-throat as a 3-player game and for many it will play best with 4 players as it can be played in teams of 2. Partnership play is a little more supportive and brings in a whole new set of dynamics as you try to read your partner’s hand and leads.

The cards feature a good quality finish and will stand up to many plays. Rook is definitely worth a look for fans of the trick taking genre and more traditional card games. For me Rook hits the spot when my Mum wants to play a game as she is more familiar with this style of card game. When I play with gamers though I'd probably grab Tichu instead.

Thread: What if nobody bids and everyone passes?

EndersGame — 2007-04-20T14:20:03+00:00

It has been brought to my attention that the Kentucky Discard (Tournament Rules) seem to make no provision for a situation where nobody bids. What should happen in such a situation, or is the first or last bidder required to make a bid of 70? With the Rook in play, a hand is worth 120 points so perhaps it is unlikely that nobody will bid. The last player is likely to jump at the possibility of a 70 point bid if everyone else has passed, since the entire hand is worth 120, and getting the nest and choosing trump means that the odds are quite good for his partnership to get the bid.

But the possibility of everyone passing is much more likely when playing Tournament Rules without the Rook (also called Kentucky Discard Original Rules). Is the minimum bid still 70, and if so, what happens if everyone passes? In this verson of the game, a hand only has 100 points. So it is quite possible that all players get a miserable draw, and think that 70 points is out of reach with the hand that they have, and thus pass. I noticed that in 200 (also called Deux Cents, and virtually identical to Kentucky Discard Original Rules except that no nest is used), the minimum bid is 50. Perhaps when playing Kentucky Discard (Original Rules) the minimum bid should also be lowered to 50, to virtually guarantee that at least someone will bid? But the rules seem to make no mention of this, and appear to assume that the minimum bid is still 70 even when playing without the 20 point Rook card.

So in short my questions are:
1. what are the rules for a situation where nobody bids and everyone passes?
2. in Kentucky Discard without the Rook, should the minimum bid be dropped to 50 (instead of 70), and a score of 200 (instead of 300) be sufficient for a win? Such an adjustment would be in line with the fact that each hand has 20 less points, and would parallel the figures used in 200 (Deux Cents).

Edit: I just noticed that the rules for the Buckeye variant state: "Should all players pass without bidding, the dealer automatically gets the bid for 100" (100 being the minimum bid). I would suggest it makes sense to apply the same to Tournament Rook - when playing with the Rook, the dealer automatically gets the bid for 70 (being the minimum bid); when playing without the Rook, the dealer automatically gets the bid for 50. Sounds reasonable?

Thread: Re: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

EndersGame — 2007-04-12T17:12:14+00:00

ejamer:
Thanks for your post. The variant you describe is virtually identical to the Buckeye variant mentioned in Rook in a Book, and described in this thread:
Official Rules For Four-Player Partnership Rook
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/185722
Buckeye is called Kentucky Rook on pagat.com's page on Rook.
The only main difference seems to be the value of the Rook that you use relative to the other trump cards (between 10 and 11, instead of above 14). Giving it a relative value of 10.5 is an interesting modification, I'd welcome hearing from others who play this way also, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this.

Do you find that the proportion of point cards (four out of eleven) is too high in this variant since you don't use the 2s, 3s and 4s? Have you ever tried playing with all cards (1-14), similar to the 1-High Partnership variant? In both the Kentucky Discard variant (3 point cards, cards 5-14) and the 1-High Partnership variant (4 point cards, cards 1-14) the point cards are about 30% of all the cards, in the Buckeye variant they are nearly 40% - I'm curious what impact this has on gameplay.

Thanks also to the other posters for your helpful responses posted thus far!

Thread: Re: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

Jonny5 — 2007-04-12T16:01:01+00:00

The version I've played the most and enjoy the most is similar to your 1-High Partnership Variation, but with a nest of 5 cards. The bigger nest adds more risk to the bidding (or not bidding), which to me makes the game more interesting.

I also like what we call "Mystery Partner" Rook, which is a very nice option to have when you have 5 players. Each person bids individually, with the winning bidder naming his partner as the person who holds a certain card (most times he'll call for the Rook or a high trump). Each player except the mystery partner then has to play for himself until he figures out who is teamed with who for that hand. The bidding partnership and non-bidding threesome score together for the hand, with overall score tracked individually.

Thread: Re: Reflections on whether or not to use the Rook card

KentuckyKid — 2007-04-12T05:03:46+00:00

Hi Ender,

I grew up playing a lot of Rook -- it was the family game of choice in NE Kentucky. We played a Kentucky Discard variant -- with 1-14 and the Rook, and a nest of 5. However, we played 1 low and worth no points -- so there were a lot of tricks that fell with no points. (Wow, look, I won a 2, a 3, a 4 and a 9!) On the other hand, the 10s were a little more powerful -- sometimes you could win a trick by playing a 10 as the 4th card. The Rook was the highest trump and worth 20 points. (My family would have totally rejected any version that didn't include the Rook card as the high trump.)

I'd play this anytime with my family, even today. It is a fun game and has a lot of good memories attached. However, it isn't a very strategic version. The Rook is just too powerful as highest trump worth 20 out of 120 points. The side w/o the Rook can't bid up the side with it to make scoring interesting. It is difficult to make 80 without the Rook, and it is usually downright easy to make 80 with the Rook and a little support.

So...if I were choosing a variant to play today, I'd probably try a Rook low/20 point variant, just to see how it changes the game. I'd probably try it with either 1-14 (1 low, no points) or 5-14, just because my family totally rejects any version where the 1 is higher than anything or where 1 is worth points! That said, I'd be interested to try other variants, as well.

-Darin

Thread: The best rules for playing the Rook card

EndersGame — 2007-04-11T21:12:30+00:00

The original game seems to have been played without the Rook card. But it seems that there are different ways to play the game even if the Rook card is played, e.g. by adding more point cards, playing with a complete deck, or even making the Rook the lowest trump. What do you think are the best rules for playing the Rook card, and why?

Thread: Relationship between Rook and 200 (Deux Cents)?

EndersGame — 2007-04-10T02:28:52+00:00

Is anyone familiar with the game "200" (in French: "Deux Cents")? It appears to be played in the Atlantic provinces of Canada, and seems to be a version of Rook played with regular playing cards. Several years ago I tried devising a way of playing Rook with regular playing cards, and when I stumbled across the rules for "200" some time afterwards, I was startled to discover that they were virtually identical with what I'd come up with. I suspect that 200 has descended from Rook perhaps? I'm curious if anyone knows anything about the relationship between the two games, or is otherwise familiar with 200?

Thread: "Rook for 2" rules

CameronL — 2007-02-06T15:36:17+00:00

PB released a game called "Rook for 2". I can't find rules for this release anywhere. Does anyone know if it's just the two player rules that come with a regular Rook deck packaged with a couple of card holders, or is it something different?

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Thread: Re: Rook Variant: Rook Card 10 1/2

Wife of Renegade — 2007-01-19T06:46:04+00:00

I haven't ever played the bird card that way, but I have to admit that Rook is one of my favorite games, too, just because of the memories.

Thread: Rook Variant: Rook Card 10 1/2

The Twelve — 2007-01-19T05:38:59+00:00

I'm like many of you who are from multi-generaton Rook players. So, of course, my rating may seem quite biased. I still remember the many, many games of Rook with my grandparents and parents, and now cousins and nephews and nieces. We candidly call it "Baptist Poker"--if you happen to be Baptist, you'll understand My father learned a variant from Wheaton College, way back when, where the Rook, although still worth 20 points if taken, is a 10 1/2: that is, it can take a 10 of trump, but an 11 of trump can take it! This makes it more exciting than the "official rules." We still haven't met people who play Rook this way, but it makes for an exciting, more strategic game!

Thread: Re: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

qzhdad — 2006-09-12T19:35:20+00:00

Based on a one hand demo, ABridged from Out of the Box seems a great intro to bridge. It skips most of the bidding, but then information that would have been shared in the bidding is exchanged. IIRC, you tell everyone the points that you have (which are dots on the high cards) and how long, but not which of your suits is longest. Then the declarer plays the hand with his partner's hand exposed as a dummy.

I haven't played Rook, but watched lots of it growing up. I couldn't tell some of the colors apart (and ironically have the same issue with ABridged. Rook bidding reminds me more of pinochle than of bridge.

Thread: Re: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

mike86 — 2006-09-12T19:16:41+00:00

If your question stems from the thought...."hey I like Rook, maybe this 'complex' game of bridge is fun"...and you are considering learning the game. Then absolutely. There are fundamental terms being used to play Rook that will be used to explain the mechanics, strategy and scoring in bridge. And while having run across the terms before will give you a better comfort level and reduce the anxiety or adrenalin a new bridge player experiences, there is a really long way to go from playing Rook to playing bridge.

Of course, if one were to ask me.....it is well worth it. No game is as good as bridge!

Thread: Re: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

Gecko23 — 2006-09-12T19:00:42+00:00

I don't see why not, they share a lot of ideas. Of course Bridge is far more formalized, with more effort involved to learn the rules of bidding, etc.

Thread: Re: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

tool — 2006-09-12T18:38:03+00:00

There are lots of trick-taking games - hundreds, I'm sure, counting all traditional and commercial variations. Any trick-taking game is probably a decent introduction to Bridge, although ideally you'd want one that is reasonably similar (various versions of Whist would qualify - Bridge was developed from Whist - and maybe Rook as well, I don't know the game).

Thread: Is Rook a very very lite ver of Bridge?

jack208 — 2006-09-12T18:14:42+00:00

I was talking to a person who's describing a game of Bridge to me, and I've played Rook before. It seems to be that Rook has the basic elements of Bridge - trick taking, calling trumps, bidding, etc

Now, before I get flamed by Bridge fans, I und Bridge is a different level than Rook but would I be wrong to think that Rook is a good intro to Bridge, in the same way say RRT is a good intro to Age of Steam in the sense they share some basic mechanics.

Thnks

Thread: Re: Please help clarify Rook Rools

Thosw — 2005-12-08T05:45:47+00:00

spacerx wrote:
The 'dummy hand' rule for the two player game seems like digging a ditch and filling it in again.

The dummy hand is a great way to keep points away from your opponent if the dummy is guaranteed to win the hand.

Thread: Re: Please help clarify Rook Rools

Earlofwessex — 2005-09-18T07:52:30+00:00

Look at some of the house rules for ways to make Rook more challanging.

I don't know what the Hasbro rules say but try this below.

If you want to play three players, try playing with a dummy hand. Deal for 4 people, but leave one of the hands face down. While whoever wins the bid is fiddling with putting the widow (or "kitty") into their hand the player to the right of the trump-caller organizes the dummy hand. Trump is declared, the person to the left of the trump-caller plays the first card, then the person to the left of the caller (the parter of the person who just played) lays out the dummy hand for all to see. This is a dramatic moment and a lot of fun. The trump-caller then plays both hands.

While I prefer 4 player Rook, many members of my family perfer 3 using this method.

Thread: Re: My favorite house rules for Rook

Earlofwessex — 2005-09-18T07:45:56+00:00

It's great to hear that others play with the Rook as the lowest trump. The other Rook players I've met (other than members of my family) always play with it high, which is okay, but it means that when you get the Rook you think "cool, a trick and twenty points" rather than "hmm, an opportunity for 20 points."

I also have the same scoring system and play that you can't throw away counters. Basically, we play the same way, and I feel good about that.

Rook is a game near and dear to my heart because my Grandfather was the king of card players and we played Rook every vacation ad infinitum (but not ad nauseum). We had a house rule that said that in a three player game, if either of the non-Grandpa players wanted to make trump, they could have it for 135 (or 140, I don't remember, maybe it changed as we got older and more capable). If neither of us wanted it, Grandpa had to take it for 140 (or 145). It was fun watching him get stuck with the worst hands (and sort of fun to get stomped by him anyway).

Thread: Rook Revisited

otha62 — 2005-08-16T22:33:24+00:00

Rook, in its standard form, is a 4-player trick-taking card game for partners and is slightly similar to Spades in game play. There are 4 suits (Red, Yellow, Green, Black) with each suit containing cards numbered from 1 to 14 and, of course, the Rook card. However, in the standard game, the cards 1 through 4 of each suit are removed leaving you to play with 41 cards (5-14 of each suit and the Rook). The five of each suit is worth 5 points, the ten and fourteen of each suit are worth 10 points each, and the Rook is worth 20. This comes to a total of 120 points per hand. The team that accumulates 500+ points wins the game.

Each person is dealt 9 cards and there’s a 5-card nest dealt to the middle of the table. Partners sit across from one another. The person to the left of the dealer starts the bidding at 70 or passes. Unlike Spades, you’re not bidding on how many tricks you can take but rather how many points (out of the 120 possible) that you can take. The highest bidder wins the bid and takes the 5-card nest. The bidder supplements his/her hand with the cards from the nest and removes 5 unwanted cards and puts them aside, leaving him/her with 9 cards to play. The high bidder then declares trump and leads. As in Spades, the other players must follow suit when possible but can trump if they’re out of that suit. The Rook can be played any time, is always trump, and is the highest card in the deck.

At the end of each hand, each team adds the point cards taken in their tricks (14s, 10s, 5s, and the Rook) and adds them up. The player who takes the last trick in each hand, captures the 5 cards previously put aside by the high bidder and counts any points there toward his team’s total. If the high bidder’s team points for that hand match or exceed the bid, then that team gets that amount of points (i.e., if the bid was 85 and they got 100, they would receive 100 points). If the bid is not made, then the high bidder’s team would go back the amount of the bid (i.e., if the bid was 90 and they got 75, then they would go back 90 points). The team that does not win the bid scores whatever points they capture.

As for basic strategy, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Don’t count on the nest to give you more than a card or two that might help; I’ve seen several games where folks would get burned badly by bidding high just to see what’s in the nest. If you win the bid, as you take the nest cards into your hand, your primary focus should be in two-suiting your hand. This allows you to be able to trump the other two suits, thus minimizing your losers. Also in winning the bid, if you put a lot of point cards back into the nest, you need to make sure you win the last trick so your opponents won’t get those points. And finally, as with all partnership games, the better you can read your partner’s intentions, the better you’ll do.

The thing that makes Rook work for me is the decision making; it can get a little tense. Do you bid high with a decent hand and hope that the nest holds the card(s) you need? Will your partner bail you out if the nest lets you down? If you have a solid hand, do you outbid your partner? Is your partner bidding just to drive up the opposing team’s bid or does he actually have a good hand? Should you outbid your opponent or let them take the bid and try to set them? It’s not exactly brain surgery but it makes for a fun and fairly exciting card game.

Rook was a staple in my household while I was growing up; I learned it long before Spades and Hearts. My Mom and Dad were excellent players and complemented each other nicely; Dad would bid aggressively while it seemed that Mom would always save his hide with a good supporting hand. Either that or Dad would bid extremely high and then find the Rook in the nest. My best friend and I lost many games to them, but the few times we managed to win, we’d celebrate like it was the World Series.

I like Rook but I’ll admit that nostalgia might be affecting my rating a little. Even so, I still find it enjoyable to play on occasion and a big plus is that you can find it at just about any Wal-Mart or toy store for $5. It’s not the most elegant or entertaining card game around, but it is fun and that’s the bottom line for me. I currently rate it a 7.

Thread: Re: Please help clarify Rook Rools

Innovan — 2005-05-21T05:34:08+00:00

I'm most familiar with the "Red 1" variant of the Rules.

The reason why you set cards aside in the nest, also called the "widow", is that the highest bidder gets 2 special advantages:

1) High bidder gets to combine their hand with the widow and then discard to the widow unwanted cards back down to the same hand size as the other players. This lets the high bidder more optimize their hand before play.
2) High bidder gets to declare Trump.
3) The side that wins the last hand also wins the "widow" and all points within it as well, making the last hand more valuable. The high bidder actually knows what's there in advance, having chosen the cards to go there.

Thread: Re: Please help clarify Rook Rools

spacerx — 2005-05-20T23:08:43+00:00

update:

play.games.com has changed thier site, apparently in response to a business relationship and some legal concerns. thier implementation of rook was quite good, but unfortunately it is no longer there.

Thread: Re:User Review

EndersGame — 2005-04-16T20:49:38+00:00

ejamer (#467276),

The main rules described above are the most commonly played form of the game, usually called "Kentucky Discard". I agree that inclusion of the Rook (as a 20 point highest trump) in this form of the game turns the game into somewhat of a lottery, because the team with the Rook card usually wins the hand. The Kentucky Discard form of the game allows for more strategy when played without the rook card (for a hand total of 100 points), and a nest of four instead of five cards.

The variation described by Ed Jamer is called the "1-High" or "Ace High" variation. In the near future I hope to contribute a MS Word document outlining all the rules and variations of Rook, since I have spent a considerable time studying them and distinguishing them.

Thread: Re:My favorite house rules for Rook

sdbdueck — 2005-04-07T00:36:02+00:00

lindyhopfan (#77532),

I have tried playing with most of the rule variants you suggest. The good thing about Rook is that there are many "house rules" that can be introduced without ruining the game.
My friends and I play that you cannot place points in the kitty. This makes it more difficult to get rid of an entire color and makes it more challenging for the winning bidder to make their bid.
We also play with the full deck with 1s being worth 15 points. The 1 is the highest card in the suit and since 14s are worth 10 points, I need to be careful as to how I play my 1, since someone else may have the 14 but choose not to play it and I will lose the 10 points associated with the 14 when they do take a trick with this card.
We also play with Rook being worth 20 points but being the lowest trump card.
Finally, when playing with 6 players we have one "called" partner and one automatic partner. That is, the successful bidder gets to call one player as partner, and one card is named before the game to be the automatic partner. That is, for the whole 6 player game, the green two (for example) will be one of the partners. If the "called" partner also has the automatic partner card, too bad, it's 4-on-2. This adds an element of uncertainty and keeps bids in check.

Thread: Re:User Review

Shade_Jon — 2005-02-16T14:25:25+00:00

seppo21 (#86400),

Not so strange. "RTO" (rook is trump only) is probably the most common table convention in online games.

Yehuda

Thread: Re:User Review

seppo21 — 2005-02-16T06:23:33+00:00

Note: the rook as the rules play is actually a bad addition to the game, since it is always worth at least 20 plus the cards it takes, which is usually 10 to 20 more points. That makes it pointless to bid unless you or your partner have the rook.
Strange that you believe this. I often find bidding worthwhile when I do not have the bird. Just because you are forced to pay attention to your cards does not make something a "bad addition".

Thread: My favorite house rules for Rook

lindyhopfan — 2005-01-14T22:10:44+00:00

This is how my family plays - and they have played it with great frequency since it came out.

The rook card is still worth 20 points, but it is the LOWEST trump in the game. It beats any non-trump, but will lose to any other trump.

The other score cards are the 5, 10, and 13. This is a clear improvement, IMHO over having the 14 being the score card, in which case it would be automatic points. So, 5=5 points 10=10 points 13=13 points Rook=20 points.

We also play that each trick you win is worth 2 points. The total number of points in the game, therefore, depends on the number of players (6 is the best number for this version, we have found)

The final house rule that relates to points is that the player who wins the LAST TRICK in the round scores whatever points may happen to be hidden in the kitty. This allows whoever wins the bid to place point cards in the kitty if they feel confident that they can manage to win the last trick.

Finally, we play with A HIDDEN PARTNER. This is really the best part, and is what elevates rook to greatness when played this way. Whoever wins the bid not only calls a trump suit (or she may call NO TRUMP) also calls the holder of a particular card as her partner. For example, she might say, "Trump is black, and the 14 of black is my partner." Whoever has the named card in her hand keeps it a secret that she is the partner, though the other players may eventually guess based on how she plays. The points won by the high bidder and those won by the partner are added together to determine whether or not they made the bid.

I hope someone on BGG tries out these rules, preferably with 5-7 players, and is able to report on how she liked it.

Thread: User Review

Shade_Jon — 2004-12-07T14:27:05+00:00

Rook is a hundred year old classic trick taking game that was created for Christians who believed that the stadard deck of playing cards was the work of the devil, but still wanted something to do on Saturday afternoons.

The card set has four different colors 1 - 14, plus one Rook card. Different cards are used when playing with different numbers of players, but the basic game is 4 players, with opposite seats partners. In the basic game, use only cards 5 through 14 and the rook. All cards are dealth out, with 5 cards left in the middle of the table (the nest).

Bidding starts from the left of the dealer, who names the number of points that he or she expects to make on the hand if he or she wins the auction. Bidding starts at 70, each bid must go up by 5 points. Once you pass, you may not bid again.

The winner of the auction names trump, takes the nest into his hand, and discards 5 cards back into the nest form his hand. Winner of the last trick also wins the nest.

Player to the left of the auction winner leads. Play follows suit, except the rook which may be played any time and wins any trick. Winner of the last trick (highest trump, or highest card in suit led) leads the next trick.

At the end you score points: 5 for each 5 taken, 10 for each 10 or 14 taken, and 20 for the rook. The usual strategy is to bury point cards in the nest and ensure yourself last trick, saving the high trump or rook.

Note: the rook as the rules play is actually a bad addition to the game, since it is always worth at least 20 plus the cards it takes, which is usually 10 to 20 more points. That makes it pointless to bid unless you or your partner have the rook. A better variation of the game simply makes the rook the highest trump, which is almost as bad, but at least playable.

If you fail to make your bid, you lose your bid score from the points you earned. Deal a new hand. Game is to 300 points.

Rook is a simple trick game, and easier than bridge, but conversely less strategic due to the simplicity of the auction and the over-powered nature of the rook card.

The variations for 2,3,5,and 6 players are not as interesting.

Thread: Session Report

seppo21 — 2004-11-21T14:36:59+00:00

Thread: Session Report

seppo21 — 2004-11-21T14:36:59+00:00

Thread: Session Report

seppo21 — 2004-11-21T14:36:59+00:00

Back in 1994, I invited a group of my college buddies to come hang out with me at my parents' lakehouse. Since we've always played games, a lot of game playing went on. This has turned into an annual gathering with the amount of gaming increasing dramatically in the past few years. This year I was able to play 37 games (27 unique) over essentially four days time. If you are interested in all of the games we played, they can be found on the following Geeklist:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist.php3?action=view&listi...

The players: Stephen (Myself), Christine, (longsuffering wife), Dwight (single friend), Jared (from Dallas), Becky (Jared's better 9/10), Clint (Preacher), Cheri (Clint's better 3/4), Glen (from Vicksburg), Amy (Glen's better 1/2), Jody (from Dallas), CJ (Fleeing hurricane), Steph (CJ's wife), Page (from Arkansas), and Lori (Page's wife).

Day 4, Seventh Game: Rook (34)

It was now well after midnight -- actually, it was around 2 AM. Jared, CJ, and I had finished our game of Eurorails and were sitting around talking. Page and Clint finished up their final game of Battletech, and Clint called it a night. So here it was, the original four musketeers, sitting around and talking. We all met during our first year at Mississippi State and became very close friends. During that time, we played many games of Rook. In fact, it was a deck of Rook cards that was partially responsible for bringing two of us together. My roommate was a guy that I graduated from high school with, so we had already worked on some layouts for our dorm room. We had loaded his truck up with all sorts of stuff, including an out of the box entertainment center (you know, for the TV, VCR, and Microwave). This got a lot of attention when we brought it in. What really caught Jared's attention, though, was a box of Rook cards that was laying on the top of some of my stuff when I brought it in. Needless to say, this was too much to resist -- the rest is history. Interestingly, I had never played Rook before. My sister had given me the deck several years before -- she used to give me a different card game every Christmas -- but no one in the family was interested in playing. Jared, on the other hand, had been playing Rook almost since he could hold the cards. It wasn't long before the four of us started playing -- a lot. Since CJ, Jared's roommate, had played before as well, there were some disagreements over the rules. We decided to play strictly by the rules of Kentucky Discard included with the cards. We played way too many games during that first (and subsequent) year. Still, I wouldn't trade it for the world. So here we were, 14 years later, still getting together to play games in the middle of the night. Was there any possibility that any other game would be chosen?

So, we paired up: Me and Page against Jared and CJ. Page and I took the first two hands with bids of 80. Red being trump once and black the second time. After these two hands, the score stood at 210 to 30. Jared and CJ mounted a comeback, taking the next two bids for the next two hands at 85. I guess they weren't going to let us get away with anymore of that pansy 80 stuff. Trump was named as yellow and then green, both of which they easily made. The score now stood at 250 - 230. Again, they weren't letting that 80 business fly, so they took it at 85 and named yellow trump. Unfortunately, this time around, we were ready for them, not only setting them, but picking up 50 points in the process to end the game.

Final Scores:

Page / Smith -- 300
Jared / CJ -- 145

Day 4, Eighth Game: Rook (35)

Needless to say, we couldn't stop after a single game. There always needs to be a rematch. Besides, none of us really wanted to go to bed. Jared and CJ started off strong with a bid of 95. After calling yellow trump, they proceeded to pick up 100 points on us. We followed this with a rather weak bid of 80, which they allowed us to have. However, they were only playing with us. After naming red trump, they proceeded to yank 50 points from us, sending us into the land of negativity. The score now stood at -60 for us to 150 for them. They were halfway home. I took the next bid for 75 and found all sorts of goodies, including the bird, in the widow. We were able to easily rack up 100 points. That still placed us pretty far behind. Jared took the next bid at 75 and was rewarded as I was. They were able to pick up 115 points, making the score 45 to 285. The next hand, Page was dealt some amazing stuff. He took the bid for 90 and named black as trump. We then proceeded to pick up all 120 points. This still placed us two hands from being able to win. In the next hand, we took the bid for 85 and again named trump as black. We were fortunate in knowing where the bird must be since out opponents could claim a win at any point just by revealing it. We played the hand well, finishing with a total of 95 points. Unfortunately, the points left over were enough to put them over the top.

Final Scores:

Jared / CJ -- 320
Page / Smith -- 250

Day 4, Ninth Game: Rook (36)

Now it was time for the rubber game. We are way too competitive to end with a tie. Besides, as mentioned before, none of us was really ready to go to bed yet . This CJ and Jared took the first hand with a bid of 80. They named black as trump and were able to pick up 90. The next hand went to us for 75. We got a lot out of the widow, leading to a trump of green. We then proceeded to run 120. This gave us a lead of 150 to 90. We took the next bid for 80 and named green trump. We were able to add another 100 to our score from this. Then CJ and Jared got back into it. They took the next bid for 90. After naming black as trump they succeeded in getting 110 points. The score was now 260-220. They sure were intent on making a game of this. Basically, it seemed like whoever took the next bid would likely win. That ended up being us, with a bid of 90. Red was called as trump and allowed us to pick up another 100 points.

Final Scores:

Page / Smith -- 360
Jared / CJ -- 240

After the game we sat around and talked for a little while. However, we were all starting to get a little sleepy -- it was after 5 AM We slowly made our ways off to our various beds. It has been a wonderful four days

Thread: Re:Please help clarify Rook Rools

spacerx — 2004-09-18T03:01:39+00:00

ejamer (#55179),

What a great response! You've shed some light on some dark areas and confirmed my suspicion about hasbro's 3 player rules. Since posting, I've tried 4 player online at http://play.games.com/playgames/home.jsp and I've come to appreciate that 4 player version. Even with computer enforced rules though, there are differing views about the rook; either use at any time or use only as you would the trump suit. I discovered this in a way that ruffled some feathers.

thanks, ed!

Thread: Please help clarify Rook Rools

spacerx — 2004-08-09T03:09:01+00:00

After trying Rook with the three player rules, I have a number of questions.

1. Dealing
According to the packaged rules (Hasbro 2001), you remove the Rook and all cards numbered one through three, deal twelve to each of the three players and five to the nest, resulting in three remaining cards that are set aside. This seems silly; why not deal thirteen to each player with none remaining? Also, isn't removing the Rook card from Rook like removing the ball from bowling?

2. Bidding
The rules indicate that players bid for the nest and trump naming rights, but are not obligated to bid. When scoring less points than the winning bid, the bid is subtracted from the points. Minimum bid is 50, but none of our winning hands exceeded 50. Thus, everyone who won the bid lost the hand, creating a real disincentive to bid at all. What are we doing incorrectly?

3. Scoring
When one player wins the bid, the other two are supposed to play as partners for duration of the hand and combine thier points. If each player records the combined point score for themselves, doesn't this create further disincentive to win the bid?

I thought this would be like Spades, but with the added benefit of being able to play as individuals if desired, rather than partners. However, it seems that the 2, 3, 5 & 6 player variations are poorly devised. (The 'dummy hand' rule for the two player game seems like digging a ditch and filling it in again.) Obviously, I must be misunderstanding the rules and basic strategy. Would you experienced players please lend some expert insight? Thanks.