Sampen Card Game
from China

Number of players - 2 to 11

Difficulty level - Easy to learn and to play – a fast-moving game that is mainly a matter of luck.

Object – To get rid of all your cards.

The Deck – You’ll need the following 30 cards from each of two regular 52-card decks – A,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of spades, hearts, and diamonds; the J, Q, and K of clubs. You should have 60 cards.

The Deal – Five cards are dealt to each player. The dealer then places the remainder of the deck face down in the center of the table and turns the top card face up next to the deck.

The Play – If any player has the exact same card as the face-up card, he places it on top. The player then chooses any card from his hand and places it face up in the pile. For example, the first card turned is the 3 of hearts. Sue has the other 3 of hearts in her hand and plays it. She then puts the Q of clubs on the pile.

As each new card is placed on the pile, any player with the identical card plays it. If no player has the identical card, the dealer turns the top card from the deck face up.

Continue in this manner until one player plays his last card. This player is the winner.

The winner deals for the next game.

Variation – The game is more challenging if more cards are dealt to the players. The following are the maximum number that should be dealt, depending on how many are playing.

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