Chinaso (chee-nah-soe)

 

Hand

Sets Required

# Cards

1

2 three-of-a-kind

9

2

2 straights

9

3

3 three-of-a-kind

11

4

2 three-of-a-kind & 1 straight

11

5

1 three-of-a-kind & 2 straights

11

6

3 straights

11

7

4 three-of-a-kind

12

             

Overall Objective

 

The player with the least points after all 7 hands are played is the winner. Your goal is to lay down cards early in the hand so you don’t end up with too many points in your hand. If you’re stuck holding cards after someone has gone out then those cards count toward your score for that hand (scoring is explained below). The player going out (getting rid of all cards first) gets zero points.

   

Definitions

 
  • A three-of-a-kind is three (or more) cards with the same face value. Ie.) 3 2’s, 3 10’s, 3 Kings, etc…
 
  • A straight is three (or more) cards of the same suite in consecutive order. The ace must be played either as a high or low, but not both; you can’t have a King, Ace, 2 straight.

 

 

Rules

 

  1. Play with two decks of cards and a total of 4 jokers.

 

  1. Cut to see who deals first.

 

  1. Person on right of dealer cuts cards. If the bottom card (or the next one) from the top cut is a joker, then the joker is the cutter’s first card. The dealer will skip him as the first round of cards is dealt.

 

  1. Play starts with player to the left of the dealer. The player may either take the top card from the deck or from the top card on the discard pile.

 

  1. Players laying down cards must have all the cards needed for that hand’s required sets. Ie.) during the first hand you can’t lay down until you have two sets of three-of-a-kind.

 

  1. Players can not lay any cards down on other player’s hands until rule #5 is satisfied.

 

  1. Players can not add more sets to the hand. Ie.) in hand one all you can have is two sets of three-of-a-kind. If you end up with three more cards that match in your hand, you can not lay them down on your hand. You can however play them on someone else’s had if they happen to have a set with your cards face value.

 

  1. A chinaso is when a player lays down all his/her cards (at one time) before anyone else has laid down. A chinaso ends the hand and all players’ scores for that hand are doubled. Chinaso’s are fun!

 

  1. If the player doesn’t lay cards down then player must discard a card.

 

  1. If player lays all cards down, then the discard is optional and the hand is over.

 

 

Discard Pile

 
  1. If the player doesn’t take the card on the discard pile, then any player to the left of the player may take the card.

 

  1. Priority is given to the player to the left of the dealer. Priority continues in a clockwise motion.

 

  1. The player who discarded the card may not pick it up.

 

  1. Once a player lays down, the player may no longer pick cards from the discard pile unless the player take it during his/her turn.

 

 

Jokers

 
  • Jokers are wild cards.

 

  • Only one joker may be played in one set, however if you happen to have more than one joker you may play them in separate sets.

 

  • You may play jokers on other people’s sets. This may help you get rid of more cards.

 

  • You may replace a joker in a straight as long as you have the exact card the joker is representing. Ie.) if a set is 8, joker, 10 of hearts; then the 9 of hearts is required to replace the joker.

 

  • If you are replacing the joker, then the joker may be moved elsewhere in that set. The joker may not be moved to another set.

 

 

Scoring

 
  • Numbered cards are scored at face value
 
  • Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10 points each
 
  • Aces are worth 20 points each
 
  • Jokers are worth 50 points each

   

Game Variation (new in 2025!)

 

If you want to play a shorter version of the game, known as Chinaso Express, omit hands 4 & 5.

   

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