GameTwist

A new game can be started by simply clicking "New Game". The player may then define a number of settings to determine who may join the game and the opponents’ skill level. It must also be decided how many points are to be played to – 50, 100 or 200 points. Alternatively, a player is free to join a game that has already been set up by an opponent.

An exclamation mark signifies that it is the player’s turn, while an arrow points at the opponent who is making his/her move.

The time remaining for the move is shown to the right of the table, as is the agreed maximum point total and other handy buttons such as “Player Info.” and “Invite”. The game chat is also located here.

The player’s own cards are shown face-up and his/her nickname and point total are displayed below. At the top left of the screen are two piles of cards. The pile facing upwards is the discard pile, while the other is the deck. In the discard pile, the cards are laid next to each other, as, later in the game, these may be picked up by certain players – namely once they have laid cards for the first time. To take a card from the deck, the player need only click on the deck itself and the card will be added to the hand. Should a player wish to take a card from the discard pile, it may be that more than one card is picked up, as it depends on the position of the desired card. If the player clicks on the first card in the pile, just that card will be added to the hand. However, if the player clicks on the 5th card, all five will be added to the hand.

To lay a card on the discard pile, the player can either click on the unwanted card or drag and drop it onto the pile. Jokers can normally only be discarded or laid on the table by dragging and dropping.

Each player is shown a blended out “Lay Cards” button. As soon as the player has formed a group or sequence that can be laid, this button becomes active. The group or sequence that can be laid is highlighted by a blue line that stretches across all of the cards.

The laid cards are shown in the middle of the table. To add cards to a group or sequence already laid, a player need only drag and drop the desired card into position. To make the order of the cards clear, green arrows show the ends of the groups and sequences.

Each player has the opportunity to move the cards around in his/her hand. This is possible while the other players are taking their turns and can be done by simply dragging and dropping the cards into the desired position.

At the end of the round the players’ points are shown. The point value of each card is shown above the card itself. The player must then click “Next”. If the total exceeds the limit set at the start of the game, the game comes to an end for that player. If the total is lower than the limit, he/she can click again on “Next” and join the next round.

Rules

Jolly is a card game for two to four players and is played with two 52-card decks and six Jokers. At the beginning of the game each player receives 13 cards. The remaining cards form the deck.

The aim of the game is to form combinations with the hand cards and score as many points as possible when laying them. The combinations can be either groups or sequences of cards. A group consists of three or four cards of the same value, but different suit, e.g. King of Diamonds, King of Hearts, King of Spades or 2 of Clubs, 2 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts, 2 of Spades. A sequence is at least three consecutive, same suit cards in ascending order, e.g. 9,10, J, Q, K of Clubs or 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of Hearts. Aces can be either high or low, e.g. after a King (Q, K, A) or before a 2 (A, 2, 3). However, one cannot lay a sequence consisting of a King, Ace and a 2. This is referred to as “laying around the corner”.

The game includes Jokers (J), whereby the jokers can take the place of any card in a combination, e.g. 6 of Diamonds, 6 of Hearts, Joker or 3, 4, 5, J, 7, 8 of Hearts. However, two Jokers may not lie next to each other in a sequence, e.g. 6 of Diamonds, 7 of Diamonds, Joker, Joker, 10 of Diamonds. Two Jokers are allowed in one sequence, but they must be separated by at least one card, e.g. 6 of Diamonds, Joker, 8 of Diamonds, Joker, 10 of Diamonds. Only one Joker may be used in a group. A Joker may only be taken out of a group once the fourth card is available to replace it. For example, the group King of Diamonds, King of Hearts, Joker has been laid. If the King of Spades is added to the group, the Joker cannot be taken until the King of Clubs is produced.

The order of the game is as follows: the player to the left of the dealer takes a card from the deck then lays a group or sequence, adds cards to groups or sequences already laid, before finally discarding a card. The first group(s) or sequence(s) to be laid must have a total value of 40 points or more. The next player then takes his/her turn and follows the same pattern.

The cards in the discard pile are laid out next to each other, as later in the game cards may also be taken from the discard pile. In total, however, a player may not hold more than 20 cards at any time.

Once a player has laid a group and/or a sequence, he/she then has the opportunity to take a card from the deck or one or more cards from the discard pile in later rounds. The number of cards that can be taken from the discard pile is limitless. However, a player may never hold more than 20 cards. No group or sequence need be laid with the cards taken. At the end of the turn, an unwanted card is discarded and the next player can then take his/her turn.

Once a player has laid a group or sequence worth at least 30 points, he/she can then lay further groups and sequences in later rounds that are worth less than 30 points. Moreover, the player may also add matching cards to groups and sequences that have already been laid, irrespective of who laid them. This allows player to take Jokers, should they hold the card that the Joker has been laid in place of. For example, a sequence consists of 9 of Hearts, Joker, Jack of Hearts. A player who holds the 10 of Hearts can take the Joker and lay the 10 in its place.

The winner is the player who lays all of his/her cards first. A “Jolly Hand” is achieved when a player lays all of his/her cards in one go before laying previously.

Should the deck be used up during the course of a game, the discard pile, excluding the last three cards, is shuffled and used as the new deck.

Points

In Jolly, every laid card represents points for the player who laid it. Therefore, the cards that a player adds to groups and sequences already laid by other players count towards his/her point total. At the end of the game, any cards left in the hand are counted as negative points. These are offset against the positive points.

Laid cards count as positive points:

• 2 – 9: face value
• 10, Jack, Queen, King: 10 points
• Joker: depends on the position of the card
• The value of the Ace depends on the cards around it. When laid with a 2 and a 3, the Ace is worth just one point. When together with a Queen and King, the Ace is 10 points. In a group of three or four Aces, e.g. Ace of Hearts, Ace of Spades, Ace of Diamonds, each of the Aces is worth 25 points (a total of 75 points).

Cards in the hand count as negative points:

• 2 – 9: face value
• 10, Jack, Queen, King: 10 points
• Ace: 25 points
• Joker: 50 points
• The player to lay all of his/her cards first receives a 30 point bonus.
• A “Jolly Hand” is double the normal value of the cards. This also means that the hand cards of the opponents are worth double the negative points. However, the cards already laid are worth their usual amounts. The player to lay all of his/her cards first has his/her positive points and bonus doubled.

Example calculation:

• Player A still holds: 3, 4, 5, 6, Q, K = -38
• Already laid: D8, D9, D10 and HJ, HQ, HK = 57
• That gives Player A +19 points for the round.
• Player B still holds: Joker, 5, 5, 7, 8, 10, J, J, Q = -115
• Already laid: Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts, Ace of Spades = 75

That gives Player B -40 points for the round.