🃏 Dealt! – How the Game Works

Dealt! is a clever, fast-paced card game where going out first doesn’t guarantee victory — it just means you survive. The real danger is running out of lives.

🎯 Objective

Stay alive.
If you’re forced to lose a life token and you have none left, you lose — everyone else wins.

🧩 Setup

• Each player starts with:

  • 3 life tokens

  • 2 reserve cards (face-up in front of them)

  • A hand of cards dealt randomly

• Important twist: you may not reorder your hand at any time.

▶️ Gameplay

• The starting player leads a round by playing 1–3 adjacent cards from their hand:

  • Single card

  • Pair

  • Triple

  • Run of 2 or 3 consecutive cards

• Other players, in turn, must beat the current combination:

  • Same type, higher value

  • A triple can beat a pair

⏭️ Passing (and the Pain That Comes With It)

If you can’t or won’t play, you must:

1. Take one reserve card and insert it anywhere in your hand

2. If you have no reserve cards left, you must discard a life token

⚠️ No life tokens left? You’re out.

🏆 End of a Round

• Once all players have played or passed:

  • The player who played the highest combination wins the round

  • That player starts the next round

🔄 Combo Up Differences

Combo Up plays exactly the same as Dealt!, but adds:

• 4 special action cards that spice things up
  (Core rules remain unchanged.)

🏅 Awards & Recognition

• 🏆 Fairplay À la carte Winner (2018)

• 🎖️ As d'Or – Jeu de l’Année Nominee (2021)