Shorter pieces on the games we teach. For the full guides, start at a game hub.
A holiday table is a hard room to teach a card game in. People arrive late, leave early, and half the group has already decided the game looks complicated. You still can get a full hand on the table before...
Read it →You already know what a trick is. You know trump beats a side suit. The part that freezes you is Bridge bidding: the player on your right passes, and it is your turn to bid. This post is for that...
Read it →A concealed hand is private. The moment you call a discard for an exposure, part of that hand leaves your rack and sits face-up where every player can read it. That shift is the core of American Mahjong pace: calling,...
Read it →This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Stoa Games earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. See our disclosure policy for details. How Canasta Scoring Works Canasta rewards the team that builds big melds and...
Read it →The short answer A joker can stand in for any tile in a group of three or more, in any hand on the card that allows jokers at all. It cannot complete a pair, and it cannot stand in for...
Read it →Canasta rewards patience more than speed. Every hand comes down to building melds that hold up through the count, and knowing when yours is strong enough to lay down. If you have not seen a full hand start to finish,...
Read it →How a Typical Mahjong Group Session Runs A session runs in hands, not in one long game. Four players sit down, the tiles get built into a wall, and each hand starts with the Charleston, the structured passing sequence that...
Read it →Every April the hands change and the grammar does not. Knowing which is which is the difference between relearning the game each spring and just reading the new card.
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