Mao
Ending the game: If after a player who plays a card, which results in his having one card left, he must say 'Last Card.' If he has no cards left, he says 'Mao,' unless he plays a jack, where he has to say 'Mao Mao,' and he wins the game. Cork Zone is raising funds for MAO Puzzle Card Game on Kickstarter! Mao is a card game of the shedding family, in which the aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules. It is played like Uno. Winner of each game decides on the new rule which will carry over into the next game. Ending the game: If after a player who plays a card, which results in his having one card left, he must say 'Last Card.' If he has no cards left, he says 'Mao,' unless he plays a jack, where he has to say 'Mao Mao,' and he wins the game. Mao Card games belonging to the Eights group have been popular with schoolchildren and college students at least since the 1960's. Part of their attraction is the ease with which increasingly elaborate rules can be added; success in these games depends largely on the ability to remember the rules and act on them correctly within a limited time.
Game Type: Card - M
Supplies:
- 1 - 2 decks of cards (jokers taken out)
- 5 or more players
Instructions
Ultimate Mao (a.k.a. Chinese Bartog)
Length: An Ultimate Mao game is made up of as many hands as desired. Before play, it can be decided that the game will end at a certain time, or after a certain number of hands has been played.
Mao Card Game Rules
Deal: The dealer deals out the same number of cards to each player – the number is the choice of the dealer. The players must not look at the cards while the cards are being dealt, or they will receive a penalty card at the beginning of play. The rest of the cards are placed face down to form the stock.
Beginning of play: After the deal, the dealer turns face up the first card in the stock, and performs any actions necessary for that card. Then the players may look at their cards, and the play begins clockwise from the dealer.
Note: No one may say the name of the game once play has started, until someone says “Mao” to indicate that they have won the hand. When a person has won three hands (not necessarily consecutive), that player may make up a rule to add to the base rules, which is to be used for the remainder of the game.
Rules of Play: When it's a player's turn, they must play a valid card or draw one card from the stock within 5 to 7 seconds or they get a penalty card for delay of game. Once you touch the stock, you have to take the top card of the stock, even if it's unintentional (unless if you're giving a penalty). If you draw more cards, then you have to keep these cards in your hand. Valid cards are those that match the suit or number of the top face-up card. Jacks are also valid cards since they are wild.
Important: Jacks can't be played on Jacks.
Special Cards: These cards have certain effects on the game:
- Ace - Skip
- 2 - Player plays again (unless it's his last card.)
- 7 - If a player plays a 7, the next player must play a 7 or draw two cards. If more than one 7 has been played, the first player not able to play a 7 must draw two cards for each 7 played.
- 8 - Reverse
- Jack - Wild Card. Whenever a jack is played, the player has to hold the card with his finger and call the suit of the next card to be played and release his finger on the card. If he releases his finger before he calls the suit, then the first player to call the suit has control on the suit of the next card will be. Jacks may not be played on jacks.
- Spades - Any player who plays any spade must name the spade. Example: If a player plays the five of spades, he must say 'five of spades.'
- Multiple calls: If a card being played requires the player to say more than one thing, he must say all the things required. For example, if he plays a Jack of Spades, he must say, “Jack of Spades” and call the suit.
- Point Of Order: Whenever someone wants to ask a question, he must call a point of order (If he asks a question outside of a point of order, he gets a penalty card). During a point of order, no penalties are to be given and no one is allowed to look at their cards and any questions that need to be asked or things that need to be said can be done during a point of order.
- Ending a Point of Order: The caller of the point of order can end a point of order after talking has stopped.
- Ending the game: A player who only holds one card in his hand must announce “Last card” as he plays his second-to-last card. Upon playing the last card held in his hand, the player must say 'Mao,' unless he plays a jack, in which case he has to say 'Mao Mao.' The first person to play all of his cards wins the game.
Penalties: There are lots of penalties in the game. When a player is giving a penalty card, he must say the reason for the penalty. If the penalty giver gives a bad call, any player (other than the one giving the penalty and the one getting the penalty) gives the card back and says 'Bad Call.' (If there is a dispute as to whether the penalty was valid, the players may vote). After a penalty is given, the recipient of the penalty card must say 'Thank You,” and that includes penalty cards incurred for failure to say 'Thank You,' and penalties which are disputed by the recipient or other players. Any misplay results in one penalty card, and taking back the card misplayed. The breaking of any rule results in one penalty card.
Examples include:
- Failure to name a Spade
- Misplay - Someone screws up and makes an invalid play, jack on jack or 9 of clubs on a 7 of diamonds or plays a card when he should be drawing cards.
- Looking At Cards Before Game Begins
- Delay Of Game (Taking more than 5 to 7 seconds to play or draw cards)
- Playing Out of Turn
- Asking Questions Outside of a Point Of Order
- Failure to Say 'Thank You' After a Penalty
- Failure to Draw Cards when required
- Looking at cards during a point of order
- Failure to Say Last Card
- Failure to say the name of the game
- Saying the name of the game during play
- Multiple Penalty Calls: This is when a player breaks more than one rule in the game. He may be given one penalty for each rule broken.
When I was at Penn State back in the mid-1990s for a math contest, Hideo and Ben taught me, Andy and Tad this new and interesting game called Mao. Originally, they were not allowed to tell us the rules, but they told us about special cards, rules of play and the penalties for breaking the rules. In the first hand, I got so many cards because I was inexperienced and somewhat forgetful. But in the third hand, I managed to win my first game of mao. The rules here are somewhat different (a couple of extra rules) from the original version of mao they had.
Players: At least 3, but best for 5 to 7 players.
Cards: I recommend at least 2 decks of cards with the jokers taken out.
IMPORTANT! Please Read This Line! -- Since there are so many rules about special cards and things you have to do, in this version of mao, it is permitted to tell the players the rules here. This is a change from other versions of mao.
Deal: Before the deal, the dealer says: 'The deal will begin with (name) and will go (counterclockwise/clockwise).' Then he deals out six cards, one at a time starting with the person named and going in the direction indicated. The players must not look at(or even touch) the cards while the cards are being dealt, or they will receive a penalty card at the beginning of play. The rest of the cards are placed face down to form the stock.
Beginning of play: After the deal, the dealer says: 'The playing of Mao will begin with (name) and will go (clockwise/counterclockwise).' Then the players may look at their cards. The dealer then turns up the top card of the stock to begin play.
Rules of Play: When it's a player's turn, they must play a valid card or draw one card from the stock within 5 to 7 seconds or they get a penalty card for delay of game, unless he says 'Hold on' and has a large number of cards, then he has up to a minute to play a valid card or draw from the stock. Once you touch the stock, you have to take the top card of the stock, even if it's unintentional (unless if you're giving a penalty). If you draw more cards, then you have to keep these cards in your hand. Valid cards are those that match the suit or number of the top face-up card. Jacks are also valid cards since they are wild. Important: Jacks can't be played on Jacks. Doing so would result in a misplay penalty.
Special Cards: These cards have certain effects on the game:
How To Play Mao Card Game
Ace - Reverse
2 - Player plays again (unless it's his last card.)
4 - If a player plays a 4, the next player has to play a 4 or draw 4 cards. If he players a 4, then the player after him must play a 4 or draw 8 cards, etc. The way of saying it is: If a player plays a 4, the next player must play a 4 or draw (NumberOfConsecutiveFours * 4) cards.
7 - If a player plays a 7, the next player must play a 7 or draw (NumberOfConsecutiveSevens * 2) cards.
8 - Skip
10 - Player says 'Have a (Very * (NumberOfConsecutiveTens - 1)) Nice Day.'
Jack - Wild Card
Whenever a jack is played, the player has to hold the card with his finger and call the suit of the next card to be played and release his finger on the card. If he releases his finger before he calls the suit, then the first player to call the suit has control on calling the suit of the next card to be played will be. Jacks may not be played on jacks. (See rule above on that.)
Spades - Any player who plays any spade must name the spade. Example: If a player plays the five of spades, he must say 'five of spades.'
Mao Card Game Reddit
The Multiples Rule: Whenever a card is played on the same exact card (example, a five of clubs on another five of clubs), he must say 'two' if the card being played is the second consecutive one (ie if the previous card is the same one). If the previous two cards are the same one as the card he's playing, then he must say 'three,' etc. This is the only time where someone can play out of turn without triggering a penalty. Play continues with the next person after the person who plays the multiple in the current direction of play.
Multiple calls: If a card being played requires the player to say more than one thing, he must say all the things required. For example, if he plays the first ten of spades on top of a card that isn't a ten, then he must say 'Ten of Spades, have a nice day.'
Point Of Order: Whenever someone wants to ask a question, he must call a point of order (If he asks a question outside of a point of order, he gets a penalty card). During a point of order, no penalties are to be given and no one is allowed to look at their cards and any questions that need to be asked or things that need to be said can be done during a point of order.
Ending a Point of Order: The caller of the point of order or the oldest player in the group can end a point of order after talking has stopped. If talking has stopped for a period of time (say, 10 seconds) and neither the caller of the point of order nor the oldest player ends the point of order by saying 'End Point Of Order,' everyone else can agree to end the point of order by saying 'End Point of Order' together.
Ending the game: If after a player who plays a card, which results in his having one card left, he must say 'Last Card.' If he has no cards left, he says 'Mao,' unless he plays a jack, where he has to say 'Mao Mao,' and he wins the game. Note: If the card played requires you to say something, you must say every element you're required to say before saying 'Last Card,' 'Mao,' or 'Mao Mao.'
Penalties: There are lots of penalties in the game. When a player is giving a penalty card, he must say the reason for the penalty. If the penalty giver gives a bad call, the player's he's giving the penalty to gives the card back to him and says 'Bad Call.' After a penalty is given, the recipient of the penalty card must say 'Thank You,' and that includes penalty cards incurred for failure to say 'Thank You.'
Failure to name a Spade - One card penalty.
Misplay - Someone screws up and makes an invalid play, jack on jack or 9 of clubs on a 7 of diamonds or plays a card when he must be drawing cards - One card penalty and player takes back his card.
Looking At (or Touching) Cards Before Game Begins - One Card Penalty.
Delay Of Game (Taking more than 5 to 7 seconds to play or draw cards) - One Card Penalty.
Playing Out of Turn (Except to play a duplicate card that is on the top of the pile) - One Card Penalty and player takes back his card.
Failure to say 'Have a nice day.' - One Card Penalty.
Asking Questions Outside of a Point Of Order - One Card Penalty.
Swearing - One Card Penalty.
Malice (other than swearing) - One Card Penalty.
Rudeness - One Card Penalty.
Failure to Say 'Thank You' After a Penalty - One Card Penalty.
Giving a Penalty during a point of order - one card penalty.
Looking at cards during a point of order - one card penalty.
Failure to Say Very(s) - one card penalty per 'very' forgotten.
Failure to Say Correct Multiple - one card penalty.
Saying the Incorrect Multiple - one card penalty.
Failure to Say Last Card - one card penalty.
Failure to Say Mao - one card penalty.
Saying Mao instead of Mao Mao - one card penalty.
Failure to Say Mao Mao - two card penalty.
Multiple Penalty Calls: This is when a player breaks more than one rule in the game. He is given the same number of cards as the number of rules he has broken. (For example: If a player plays a 7 of clubs on a 6 of diamonds, and it's not his turn, he gets 2 penalty cards and takes his card back, one for playing out of turn and one for misplay.)
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Page last updated on: August 23, 2006
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