How do you play rook? Whats the object?

Question

How do you play rook? Whats the object?

Answer 1

Rook is a trick-taking game, usually played with a specialized deck of cards. Sometimes referred to as "Christian cards" or "missionary poker", Rook playing cards were introduced by Parker Brothers in 1906 to provide an alternative to standard playing cards for those in the Puritan tradition who considered the face cards in a regular deck inappropriate because of their association with gambling and cartomancy.

Kentucky Discard is the version of Rook played at most Rook tournaments and clubs, and is a partnership game for four players. The players are organized into two teams of two players each, sitting opposite each other. Players must keep their hands secret from all other players, including their teammate. The object of the game is to be the first team to reach 300 points by capturing tricks that contain cards with point values. If both teams have over 300 points at the end of a round, the team with the higher point total wins.

Only certain cards, known as counters, have point value. Each 5 is worth 5 points, each 10 and 14 is worth 10 points, and the Rook Bird card is worth 20 points.

[edit] The deal

The Rook Bird card is included, while the 1's, 2's, 3's, and 4's are removed from the deck, for a total of 41 cards. The dealer shuffles and cuts the deck, then deals all of the cards, one at a time. After every player has received his or her first card, the dealer places one card in the center of the table. This is repeated until there are five cards—the nest—in the middle of the table. The remaining cards are dealt normally to the four players, giving each a hand of 9 cards.

[edit] Bidding

After the deal, players bid in increments of 5 points for the privilege of using the cards in the nest and naming the trump suit. Bidding starts with the player to the left of the dealer and passes clockwise. The minimum bid is 70 points, and the maximum is 120 points (the sum of the point values of all of the counters). If a player chooses not to increase the bid, he or she may pass to the next player. A player that has passed may not bid for the remainder of the round. Once all players but one have passed, the high bidder adds the five cards in the nest to his or her hand, and then puts any five cards back into the nest. He or she then names the trump suit.

[edit] Play

After the trump suit has been named, the player to the left of the dealer leads with any card, placing it face-up on the center of the table. Play proceeds clockwise, with each player playing one card face-up in turn. A player must either follow suit (play a card of the same suit as the card that was led) or play the Rook Bird card. If a player has no cards of the leading suit, he or she may play any other card, including the Rook Bird card or a card of the trump suit.

After each player has played, the player who played the highest trump card, or, if no trump card was played, the highest card of the leading suit takes all four cards, or takes the trick, and places it face-down in front of him or her. Tricks taken may not be reviewed by any player until the end of the round.[citation needed] The person who takes the trick leads in the next trick.

If a player reneges, or fails to follow suit when he or she could have, the error may be corrected before the next trick is taken. If it is not discovered until later, the round ends, and the team that made the error loses a number of points equal to the bid, regardless of which team made the bid. The opposing team scores all the counters they captured before the error was discovered.

The player that takes the last trick in a round captures the nest and scores any counters in it.

[edit] The Rook Bird card

The Rook Bird card is the highest trump card in the game. As such, it takes any trick in which it is played; leading it is treated the same as leading a card of the trump suit; and if trump suit is led and the player holding it has no other trump, he or she must follow suit by playing the Rook Bird card. However, the Rook Bird card may be played at any time, even if the player holding it is able to follow suit. It is the only card that may be played this way.

[edit] Scoring

When all possible tricks have been taken, each team adds the values of the counters it captured. If the bidding team failed to make the number of points bid, that team loses a number of points equal to the amount of the bid, and does not make any points for counters captured in the round. The opposing team receives points equal to the value of any counters they captured.

The first team to reach 300 points (or a predetermined amount established by the players at the game's start) is the winner.

Answer 2

Here's a link to the rules, in PDF format:

http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/RO...

Basic Rook plays similarly to spades.  You have four suits (colors) and a few super trumps (Rooks).  You bid for the right to declare the trump suit.  Minimum bid is 75, and scoring cards are referred to as "Counters."  Counters are 5, 10, 14(10 pt) and Rook (20 pt) cards.  Like spades, you must follow suit if possible, with the exception of the Rook card.  If your team does not hit or pass their bid, you lose the full value of your bid, and score no points for tricks taken.  The other team will score points for their tricks taken.  

One twist is a 5-card set aside, called "the Nest."  The Nest is originally a random deal, is taken up by the high bidder and refilled with 5 cards of the high bidders choice from their hand.  The Nest goes to whomever takes the last trick in the hand.

Typical objective of the game is first to 300 points, although you could set a high score after a given number of hands as a victory condition as well.

Happy Rooking!