DELUXE ROOK
Rules for TOURNAMENT ROOK ("KENTUCKY DISCARD")
A Partnership Game for 4 Players
The game of KENTUCKY DISCARD has been one of the most popular of all ROOK games for decades.
It is the version played at most ROOK clubs and at ROOK Tournaments.
KENTUCKY DISCARD has one variation–adding the ROOK Bird Card. Including this card adds an exciting element of surprise
and speeds the game up as well. Decide before play if you will include it.
Note: The tips on bidding, discarding, and play which follow these rules assume the ROOK Bird Card is not in Play.
When in play, the ROOK Bird Card can be thought of as the equivalent of the 14 of Trump.
Dealing: Pick a dealer. First, dealer removes all 1’s 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s from the deck. This will result in a deck
of 40 cards (or 41 if the ROOK Bird Card is included). Dealer shuffles and offers a cut to the player seated on his/her
right. Dealer deals 9 cards face down to each player and a face down nest of four cards (five if the ROOK Bird Card is
included). The nest cards should be dealt one at a time, after each player has been dealt another card, until the nest is
"full." Place the nest in the center of the table, apart from any player’s hand. If any card ranked 10 or higher is
inadvertently exposed during the deal, the dealer must re-deal the hand. If any lower ranked card is exposed, it is the
right of any player to demand a new deal.
Deal will rotate to the left on subsequent hands.
Object:
300 points wins the game. If both sides surpass 300 points at the end of the same hand, the higher total wins.
If their is a tie, play another hand.
Scoring:
Appoint a scorekeeper to keep score on a piece of paper. Count cards ("counters") are the 14’s and 10’s (which are each
worth ten points) and the 5’s (which are each worth five points). The ROOK Bird Card (if it is used) is worth twenty
points. All other cards have no value in scoring. Captured tricks have no separate value. Total points in the deck are
100 (120 if the ROOK Bird Card is used).
The counters captured by partners are added together for their joint score for that hand. However, if the high bidder
fails to make the bid, the partnership is set back the full amount of the bid, even if this gives that partnership
a minus score.
Bidding:
After the deal, each player sorts the cards in his/her hand according to colors and the bidding begins with the player at
dealer’s left and continues clockwise around the table. Players bid for the privilege of choosing the trump color. There
is a great advantage in being the player who chooses trump color, since a trump card can capture any card of any other
color. Your opening bid must be at least 70 points. Bids must be divisible by 5, such as 70, 75, 80. You are bidding the
number of points (from count cards) you think you and your partner will be able to capture with your hands, provided you
are able to name the color that will be trump. If you capture all count cards, you score 120 points (or 100 points if
playing without the ROOK Bird Card).
You should remember, there’s always a risk when you take the bid. If you do not wish to bid, you may "pass."
After passing, you may not bid again on this hand.
Playing:
The nest: The highest bidder (declarer) adds the cards in the nest to his/her hand and then exchanges a like amount of
cards in his/her hand to form a new nest. Any card may be placed in the nest including (for strategic purposes) counters.
After discarding to the nest, declarer places the nest aside, away from all players, and then announces the trump color.
The player who takes the last trick captures the nest and scores any counters found in it.
First lead: The player to the left of the dealer (who may or may not be the highest bidder) makes the initial lead and
play begins. Any color may be led and play moves around the table to the left.
Play: Players must, if possible, follow suit (i.e., play a card of the same color that was led). If it is impossible to
follow suit, any card may be played. That includes a trump card, or a non-counter of another suit, or a counter of
another suit if a player believes his/her partner may take the trick.
Highest card: The highest card of the color led takes the trick unless the trick is trumped, in which case the highest
trump takes the trick.
Note: The ROOK Bird Card, when used, is the highest card, no matter what color has been chosen as trumps.
It may be played at any time the holder wishes, regardless of the color led. It is the only card that has this privilege.
If led, it calls for the play of the trump color. You must play the ROOK Bird Card when trump is led and you have no
other trump cards.
Next Trick: Whoever takes the trick places it face down near him/herself and leads a card for the next trick.
Any card of any color may be led.
Scoring:
The winner of the final trick claims the discarded nest and includes in his/her score the value of any counters
contained in it.
A partnership scores the value of all counters won during play. However, if declarer’s partnership fails to score at
least as many points as bid, the amount of declarer’s bid is DEDUCTED from their current score. It is possible,
therefore, for a partnership’s score to be negative.
Example: On the first hand, you bid 80, but you and your partner only score 75 points of counters. Result: your score is
minus 80 (0 - 80 = -80). If on a later hand you fail to make a bid, the bid is deducted from your current score.
Example: You have 140 points and fail to make your bid of 80. Your new score is 60 (140 - 80 = 60).
After Four Hands:
One set of partners should exchange seats to change the play order of the four players.
Penalties:
A penalty of 40 points should be taken from the score of a player who improperly discards (to the nest) or makes any
suggestion to affect partner’s play.
If a misdeal is discovered before three tricks are taken, the cards are withdrawn and re-dealt, the deal passing to
the left. If a misdeal is not discovered until later in the game, the dealer’s partnership is set back 40 points for
the error and the other partnership does not score. The deal then passes to the left.
If a player plays a card of a different color when s/he could follow the color led, the error may be corrected if
discovered before the next trick is taken. If the error is not discovered until later, the "hand" is ended, and the side
making the error is set back the full amount of the bid, regardless of who made the highest bid for that hand. The
opponents score all the counters they captured before the error was discovered.
Score Sheet
Availability: In Stock
Deluxe Rook Game
Item #7140431030
Price $11.95
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