How to play Tahúr
The short version. It’s blackjack, head to head: you against a rival, not against the house. Everyone gets one hidden card and one face up. Get closer to 21 than they do without going over and you win the set. Win five sets, or three in a row, and the match is yours. Then the rules start bending.
At the table
You see your own hidden card; your rival sees theirs. Hit to take a card, stand when you’re happy. Both of you play from the same shoe, so every card that comes out is one fewer for the other side.
- Set
- One hand of blackjack. Win 5 sets, or 3 in a row, and the match is yours.
- Target
- The number to beat, normally 21. Closest without going over wins the set. Some tables and kingpins move it.
- Hidden card
- Everyone starts with one card face-down. You can see yours. They can see theirs. Nobody sees the other’s without help.
- Hit and stand
- Hit takes a card. Stand ends your set. Standing is final, so be sure.
- Bust
- Over the target. A bust loses the set, unless the other side busts too.
- Natural
- Hitting the target with your first two cards. Doesn’t pay extra. Still feels like it does.
- Set wins
- First to 5 takes the match. A raised set counts for its whole stake.
- Streak
- Sets won in a row. 3 back to back ends the match early. A draw wipes both streaks, and a raised set still only counts once.
- The shoe
- One deck for the whole match, reshuffled when fewer than 15 cards are left. What’s gone stays gone, so count it.
- Hot and cold shoe
- Hot: more big cards (10 to Ace) left than usual, so busting gets easier. Cold: the big ones are gone, so hit away.
Raising and folding
Blackjack here has a little poker in it. Think you’ve got them? Raise, and they must call or fold. A raised set counts for its whole stake, up to ×4.
- Stake
- What the set is worth in set wins. Starts at 1 and can be raised up to ×4.
- Raise
- Double the stake. They call and play for it, or fold and pay the old stake. After a call, only the caller can raise again.
- Fold
- Give up the set and pay the stake as it was before the raise. Sometimes the cheapest way out.
Powerups, Nerve and marked cards
You bring up to three powerups to every table. Some peek at the next card or at their hidden one; some swap cards, move the target or change what a card is worth. There are 67 in all, from common to legendary: see every powerup. Marks change single cards in your deck for good: there are 35 of those, listed on the marked cards page.
- Nerve
- What powerups run on. You start with 1, get 1 more every set and 1 more for every set you lose. Holds 6.
- Powerups
- You bring up to 3. Actives cost Nerve and refresh every set. Passives are always on.
- Mastery
- Play a powerup enough and it gets better. Two stars: costs 1 less Nerve. Three stars: one more use a set.
- Marked cards
- A mark changes one card in your deck for good. It works for whoever made the mark, whoever ends up holding it.
- Tells
- Habits that give a hand away. Spot one, check their cards at the showdown, and after a few times you’ll know what it means.
One shoe, two decks
In online duels and against kingpins, both players’ decks are shuffled into one shoe. Your cards have blue backs and your rival’s are red, and kingpins bring their own backs, so the top of the shoe always tells you whose card is coming next. A mark only works for whoever made it, whoever ends up holding the card.
Kingpins and house rules
Every room in the city plays by its own house rules, and every district has a kingpin. Kingpins play long matches, first to 10 sets or five in a row, and they can change the house rules whenever they like: they’ll tell you when they do. One set from losing, each one breaks their own rules.
- House rules
- Every room plays its own way, always. Tap the scroll at the table to read them.
- Table event
- A one-set twist that turns up at the start of a set. Gone by the next one.
- Phase 2
- One set from losing, a kingpin breaks their own rules. Read the new one before you play on.
- Coins
- Spend them at the Fence. Lose a story match and it costs you a tenth of what you’re carrying.
- Level
- Win matches to level up. Levels bring talent points and more slots for marked cards.
- Hustle
- A quick game against whoever’s around. Coins and XP, no story. Good for grinding.
- Side jobs
- Favours for the people you’ve met. Finish one for coins and the odd card skin.
- RogueJack
- The roguelike mode: one run on three hearts. Each floor is a map with a kingpin at the top. Win to grow your kit; run out of hearts and the run ends.
- Hearts
- Your lives in RogueJack and the Daily Deal. Lose a match, lose a heart. Run out and the run is over, but you keep something for next time.
Learn it at the table
The game teaches itself. Learn to play on the main menu opens Vic’s School: short, hands-on lessons you can take in any order, any time, from the basics to marked cards, kingpins, the draft and tournaments. There’s a practice table against Vic with tips as you play.