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Official Cucumber Rules
There are two main variations of the Cucumber card game: Danish rules and a trick-taking version. Here's a breakdown of both:
Objective
The goal is to avoid winning the last trick. To increase the challenge, players must either overtake or play their lowest card in each trick. To avoid losing, you need a low card for the final trick and high cards for overtaking, ensuring your low card(s) aren't used too early.
Setup
Standard 52-card deck
How to Play
Danish Rules:
Players: 2-7 players
Cards: Standard 52-card deck
Deal and Play:
Deal seven cards to each player clockwise. Remaining cards are set aside unused.
Forehand (player to the left of the dealer) leads any card to the first trick.
Players clockwise must either:
Play a card higher than the highest card currently played.
Play their lowest card if they can't follow suit or beat the highest card.
Winner of the trick collects all played cards, leads the next trick.
Scoring:
Each card in the trick is worth one point.
If a player reaches 21 points (including or exceeding), they are eliminated ("become a cucumber").
If a player with a cucumber already goes over 21 points again, they are out of the game.
Last player remaining wins the game.
Trick-Taking Version:
Players: 2-4 players (typically played in partnerships)
Cards: Standard 52-card deck (some variations use two decks)
Deal and Play:
Deal a set number of cards (usually 7) to each player clockwise. Remaining cards are set aside unused.
Forehand leads any card to the first trick.
Players clockwise must either:
Play a card of at least the same rank as the highest card played so far.
Play their lowest card if they can't follow suit or beat the highest card.
Winner of the trick collects all played cards, leads the next trick.
Scoring:
The value of points and elimination conditions vary depending on the specific ruleset.
Common variations include:
Highest card in the last trick scores points equal to its card value (e.g., Jack = 11 points).
First player to reach a set point limit (e.g., 30 points) is eliminated ("becomes a cucumber").
Winning the Game
The player who wins the last trick loses the deal and is penalized. Each player's score is a running total of their accumulated penalties. The loser of a deal receives penalty points equal to the rank of the card that won the last trick (A=14, K=13, Q=12, J=11, and numbered cards by their face value).
When a player's score reaches or exceeds 21, they lose a life and a cucumber is drawn to signify this. The player is then reincarnated with the highest score that any other player currently has. The second time a player's score reaches or exceeds 21, they lose their life permanently and are out of the game. Eventually, only two players remain, who continue playing until one loses their second life. The last remaining player is the winner.
If other players play a card of the same rank as the card that caused the loser to win the last trick, these players receive a bonus equal to the loser's penalty, which is subtracted from their scores. For example, in a six-player game, if the cards in the last trick are 5, 9, 3, 9, 9, 7, and the fifth player wins with a 9, they get 9 penalty points. The second and fourth players each have 9 points deducted from their scores.
Bonuses cannot reduce a player's score below zero. For players on their second life, a bonus cannot reduce their score below one cucumber and zero. Bonuses are deducted only after the loser's penalty is added. For instance, in a two-person game where both players have 18 points and both play a 10 in the last trick, the loser's score changes to one cucumber and 18, then the bonus reduces the other player's score to 8.
The winner deals the first hand of the next game.
Notes/Variations
In both versions, suits don't matter, only card rank.
Some trick-taking variations might have special rules for Aces or a designated trump suit.
So there you have it! Both versions of the popular trick taking card game Cucumber.
