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Official Twenty Rules
This exciting game of Twenty can be enjoyed by 2, 3, or 4 players. It's a race to get rid of your cards or have the lowest point value when the count reaches 20!
Objective
Be the first player to discard all your cards, or have the least points left when someone reaches a count of 20.
Setup
Deal the Cards: Shuffle a standard deck of 52 cards and deal 7 cards face down to each player. The remaining cards form a draw pile in the center. Players can peek at their cards.
Gameplay
The Count:
The game starts with a count of 1. Each time a player makes the count, it goes up by 1 until it reaches 20. The game can end when a player reaches 20 or someone discards all their cards.
Card Values:
Aces: 1 point
2-9: Face value
10s, Jacks, Queens: 10 points each (but a pair can be played together for 10 points instead of 20)
Kings: Wild! You can choose any value between 1 and 20.
Playing Your Turn:
On your turn, you have two options:
Draw a Card: Take the top card from the draw pile and add it to your hand.
Make the Count: Play a card (or set of cards) that equals the current count.
Important Note: You can always choose to draw a card even if you could make the count.
Examples:
The first player can either use an Ace or a King to make a count of 1, but they can also choose to draw a card instead.
After someone makes a count of 1, the next player could play a 2, two Aces, a King and an Ace, or just a King to make the count 2.
If you have two Queens, a Jack, and a 4, and the count is 14, you could play both Queens and the 4, just one Queen and the 4, or the Jack and the 4 (but not all three together, as that would be 24).
Reaching the End:
The hand ends when either one player discards all their cards or the count reaches 20.
Scoring:
Each card left in your hand (Aces to 9s) costs 5 penalty points.
All remaining 10s, Jacks, and Queens cost 10 points each (20 points for a pair of Queens).
Kings left in your hand cost a whopping 20 points each.
Winning the Game
Two Players: Play until one player reaches 100 points or more. The player with the lower score wins!
Three or Four Players: Aim for a higher target score like 200 points for a longer game. The player with the lowest score at the end wins.
Notes/Variations
Twenty is best played with 2 players but can also be good with 3 or 4.
Grab some friends, shuffle the deck, and see who can outsmart and outplay their opponents in this fast-paced and strategic game of Twenty!
