Last Updated on April 1, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Cuckoo is a fast-paced elimination card game known by various names, including Chase the Ace and Ranter-Go-Round in Britain. In the U.S., it is sometimes called Screw Your Neighbor, though this name is also used for other card games. While some variations use special cards, Cuckoo can be played with a standard 52-card deck. The direction of play varies by region, but the following rules assume a clockwise turn order.

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How to Play Cuckoo

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Objective and Setup

• Each player starts with an equal number of lives (typically three).
• All players contribute to a central pot, which the last remaining player wins.
• One card is dealt to each player, who may look at their own card.
• Cards rank from highest to lowest: K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Suits do not matter.

Gameplay

1. The player to the dealer’s left begins, and turns proceed clockwise.
2. On their turn, a player may either keep their card or attempt to swap it with the player to their left.
3. The neighbor must accept the exchange unless they have a King, which they reveal, forcing the first player to keep their card.
4. The dealer, playing last, may swap with the top card from the undealt stock. However, if they draw a King, they must keep their original card.
5. After all turns, players reveal their cards. The lowest-ranked card loses a life.
6. If multiple players tie for the lowest rank, they all lose a life.
7. Players who lose all their lives are eliminated. The last remaining player wins the game and collects the pot.

Handling Ties in the Final Round

If all remaining players have one life and tie for the lowest card, several tiebreaker rules may apply:

• Joint Win: The tied players split the pot.
• Replay: The tied players keep their lives and play another round.
• High Card Draw: Each tied player draws a new card, and the highest wins the pot.
• Carry Over Pot: The game ends undecided, and the pot rolls over to the next game with additional stakes.
• Fixed Pot Carry Over: The game is undecided, and the pot carries forward without extra stakes.

It’s best to agree on a tiebreaker rule before starting, though many groups decide on the spot when the situation arises.

Variations

American Version (Screw Your Neighbor)

• Played with 3–26 players, each starting with four lives represented by equal money piles.
• The last player remaining wins the full amount.

King Rules Variants

1. Kings are normal: They can be traded like any other card.
2. Kings cancel trading: If a King is dealt face-up, no trading occurs that round, and the lowest card(s) lose a life.
3. Kings stop trades mid-round: If a player tries to trade with a King, the trade is blocked, and no further exchanges happen.

Queen & Jack Special Rules

• Queens: If a player with a Queen is chosen for a trade, the initiator must instead trade with the person to their right (unless that person also has a Queen).
• Jacks: If a player with a Jack is chosen, they reveal it, blocking the trade. Play continues with the next person.

Safe-Tie Variant

In some versions, players with matching lowest cards are safe from elimination. Instead, the lowest unique rank loses a life. If no unique lowest card exists, the round is a draw, and no one loses a life.