Kleftis

Kleftis is a two to four player rummy-based game that involves the taking of melds from other players. Kleftis is unique from most rummy games in that the melds may consist of only two cards. Additionally, the gameplay of kleftis is quite different than that of most rummy games. The name "kleftis" comes from the Greek word meaning "thief".
Object
The object of Kleftis is to gather more cards than your opponents. Cards are gathered by playing, building, and stealing melds to your dashboard and then maintaining them long enough to secure them from being stolen further. There are two types of melds:
*Sets of 2 or more cards sharing the same rank. (e.g.: <font color = "red">8♥</font>-8♠)
*Runs of 2 or more cards in sequence, of the same suit. (e.g.: 3♣-4♣-5♣-6♣)
An ace may be used as either high or low, but not both simultaneously. In other words, both A-2-3 and Q-K-A are valid runs, while K-A-2 is not.
Gameplay
At the beginning of the game, each player is dealt seven cards and the remainder of the deck is placed face down in the center as the stock pile. A player begins their turn by drawing a card from the stock pile and then must do exactly one of the following:
* Play - Play a single card onto their dashboard.
* Build - Add a single card to an existing unsecured meld on their dashboard.
* Steal - Add a single card to an existing unsecured meld on an opponent's dashboard, then move the meld onto their own dashboard.
After doing one of the above options, the player should now once again have seven cards. At the end of a player's turn, that player may secure any number of melds on their dashboard by placing them face down into their secured card pile. However, a player may not secure a meld in the same turn that they added a card to it. Thus each other player has a chance to steal a player's meld before the player may secure it.
End Game and Scoring
When the stock pile runs out, play continues as normal without drawing until all players have run out of cards. When this happens, each player counts the number of secured cards in their secured card pile. Each secured card contributes one point to the player's score, regardless of the card's face value. Each card left unsecured on the player's dashboard deducts one point from their score. The winner is the player with the highest score.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu