3 4 may be followed by
4
5, then
5
, then 5 6.
The Ace comes before two and after ten, and need not be on the end of a
sequence (so 10 A 2 3 is allowed). Jokers may stand for any card
(including one of the other cards put down).
Players: Two
Cards: Ace to ten and two Jokers (remove JQK)
Objective: To pursue and catch up to the other player
Setup
Find a ten and a five (any suits) and put one of them face up in front of each player. This shows which card each player is currently "up to".
Deal seven cards to each player (2-3-2), then put the rest of the pack in the middle. This is the "stock". Turn over the top card from the stock and put it next to it. This is the "discard pile".
Play
Each turn, the current player looks at the top card of the stock (without showing it to their opponent), then takes either that card or the top card in the discard pile. The player then "puts down" if possible (see below), then puts one card face up on the discard pile. If any cards were put down, then the player draws cards from the stock until they have seven cards in their hand again. If the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to form the new stock (except for the top card, which is kept as the only card in the discard pile).
A player may "put down" if they have one or more sequences which
may follow the card they are up to. A sequence consists of one or
more cards of the same suit. A sequence may follow another one if
they start and end with the same card; for example, 2
3 4 may be followed by
4 5, then
5, then 5 6.
The Ace comes before two and after ten, and need not be on the end of a
sequence (so 10 A 2 3 is allowed). Jokers may stand for any card
(including one of the other cards put down).
After the player has put down, the last card in the sequence(s) becomes the card they are up to, and it is left in front of the player. The old card they were up to and the rest of the sequence(s) are placed on the discard pile, and the player discards one other card on top of them. If they put down all eight of their cards (seven cards plus the pickup), then there is no discard, and the previous top discard is placed on the top of the pile again.
If the last card in the sequence(s) put down was a Joker, then the card just before it is kept next to it to indicate which card the player is up to. In this case the Joker always represents the next card of the same suit.
Winning
A player wins if they put down the card the other player is up to.
Optional rules
No early wins
Players may not put down the card their opponent is up to until their opponent has put down at least once. This gives them a chance to get away, while allowing the first player time to get ready to catch up to them when they do.
Passing cards
After dealing, each player says how many cards they have which are good for the other player (ie. 5 6 7 8 9 for the player starting on five, and 10 A 2 3 4 for the player starting on ten). The lowest number of cards is passed to each other (maximum of three cards), starting with the best ones (closest to their starting card). This gets the game started quicker.
No Jokers on the end
The last card put down may not be a Joker (but a Joker is still allowed to be at the end of a sequence, as long as it is not the last one). This means that the card each player is up to will always be a natural card.
Strategy
Variations
Racing
The winner is the first player to complete five "laps", ie. to pass their starting card five times. Reaching the card the other player is up to has no effect. Optionally, players go in opposite directions (sequences going downwards instead of upwards for one player). This version of the game may be played with more than two players, using two decks of cards. Optionally, landing exactly on another player's card makes them miss their next turn.