PAZAAK

🎯 The Goal

Get your table total as close to 20 as possible without going over. Whoever is closest to 20 — without busting — wins the round. Go over 20 and you bust, losing the round instantly.

🏆 Match Structure

A match is best of 3 sets (first to 2 sets wins). Each set is best of 5 rounds (first to 3 rounds wins the set). Who opens the first set is decided 50/50; after that, the winner of each set opens the next.

🔄 How a Round Plays

Turns alternate. At the start of your turn a card from the main deck (values 1–10) is drawn automatically onto your table. Then you choose:

• End Turn — pass to your opponent. You'll draw again next turn.
• Stand — lock your total for the rest of the round. You take no more cards.
• Play a side card — modify your total (see below). You may play more than one in a turn.

When one player stands, the other keeps drawing alone until they stand or bust. Hitting exactly 20 auto-stands you — it's the best possible total.

🃏 Your Side Deck

Before the match you build a 10-card side deck from the library (max 2 of each card; only 1 Tiebreaker exists). Before each set you choose 4 of those 10 to bring in.

Critical: those 4 cards are 4 plays for the ENTIRE set — shared across all rounds, not refreshed each round. Spend them wisely; once they're gone you're relying on the draw.

♻️ The Muck (between rounds)

After a set, the set winner discards the 4 cards they used and draws 4 fresh from their remaining 6. The loser keeps their full pool. This rewards winning while keeping decks varied.

🎴 Card Types

• +3 / +4 / +5 / +6 — add that value to your total. Use to leap from 14–17 up to 20.
• −3 / −4 / −5 / −6 — subtract that value. Your bust insurance: draw too high, knock it back down.
• ±1 / ±2 (Flux) — choose plus OR minus when you play it. Right-click the card to flip its sign, left-click to play. The card is half blue (+) / half red (−); the color on top shows the current sign.
• 2↔4 · 3↔6 · 1↔5 (Twist) — flips the sign of every matching played side card on both tables. Turn an opponent's +6 into −6, or rescue your own busted total.
• ×2 — doubles your last drawn card. Big swing, but only as good as that last draw.
• Tiebreaker (TB) — a trap. You can't play it manually; it fires automatically on any tie and wins the round for you. If both players hold one, they cancel and the round replays. Only one exists in the whole library.

💥 Busting & Recovery

If a draw pushes you over 20, you're busted — but you're not out yet. You can play a negative or flux card to drop back to 20 or under before you end your turn. If you can't (or choose to Stand while busted), you lose the round. Ending your turn over 20 is an instant loss.

🧠 Strategy Tips

• Standing high is power. Stand on 18–20 and you force your opponent to thread a tiny window or bust trying to beat you.
• Negatives win sets. Bust recovery is the highest-value effect — drawing dead with no insurance loses rounds you should win.
• Conserve cards. They're a set-long resource. Don't dump your hand to win one early round and go empty for the rest of the set.
• Scout the opponent. Hover their hand in-game to see their deck pool and what they've already played. In the card picker you see their pool while choosing your 4 — and they see yours.
• The Tiebreaker is a bluff. It only pays off on a tie — bring it when you expect close finishes.