Killer (card game)

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Killa is a relative of the Vietnamese card game Tiến Lên (spelled in many places as Tien Len). While many would consider Killa to be a simple variant of Tiến Lên, its rules are different enough to warrant a separate article. Killa originated at Kalani High School in Honolulu, Hawaii a variant described on the Tien Len page, which is similar in some aspects.


Contents

[edit] Objective

Killa is a game of strategy in which each player tries to get rid of all thirteen cards dealt to him as quickly as possible by beating the cards played by his opponents. The first player to get rid of all his cards wins the game.

[edit] Players and Cards

Killa uses a standard 52-card deck of playing cards and is played by two to four players. Every player is dealt thirteen cards. The remaining cards in any two- or three-player game are left in the deck.

[edit] Ranking of the Cards

2 (Highest), A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 (Lowest)

Within the Rank, there is also a Suit order: Hearts ♥ (Highest), Diamonds ♦, Clubs ♣, Spades ♠ (Lowest)

Rank is more important than Suit, so, for example: ♠8 beats ♥7.

[edit] How to Play

The player who has the lowest single card starts the gameplay. This would be the ♠3, except in the case of a two- or three-player game, where the lowest card in play may not be that. The lowest card can be determined by each player revealing his lowest card. The player with the lowest card must lead it, either as a Single or as part of a legal combination that includes it. Each player, in turn, must choose either to beat the previous card/combination or to pass his turn. The play moves clockwise as many times as necessary until someone plays a card/combination that no one else is able to or wishes to beat. When this occurs, the person who last played starts again by playing any Single or valid combination. This is the beginning of a new round.

A second variation has the player who won the previous game start the new game by playing whatever card or legal combination of cards they choose. Play continues on as above after that.

At the beginning of a new game the loser of the previous game shuffles and deals the first card to the winner of the previous and continues clockwise from there. If this is the first game then the first dealer is chosen by drawing cards for the highest of the four drawn.


[edit] Rounds

When a player passes his turn he is thereby "kicked out of the round", meaning that he is locked out of play until someone else makes a play that no one else can beat. If the unbeaten player so chooses, he may continue playing in that round alone as long as his new play is able to beat his previous play. He is, in effect, beating his own card/combination. No other players may play until he makes a different type of play. This can be done in the following ways:

  • playing a completely different type of combination (e.g. leading a Straight after a round of Doubles, leading a Single after a round of Straights)
  • playing a lower card/combination (e.g. Double 5s following Double Ks)
  • playing a Straight of a different length than the Straights in the previous round


[edit] Legal Plays

Single: The lowest Single is the ♠3 and the highest is the ♥2.

Pair: Two cards of the same Rank, such as ♣7-♦7 or ♠Q-♦Q.

Triple: Three cards of the same Rank, such as ♣5-♦5-♥5.

Killa: Four cards of the same Rank, such as ♠9-♣9-♦9-♥9.

Straight: Three or more cards of the consecutive Rank (the Suits may or may not be the same), such as ♥4-♣5-♠6 or ♥10-♣J-♦Q-♥K-♣A. For a three-card Straight, 3-4-5 is the lowest and Q-K-A is the highest. 2s may not be included in Straights.

Bomb: Three or more pairs of the consecutive Rank such as 3-3-4-4-5-5 or 7-7-8-8-9-9-10-10. 2s may not be included in Bombs.

In general, a combination can only be beaten by a higher combination of the same type and length and a Single by a higher Single. A player cannot, for example, beat a Pair with a Triple, or a four-card Straight with a five-card Straight or vice-versa.

To determine which of two combinations of the same type is higher, look at the highest card’s Rank first, then its Suit. For example, ♠7-♥7 beats ♣7-♦7 because the ♥7 beats the ♦7. In Straights, ♠8-♠9-♦10 beats ♥8-♥9-♣10 because the ♦10 beats the ♣10.

Exceptions:

  1. A Killa can beat any Single 2 or Pair of 2s (but no other Single or Pair, such as an A or a Pair of Ks). A Killa can beat any lower Killa, any six-card Bomb, or any eight-card Bomb.
  2. A six-card Bomb (such as 7-7-8-8-9-9) can beat any Single 2 (but not any other Single). A six-card Bomb can also beat a lower six-card Bomb.
  3. An eight-card Bomb (such as 5-5-6-6-7-7-8-8) can beat any Single 2 or Pair of 2s (but not any other Single or Pair). An eight-card Bomb can beat any lower eight-card Bomb, any six-card Bomb.
  4. A ten-card Bomb can beat any Single 2 or Pair of 2s (but not any other Single or Pair). A ten-card Bomb can beat any lower ten-card Bomb, any eight-card Bomb, any six-card Bomb, or any Killa.

The only truly unbeatable combinations are Straights including the ♥A and Triple 2s.

If a player is locked out of a round and another plays a 2 or Pair of 2s, the former may not play a Bomb or Killa on it. The same follows that if one player plays a Single that all other players pass on, he may then play a 2, and then follow it with a Bomb or Killa. No other player may beat it, even if they are able to. This leads to an interesting dynamic of the game that may not be found in most variants of Tiến Lên, which often allow Bombs to "jump in" regardless of rounds.

[edit] Automatic Wins

A player that has one of the following may choose to declare an auto-win, in which case the game ends instantly. (In a betting match, though, the game continues. See Betting for more information.)

  1. Killa of 2s.
  2. Any six Pairs.
  3. A straight of 3 through A.

In the case of more than one player having an auto-win the one with a higher top Pair or the one with a Killa of 2s overrides any other’s victory.

[edit] Betting

  1. The loser (last place only) pays the winner the previously agreed-upon amount. Other players do not transfer money.
  2. If a Bomb or Killa beats either a Single 2 or a Pair of 2s (thus, not played “out of the blue”), the person who was bombed/killed pays that player the previously agreed-upon amount of the game. (The same occurs when bombing/killing a Bomb/Killa that was played out of the blue.)
  3. If a Bomb or Killa beats a previous Bomb/Killa that earned money, the first is completely disregarded and the player who was bombed/killed secondly pays that person double the previously agreed-upon amount of the game. Therefore, a player may potentially free another from debt.
  4. When a player finishes, the player to his left has to beat whatever was his final combination. If he chooses not to, the following player may do so, and so forth. If none choose to do so, the finisher’s left-hand player may lead any card or combination he chooses.
  5. In the case of an auto-win the remaining players continue the game, beginning with the lowest card left in play, in order to determine a loser, who will pay the winner.