How to Play

The Swedish reverse-Cassino: a misère fishing game for 2 to 4 players where captures are bad and you creep low cards through the layout trying to avoid Spades, Aces, and the 10 of diamonds.

Krypkasino is the Swedish reverse-Cassino: a misère fishing game in which captures are bad and players try to creep through a hand without taking any penalty cards. The name comes from krypa, 'to creep', which is the act of playing a card that captures nothing. You must capture whenever your card can match or build up to the rank of anything on the table, and capturing sweeps the table of every card there, so the usual fishing goal of grabbing cards is inverted into a puzzle of slipping low cards past your opponents.

Players

Best for 2 to 4 players (individual play). A four-player partnership variant is common in Sweden: partners sit opposite and pool their captures at the end of the deal.

Card Deck

• Two standard 52-card decks shuffled together: 104 cards in all. Jokers are not used.
• Ranks for matching and building: numerals take their face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13, and an Ace counts 14 when played from the hand but only 1 when already lying on the table.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Penalty cards (the only cards that score): every Spade, every Ace of any suit, and the 10 of diamonds (called storan).10♦A♠
• All other cards (hearts, diamonds, and clubs numerals from 2 through King, except the 10 of diamonds) are neutral and do not score.10♦

Objective

Capture as few penalty cards as possible. Every Spade, every Ace, and the 10 of diamonds (storan) add points; the player (or partnership) with the fewest total points at the end of a match wins. Unlike regular Cassino, capturing is a liability, so most turns are spent creeping (placing cards that do not capture).

Setup and Deal

1. Pick a dealer by low-card cut; the deal rotates clockwise. Shuffle both packs together thoroughly.
2. Deal four cards face down to each player, two at a time.
3. Deal four cards face up to the middle of the table (the layout). If the initial four layout cards capture each other (same ranks), leave them in place; this is not a sweep.
4. Place the rest of the pack face down as the stock.
5. The player to the dealer's left plays first. When every player has played all four hand cards, the dealer deals four more from the stock to each player (but no further layout cards) and play continues; the deal ends when the stock is exhausted and the final four hand cards have been played.

Gameplay

1. Step 1 (choose an action): On your turn you must play exactly one card from your hand and do one of two things with it: (a) use it to capture one or more cards from the layout, or (b) krypa: lay it face up on the layout as an extra card.
2. Step 2 (capture by matching): You may capture any set of layout cards that, individually or in sum, equal the rank of the card you are playing. For example the Ace played from hand (value 14) can capture a layout 5 + 9, or a 10 + 4, or several separate matching 14s at once. Face cards match only their own rank (Jacks capture Jacks, Queens capture Queens, Kings capture Kings).
3. Step 3 (forced sweep): If the card you are about to play can capture every card currently on the layout, you are forced to play it and sweep. A sweep is called a tabbe and is heavily penalised under Krypkasino scoring.
4. Step 4 (krypa): If your card can capture nothing on the layout, you creep: place it face up on the layout and your turn ends. You may never creep voluntarily if a capture is available. Cards on the layout sit side by side and are not stacked into builds (Krypkasino does not use the building mechanic of regular Cassino).
5. Step 5 (last-card rule): Whoever makes the last capture of the deal also takes any cards still lying on the layout. This is an important tempo consideration: timing a small capture right before the stock runs out can dump a full layout of penalty cards onto you.

Scoring

• Storan (10 of diamonds): 3 penalty points per copy captured.10♦
• Ace of spades: 2 penalty points per copy.A♠
• 2 of spades (lillan): 2 penalty points per copy.2♠
• Every other Spade: 1 penalty point per copy.
• Every other Ace (hearts, diamonds, clubs): 1 penalty point per copy.
• Total penalty pool in the two-deck pack: 42 points.
• Sweeps (tabbe): the player who makes the sweep takes 5 penalty points; the player who just before them left the layout empty (or to one card) scores -5 (five points in their favour). Dubbeltabbe (double sweep from a single matching card) is worth 10 penalty points to the sweeper.

Winning

At the end of each deal, add up all captured penalty points per player (or per partnership). The player or partnership with the fewest points wins that deal. Play a session of an agreed number of deals (6 is common) or first to an agreed losing threshold such as 100 penalty points; lowest cumulative score wins the match. If two players tie on the lowest total, share the win or play one extra tiebreaker deal.

Common Variations

• Partnership Krypkasino: Four players in two partnerships; partners combine captured penalty points at the end of the deal.
• Single deck: Play with one 52-card pack for a short two-player game. Deal 4 and 4 with 44 cards in the stock.
• Nordic Cassino: A gentler Swedish hybrid where only spades and Aces score; the 10 of diamonds is neutral.10♦
• No forced sweep: House rule that treats a full-layout capture as optional rather than obligatory.
• Bordstabbe (free sweep): If the initial layout turns out all the same rank, award the first player an automatic minus-5 bonus before play begins.

Tips and Strategy

• Keep your captures tiny. Taking one neutral card is always safer than leaving a Spade on the table.
• Watch the storan (10 of diamonds). Whoever plays the card that can capture it (a 10 or a 4+6 or similar) loses 3 points; if the storan is on the layout, try to foul the layout first with Aces or Kings so opponents must play risky cards.10♦
• Timing the last trick matters. If the layout holds penalty cards and you can see the stock is almost empty, aim for the very last capture so nothing drops onto you.
• Avoid being two below full layout. Any card you play that matches the single remaining card forces a sweep. Keep spare neutral cards for creeping out of such spots.
• Count Aces as they appear. With eight Aces in play (two 52-card packs), track them as they are captured; the last few are the most dangerous because they are almost forced into a sweep.

Glossary

• Krypa: 'To creep'; play a card that captures nothing and leave it on the layout.
• Tabbe: A sweep; capturing every card on the layout in one play. Heavily penalised in Krypkasino.
• Dubbeltabbe: Sweeping a lone layout card by matching it; worth 10 penalty points.
• Storan: The 10 of diamonds; the single most expensive card (3 penalty points).10♦
• Lillan: The 2 of spades; 2 penalty points.2♠
• Forced sweep (tvångstabbe): A compulsory sweep when your hand card can capture the full layout.