How to Play

Loba is the Argentine household rummy game. Uses two decks plus 4 Jokers (108 cards) dealt 9 each to 2-5 players. Form piernas (three same-rank cards, three different suits, no Jokers) and escaleras (suited sequences of 3+, Jokers allowed). In the standard Loba de Menos, lowest penalty total wins; players eliminated at 101+ may reenganche (re-buy) up to twice. Last surviving player wins the match.

Loba is the Argentine rummy game of the River Plate region, played in homes and clubs from Buenos Aires to Montevideo. It exists in two main forms that share the same name: Loba de Menos (negative Loba, 'loba the lesser'), a knockout game where each player tries to avoid penalty points by going out first, and Loba de Mas (positive Loba, 'loba the greater'), a score-maximising game where players build melds for points and score extra for going out. The dominant household form is Loba de Menos. It uses two standard decks plus 4 Jokers (108 cards), deals 9 cards to each player (2-5 players), and builds melds in two shapes: piernas (three same-rank cards in three different suits) and escaleras (three or more suited sequences). Jokers are wild for escaleras only; they cannot substitute in piernas, which must be natural. Each round, players draw from the stock or discard pile, meld, and discard; the round ends when a player empties their hand. Players are eliminated at 101+ penalty points, but may re-buy (reenganche) up to twice. The last player standing wins the match. Loba de Mas runs simpler: melds score positive points, going out adds a bonus of 5 points per meld, and the first to 150+ points wins. Loba is one of the most widely played household rummy games across the Spanish-speaking Southern Cone.

Players

2 to 5 players, each playing for themselves. No partnerships. 4 players is the classic household setup. The first dealer is chosen by drawing the highest card; deal rotates counter-clockwise (the traditional River Plate direction). In Loba de Menos, eliminated players (reaching 101+ points) drop out but may re-enter once or twice via reenganche; the last surviving player wins.

Card Deck

Two standard 52-card decks plus 4 Jokers (108 cards total). Card ranking in suited sequences (escaleras), low to high: A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K. The Ace is low only in escaleras (A-2-3 is legal; K-A-2 is not). Jokers are wild in escaleras only; you cannot use a Joker to complete a pierna (same-rank-three-different-suits set). Penalty card values: Joker = 25, Ace = 15, J/Q/K = 10 each, 2 through 10 = face value.

Objective

Loba de Menos (negative): Be the last player not eliminated (first-to-101 eliminates you). Go out by emptying your hand to score zero for the round; others score penalty points for whatever remains in hand. Loba de Mas (positive): Be the first to 150 points. Score positive points for melds laid down; going out earns a +5 bonus per meld on the table plus zero penalties.

Setup and Deal

1. Shuffle the 108-card deck (2 decks + 4 Jokers) thoroughly; player to dealer's left cuts.
2. Deal 9 cards to each player, face-down, counter-clockwise.
3. Place the remaining stock face-down in the middle; turn its top card face-up as the discard pile.
4. The player to the dealer's right takes the first turn (counter-clockwise rotation).
5. At the end of a round, the next dealer is the previous winner (the go-out player). If the winner was eliminated this round, the dealer rotates counter-clockwise.

Gameplay

1. On your turn, draw one card: either the top of the stock (face-down) or the top card of the discard pile.
2. Optionally form and lay down melds face-up in front of you. Two meld types are legal. Pierna: three cards of the same rank in three different suits (e.g., 7♠, 7♥, 7♦); a 4-card pierna (all four suits) is also legal and sometimes scored higher. Escalera: three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order (e.g., 4♣, 5♣, 6♣).7♠7♥7♦4♣5♣6♣
3. Jokers in melds: A Joker may substitute for a missing card in an escalera (suited sequence). A Joker cannot appear in a pierna; piernas must be natural.
4. Extending melds (lay-offs): After laying down your first meld, you may add cards to any of your own melds already on the table (extending an escalera up or down, or adding the fourth suit to a pierna). In base rules you may not lay off onto opponents' melds; each player's melds are their own.
5. Joker replacement (opcional): In some Argentine rules, a Joker used in an escalera may be replaced by its natural card later; the replaced Joker becomes a free card in your hand to play immediately as part of a new meld.
6. Discard one card face-up to the discard pile to end your turn.
7. Going out: On your turn, after drawing and melding, if you can discard your last card, you go out. The round ends; each other player counts penalty points for cards remaining in hand.

Scoring

• Loba de Menos (negative): The player who went out scores 0 for the round. Every other player sums the penalty values of cards still in hand: Joker = 25, Ace = 15, J/Q/K = 10, 2-10 = face value. Running totals are kept.
• Elimination at 101: When a player's cumulative total reaches 101 or more, they are eliminated from the match.
• Reenganche (re-buy): An eliminated player may re-enter the match by paying an agreed re-buy penalty and starting over with a score equal to the highest current player's score (so they cannot benefit from falling behind). A player may reenganche a maximum of twice per match.
• Last player standing wins. If all remaining players are eliminated in the same round, the one with the lowest total wins.
• Loba de Mas (positive): Each meld laid down scores positive points based on card values (same table as above but counted positively). Going out awards +5 bonus points per meld on your table. First to 150+ points wins.

Winning

Loba de Menos: The match is won by the last player remaining after all others have been eliminated at 101+. With reenganche, a comeback from elimination is possible, so matches can run long. Loba de Mas: First to 150+ points at the end of a round wins the match. For longer sessions, raise the target to 200 or 300.

Common Variations

• Loba de Menos (negative, knockout): The dominant household variant; described above as the primary rules.
• Loba de Mas (positive, score-build): Each meld scores positive points; first to 150+ wins; no elimination.
• Loba Contrato (Loba with Contracts): Each round requires a specific meld combination before laying anything else down, adapted from Contract Rummy.
• Loba con Picos: Allows '2s' as secondary wild cards alongside Jokers in escaleras.
• Pierna de Cuatro: A 4-card pierna (all four suits of one rank) scores a double bonus (10 points in Loba de Mas; cancels 10 penalty in Loba de Menos).
• No-Joker Loba: Play without Jokers for a tougher melding game. Penalty values remain the same.
• Loba con Bazas (Loba with Bases): Must lay down a minimum value in your first meld (e.g., 50 points), similar to Canasta's opening meld requirement.
• Uruguayan Loba: Slightly different scoring values (Ace = 20, face = 10, 2 = 25 as wild); regional drift.
• Chinchón (close cousin): A separate simpler game in the Loba family; plays with 40-card Spanish packs and elimination at 100 points.

Tips and Strategy

• Lay down fast in Loba de Menos. Every card still in your hand when someone goes out is a penalty. Laying your first pierna or escalera early converts cards from liability to safe stock.
• Jokers are double-edged. Worth 25 penalty points if caught in hand, but capable of completing a 3-card escalera on demand. Play them quickly; never hold a Joker for more than 3 turns without a plan.
• Build escaleras in two directions. A 4-5-6 escalera can be extended up (7, 8, 9...) or down (3, 2, A). Holding the missing ends gives you maximum flexibility for lay-offs.
• Piernas are safer than escaleras. A pierna needs three suits of one rank, which is always achievable across two decks. Escaleras require the exact next-rank card in the exact suit, which is luck-dependent.
• Watch the discard pile. In Loba the discard pile is a single card (only the top is taken), so each discard is a reveal of what an opponent does not want. Opponents rarely discard cards they believe are useful.
• Aces are penalty magnets. 15 penalty points each. Discard Aces early if not immediately useful; do not hoard them for hypothetical A-2-3 escaleras.
• Defensive discarding. In the late round, discard cards you believe no opponent can use (e.g., the fourth copy of a rank; a suit an opponent has discarded from).
• Know your elimination cushion. If you are at 80 penalty points, a 25-Joker miss plus a couple of face cards can take you out next round; play conservatively and lay melds aggressively.
• Loba de Mas: prioritise going out. The +5 per meld go-out bonus is large; players who accumulate many small melds and then go out late in the round outscore players who hold for the perfect big meld.

Glossary

• Loba: The Argentine rummy game. 'Loba' means 'she-wolf' in Spanish; folk etymology says the game is a 'hunt' for melds.
• Loba de Menos: The negative (knockout) form; penalty-minimisation. The default household Loba.
• Loba de Mas: The positive (score-build) form; meld-maximisation.
• Pierna ('leg'): Three cards of the same rank in three different suits. Cannot use Jokers.
• Escalera ('ladder'): Three or more cards of the same suit in consecutive rank order. May use Jokers as wild cards.
• Joker: Wild card substituting in escaleras only (not piernas).
• Go out: Empty your hand by discarding your last card at the end of your turn; earns zero penalty and ends the round.
• Reenganche ('re-hook'): Buying back into the match after elimination; maximum two re-buys per player.
• Stock: The face-down draw pile.
• Discard pile: The face-up pile built by each player's end-of-turn discard; only the top card is drawable.
• Contrato: The contract (required meld pattern) in the Loba Contrato variant.