How to Play

Pesten is the Dutch national family card game, a shedding-style cousin of Crazy Eights and Mau-Mau. Players race to empty their hands while pestering opponents with draw-penalty 2s, skip-the-next 8s, reverse Aces, and the dreaded Joker that forces a five-card draw.

Pesten is the Dutch cousin of Crazy Eights and Mau-Mau, learned by virtually every Dutch child and played at every family table and youth camp in the Netherlands. Its name means 'to pester', reflecting the game's joy in inflicting draw-penalties, skipped turns, and direction-reversals on opponents just as they are closing in on victory. A standard 52-card pack plus two jokers is all the equipment you need, and a hand lasts about ten minutes.

Players

Pesten works for 2 to 8 players, best with 3 to 6. Everyone plays for themselves; there are no partnerships. Play proceeds clockwise, unless a direction-reversal card swings it the other way.

Card Deck

• Use one standard 52-card deck plus two jokers (54 cards). With 6+ players, use two decks shuffled together for more cards and more pestering opportunities.
• Suits and ranks play their normal role, but several ranks carry special 'pesten' (pester) effects (see Special Cards).
• Remove jokers from the deck if playing a gentler family version; the game still works fine as pure Crazy Eights.

Objective

Be the first player to play all the cards out of your hand. That's it. The winner of each deal traditionally scores nothing; the losers total the penalty value of the cards left in their hand and a running tally is kept, with low total winning a series (see Scoring).

Setup and Deal

1. Choose dealer by any fair method; deal passes clockwise after each hand.
2. Shuffle and deal seven cards to each player, clockwise. (Some families deal five for a quicker game; agree before play.)
3. Place the rest of the deck face-down in the centre as the draw pile.
4. Turn the top card face-up next to the draw pile to start the discard pile. If this first turned-up card is an action card (a 2, 7, 8, Jack, Ace, or Joker), it takes no effect; play begins as though it were a plain card.2♠7♠8♠J♠
5. The player to the dealer's left plays first.

On Your Turn

1. Play one card from your hand onto the discard pile. It must match the top card by suit or by rank (or be a Joker, which matches anything).
2. If you cannot play: draw one card from the draw pile. If the drawn card is playable, you may play it immediately; otherwise your turn ends.
3. If the draw pile is empty: set aside the top card of the discard pile as the new 'top', shuffle all the other discards face-down to form a new draw pile, and continue.
4. Last card: When you play a card that leaves exactly one card in your hand, you must announce 'Laatste kaart!' (Last card) before the next player acts. Forget, and any opponent may call you out; you then draw two cards as a penalty.
5. You cannot finish on an action card. Your very last card played to empty your hand must be a plain (non-action) card; otherwise you must draw a card and play continues.

Special Cards (Action Cards)

• 2 (any suit): The next player must draw two cards and miss their turn, unless they can play another 2. Multiple 2s stack: each player either plays another 2 or draws the cumulative total and skips.2♠2♥2♦2♣
• 7 (any suit): You may immediately play another card from your hand (another turn). Playing a second 7 grants yet another turn.7♠
• 8 (any suit): The next player's turn is skipped.8♠
• Jack (any suit): The playing player nominates a new suit that the next player must match. (The Jack itself must still match the current top by suit or rank to be played.)J♠
• Ace (any suit): Reverses the direction of play (clockwise becomes anti-clockwise, or vice-versa). In a two-player game this effectively gives you another turn.A♠
• Joker: May be played on any card regardless of suit or rank. Next player must draw five cards and miss their turn, unless they can play another Joker (in which case the penalty doubles and passes along). [★]
• Some houses add the King as a Joker-lite (next player draws one card and plays on); agree before the first hand.

Winning and Scoring

• Winning the hand: First player to empty their hand wins the deal.
• Losers tally cards in hand: Aces = 15 penalty points; Jokers = 20; face cards (J, Q, K) = 10; number cards = their face value.
• Running score: Add penalties to a running total. In a series, first player to exceed a preset limit (say, 100 penalty points) is eliminated, or the lowest total after an agreed number of hands wins.
• Casual play: Simply declare each deal's winner without a running score. This is the most common form at Dutch family tables.

Common Variations

• Family Pesten: Removes Jokers; lowers the draw-five penalty to draw-three; pesticides are mild. A typical family-with-children version.
• Hard Pesten: Adds a 4 (next player skips two turns), a 5 (all opponents draw one), or changes the King to 'reverse + skip'. Invented at Dutch university fraternities.
• Speed Pesten: No turn order; any player may play a valid card at any moment. Becomes a table-slapping free-for-all.
• Tournament Pesten: Elimination tournament with fixed action-card rules as above and a knockout bracket; reaches the final two in a scoring shootout.
• Cumulative Pesten: All penalty cards stack. A 2 drawing 2, followed by a Joker, followed by a 2 means the next non-countering player draws 2 + 5 + 2 = 9 cards.

Tips and Strategy

• Watch the suit distribution in your hand. If you hold many hearts, playing a Jack and nominating hearts forces opponents to match your strong suit.
• Hold one counter-2. If you suspect an opponent holds a 2, keeping your own 2 in reserve avoids the forced-draw-two.
• Use 7s at the right moment. A 7 lets you chain into an action card; saving two 7s for the penultimate trick can unload four cards in a single turn.
• Do not forget Laatste kaart. Forgetting to announce Last Card is how most almost-winners give the game back.
• Track opponents' draws. Each card an opponent draws adds to their penalty total; if you are ahead on hand-size, prolonging the deal with Jacks may be worth it.
• In two-handed play, an Ace reverses the direction but with only two players, it effectively means 'take another turn'; save Aces for punishing moments.

Glossary

• Pesten: Literally 'to pester'; the verb used for inflicting an action card on an opponent.
• Laatste kaart!: 'Last card!'; the mandatory announcement when your hand drops to one card.
• Gepest worden: 'Being pestered'; having a 2, Joker, or 8 played on you.
• Draw pile / Trekstapel: The face-down stock from which cards are drawn.
• Discard pile / Aflegstapel: The face-up pile to which cards are played.
• Stacking / Opleggen: Playing an action card of the same rank onto a previous action card to pass the penalty forward and compound it.