Classic
Black Peter
- Players
- 2–8
- Duration
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- 1/3
- Deck
- 52-card deck
Chapter 1 of 4
How to set up
A pairing game for 2-8 players with the 52-card deck minus the jack of clubs. In turn you draw a face-down card from your neighbor's hand and lay down pairs, and whoever is left holding the jack of spades, Black Peter, loses.
Objective
Run out of cards before the others and, above all, do not get stuck with the J♠. In turn, each player draws a face-down card from a neighbor's hand and lays down the pairs it makes. The J♠ is the only card without a partner: whoever holds it once every pair is down is Black Peter and loses.
Setup
- Deck
- 51 cards: remove the jack of clubs
- In hand
- the whole deck, one card at a time
- The cards The dealer shuffles and deals out every card face down, one at a time clockwise, starting with the player on their left. It does not matter if someone gets one more.
- The first pairs Everyone looks at their cards without showing them and lays down, face up in front of them, every pair they hold. Standing up, show them to the others and put them away, even in a pocket: pairs are never counted.
A pair is two cards of the same rank and the same color: hearts with diamonds, spades with clubs. The 7♥ goes with the 7♦, the K♠ with the K♣. Without the J♣, the J♠ has no partner: it is Black Peter.
Variants to agree on first
- Rank only. Still remove the J♣, but any two cards of the same rank make a pair, whatever the color. If you hold three of the same rank, you can still lay down only two and must keep the third until it is paired. This is how many Italian tables play.
- Hidden Black Peter. Instead of the J♣, remove a random card, face down, without looking at it. Whoever is left with its partner loses, and nobody knows which card that is until the end.
- With a joker. Play all 52 cards plus one joker, and Black Peter is the ★.
- Reversed. Play the same way, but whoever is left with the J♠ wins the hand, not the first player out.
- Several hands. Play a number of hands agreed before you start, and each hand's Black Peter takes a penalty point. The deal passes to the player on the left each time. At the end, whoever has the most loses.
Chapter 2 of 4
How to play
- Offer The dealer fans out their cards, face down, toward the player on their left. If the dealer has no cards left already, the first player on their left who has some offers instead.
- Draw That player draws one card without seeing it. If it pairs with one of theirs, they lay the pair down at once, face up in front of them; otherwise they keep it in hand.
- Pass it on Then they fan out their own cards toward the player on their left, who draws in turn, and so on clockwise.
- Out of cards A player who lays down their last card, or has it drawn, is safe and leaves the hand; so does a player who runs out with the first pairs. The turn skips them: the player on their left draws from the first player to their own right who still has cards.
- The end Once every pair is down, only the J♠ is left in play: whoever holds it is Black Peter and loses the hand. The first player to run out of cards wins it; if several players run out together, they win jointly.
Frequently asked questions
Do the 7♥ and the 7♠ make a pair?
Not here. A pair needs the same rank and the same color, so the 7♥ goes with the 7♦ and the 7♠ with the 7♣. This is the rule of the French Pouilleux; many Italian tables only look at the rank (Rank only variant).
What does a player with no cards left do?
They are safe and sit out the rest of the hand. The turn skips them, and the player on their left draws from the first player to their own right who still has cards.
Can two people play?
Yes, it plays from 2 to 8. With two, each of you always knows who has the J♠, but not where it sits in the fan.
Chapter 3 of 4
An example hand
The start
Anna, Bruno and Carla play, seated in that order clockwise. Carla deals the 51 cards, 17 each.
Tips
- When you hold the J♠, offer the fan as you always do: a glance at the card or a fan arranged on purpose gives away where it is.
- Whoever draws the J♠ from you knows it, and so do you: follow the J♠ from hand to hand.
Chapter 4 of 4
Table summary
- 2–8 players
- 10 min
- 52-card deck
In short
- 52-card deck minus the J♣, all dealt out.
- Pair: same rank and same color, hearts with diamonds and spades with clubs.
- Whoever is left with the J♠, Black Peter, loses.
The turn
- First, everyone lays down the pairs in their hand.
- The dealer fans their cards face down toward the left, and the neighbor draws one.
- If it makes a pair, lay it down; then the drawer fans their cards toward the left.
- A player who runs out of cards is safe and the turn skips them.
- When only the J♠ is left, whoever holds it loses. The first player out wins.
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