Folk game
Vendetta
- Players
- 2–6
- Duration
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- 1/3
- Deck
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
Chapter 1 of 4
How to set up
A game of pure luck for 2-6 players with the 40-card deck. The dealer turns one card to each player, and whoever is dealt the queen of hearts loses a life. An ace, a 2 or a 3 lets you choose who gets the next cards. The last player with a life left wins.
Objective
Avoid the Q♥. Everyone starts with three lives: whoever is dealt the Q♥ loses one and the round ends. A, 2 and 3 are revenge: whoever gets one decides who receives the next cards. Whoever loses all their lives is out, and the last player with at least one life left wins.
Setup
- Deck
- 40 cards: remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers
- The dealer Choose a dealer, who shuffles and holds the deck face down. The dealer plays too and is dealt cards like the others.
- Who starts The first round starts with the player to the dealer's left.
Everyone starts with three lives. Three is few enough to remember, or note them on a phone.
Variants to agree on first
- With a stake: everyone puts a small sum in the pot for each life, for example one euro, and the last player standing takes it all. It is the same structure as Cucù, another three-life game.
- 52-card deck: with many players keep the 8, 9 and 10 as well, so the round lasts longer.
- Mechanics
Chapter 2 of 4
How to play
- The round The dealer turns the top card of the deck face up in front of the player whose turn it is, then the next card to the player on their left, and so on clockwise. Turned cards are no longer needed and go onto a pile.
- Revenge Whoever is dealt an A, a 2 or a 3 decides who gets the next 1, 2 or 3 cards: one or more players still in the game, themselves included, split however they like. They name the players first, in order, and the dealer turns the cards in that order.
- Revenge interrupted If someone is dealt an A, a 2 or a 3 during a revenge, the current revenge stops there: its remaining cards are not turned, and the revenge of whoever got the new card starts at once.
- Back to the round When a revenge is over, dealing resumes with the player to the left of the last player who received a card.
- The Q♥ Whoever is dealt the Q♥, in the round or in a revenge, loses a life and the round ends at once.
- The next round Shuffle all 40 cards again; the first card goes to whoever just lost a life. A player who lost their last life is out and gets no more cards: if they were due to start, the player to their left starts.
- The end The last player with at least one life left wins.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send revenge cards to myself?
Yes. You can split them however you like among one or more players still in the game, yourself included.
I am dealt an A, a 2 or a 3 during someone else's revenge. What happens?
Their revenge stops there and their remaining cards are not turned. Yours starts at once.
Does the dealer play?
Yes. The dealer is dealt cards like everyone else and can lose lives.
Can the deck run out?
No. The Q♥ is always in the deck, so the round ends first.
Chapter 3 of 4
An example hand
The start
Anna, Bruno, Carla and Dario sit in this order, clockwise. Dario deals and plays too, so the first round starts with Anna.
Tips
- The more cards are already out, the closer the Q♥ probably is: a revenge late in the deck matters far more than one at the start.
- Sending every card to one player puts all the risk on them; splitting the cards spreads it out. Choose based on who you want to knock out.
- Sending yourself a card makes sense while the deck is still full: the risk is low, and if an A, a 2 or a 3 comes up the revenge passes to you.
Chapter 4 of 4
Table summary
- 2–6 players
- 10 min
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
In short
- 40-card deck, three lives each.
- The dealer turns one card face up to each player, clockwise. The dealer plays too.
- Whoever is dealt the Q♥ loses a life and the round ends.
- The last player with a life left wins.
Revenge
- Dealt an A, a 2 or a 3: decide who gets the next 1, 2 or 3 cards, yourself included, split as you like.
- An A, 2 or 3 comes up during a revenge: that revenge stops and the new one starts.
- After a revenge, dealing resumes to the left of the last player who received a card.
Next round
- Shuffle the 40 cards; the first goes to whoever lost the life.
- A player with no lives left is out: if it was their turn to start, the player to their left starts.
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