How to Play Idiot
Idiot is a shedding game: the aim is to get rid of every card you hold. Nobody really "wins" a hand of Idiot. Instead, players drop out one by one as they run out of cards, and the last one still holding cards is declared the Idiot until the next deal. It is a game of quick turns, big swings and a lot of laughing, and it works just as well with grandchildren as with old friends. This page explains the rules step by step, exactly as our free online Idiot game plays them.
What You Need
- One ordinary deck of 52 cards, with the jokers taken out.
- Two to four players. (With five or more, many families shuffle two decks together.)
- About ten to fifteen minutes for a game.
The Order of the Cards
The 2 is the lowest card and the Ace is the highest. From low to high: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Suits do not matter at all in Idiot: a 9 of hearts and a 9 of clubs are exactly the same.
Two of those cards are special, and they are described below: the 2, which goes on anything and starts the pile again, and the 10, which goes on anything and burns the pile.
The Deal
Shuffle the deck. The dealer gives each player, one card at a time:
- Three cards face down in a row on the table in front of them. Nobody looks at these, not even their owner.
- Three cards face up, one on top of each face-down card, so everyone can see them.
- Three cards to the hand, which only the owner sees.
The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the stock. Next to it there is room for the pile, where the cards are played. The player on the dealer's left goes first.
The Swap
Before anyone plays, each player may swap cards between the hand and their face-up table cards. You can swap as many as you like, one for one, so you always end with three in your hand and three face up. Most players use the swap to put their strongest cards face up, because those cards are played near the end of the game when you no longer have a full hand to choose from. In our game you tap a hand card, then a face-up card, and they change places; tap Done Swapping when you are happy.
The face-down cards stay exactly where they are. They are a surprise for the end of the game.
Playing a Turn
On your turn you play one card onto the pile, or several cards of the same rank together. The card must be equal to or higher than the card on top of the pile. If the top card is an 8, you may play an 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King or Ace, and of course a 2. If the pile is empty, any card will do.
After you play from your hand, draw cards from the stock until you hold three again. If you already hold more than three (perhaps because you picked up the pile earlier), you do not draw. When the stock runs out, you simply stop drawing.
Playing several cards at once
If you hold two, three or even four cards of the same rank, you may play them together in one turn. Playing three 5s at once gets rid of three cards for the price of one turn. You do not have to play them all; you may keep one back if you like.
The Special Cards
| Card | When can it be played? | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | On anything | Starts the pile again: the next player may play any card at all. |
| 10 | On anything | Burns the pile. The whole pile is taken out of the game, and you play again on the empty table. |
| Four in a row | Whenever the top four cards are the same rank | Also burns the pile, and whoever played the fourth card plays again. |
Four in a row can come from one player or from several. If the pile shows 6, 6, 6 and you play the last 6, the pile burns and you play again. If you hold all four 6s and the pile allows a 6, playing them together burns the pile straight away.
When You Cannot Play
If none of your cards can go on the pile, you must pick up the whole pile and add it to your hand. Your turn ends, and the next player starts a fresh pile with any card they like. You may also pick up the pile when you could play, if you would rather keep your cards. Picking up is never fun, but a few extra cards can sometimes be useful later.
Your Table Cards
While you have cards in your hand, you play from your hand. Once your hand is empty and the stock is gone, you move on to your table cards:
- The face-up cards first. Play them just like hand cards: equal or higher, and equal ones together. If none of them fits, pick up the pile into your hand and carry on from your hand next turn.
- Then the face-down cards. On each turn, choose one and turn it over. If it fits, it is played. If it does not, it goes on the pile and you pick up the whole pile, that card included. Either way, your turn is over.
Getting Out, and the Idiot
When a player has no cards left anywhere (no hand, no face-up and no face-down cards), they are out and safe. The others keep playing. When only one player still holds cards, the game is over, and that player is the Idiot. There are no points to add up: the only score is how many times each player has been the Idiot. Our game keeps that tally for you while you play.
A Worked Example
Three players, You, Ruth and Frank, are well into a game. The stock is empty.
- The pile shows a 7. You hold 8, 8, Queen. You play both 8s together.
- Ruth holds 5, 9 and a 10. The 5 is too low. She could play the 9, but she has a big pile in front of her, so she plays the 10. The pile burns and Ruth plays again: on the empty table she plays her 5.
- Frank has an empty hand and face-up cards 4, King and King. The 5 is on top, so the 4 will not do. He plays both Kings together.
- You hold only your Queen. It cannot beat a King, so you pick up the pile (5, King, King).
- Ruth plays her 9 on the empty table and Frank, with only a 4 face up, cannot beat it and picks up the pile.
Notice how quickly things change. A moment ago Frank was two cards from safety; now he is back to a hand.
Questions That Come Up at the Table
Can I play a 2 or a 10 on an Ace?
Yes. Both special cards go on anything.
After a 2, can the next player play a 3?
Yes. A 2 starts the pile again, so any card at all may follow it.
Can I play my face-up cards before my hand is empty?
Not in our game. Hand first, then face up, then face down. (Some families let you add a matching face-up card when you play your last hand card; see the variations page.)
What if I burn the pile with my last card?
You are out and safe. The next player starts on the empty table.
Who goes first?
The player on the dealer's left. Some families let whoever holds the lowest card start instead.
Playing Online
In our game the big line in the middle of the table always says what may be played, for example Play a 9 or higher, a 2, or a 10, and the cards you can play are raised and outlined. The Hint button suggests a play, and the Why? button beside each computer play explains it. When you are ready to win more often, read the strategy guide. If you enjoy racing to empty your hand, try Crazy Eights or Thirteen too.