How to play LaRevolt
LaRevolt is a shedding game: everyone tries to get rid of their cards first. You play sets of equal cards, each one higher than the last, until nobody can or wants to beat the table. Then the last player starts fresh. One rule turns everything around: three 3s start a Revolution, and the weakest cards become the strongest.
The goal
Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Your turn
Play one, two, three, or four cards of the same number, like one Jack, two Jacks, or three Jacks.
The next player must play the same number of cards, but higher, or pass. For example, two Jacks can be beaten by two Queens.
If everyone passes, the last player to play starts fresh and can put down anything.
Card order: 2 is the lowest, the Joker is the highest.
The Revolution
Play three 3’s, and the card order flips for the rest of the game: 2’s become the best cards, and Jokers the worst.
Turns and passing
- Passing doesn’t take you out. You can play again on your next turn.
- Cards must be strictly higher; equal cards don’t count.
- You can break up sets, for example play a pair from three Kings.
- Jokers are not wild. They’re simply the highest card.
More about the Revolution
- Three 3’s can only be played when you start fresh, or on top of three 2’s.
- It can happen only once per game, and it can’t be undone.
- Four 3’s count as a normal four of a kind and don’t start a Revolution.
- Every new game starts with the normal order again.
Finishing
- When you play your last cards, you finish in the next place: 1st, 2nd, and so on.
- If everyone passes on a player’s last cards, the next player after them starts fresh.
- The game ends when only one player still has cards. They finish last.
Between games: the card exchange
- 4 players: last place gives their 2 best cards to the winner, who gives back any 2 cards. 3rd place gives their best card to 2nd place, who gives back any 1 card.
- 3 players: last place gives their best card to the winner, who gives back any 1 card.
- You can’t give back the cards you just received.
- Instead of choosing the cards to give back, the player giving back can offer up to 4 cards and let the other player pick.
- The last-place player starts the next game.
Dealing and matches
- All 54 cards (including 2 Jokers) are dealt. With 4 players, two players get one extra card.
- A match is won by the first player to reach the chosen number of game wins (3, 5, 7, or 9).
A round, step by step
Here is how one round can go in a 4-player game. Ana starts fresh, so she can play anything.
- Ana plays a pair of 6s. Every following play must be a pair too.
- Ben beats it with a pair of 9s.
- Chloe has no higher pair she wants to spend, so she passes. Passing doesn't take her out of the round.
- You play a pair of Queens.
- Ana, Ben and Chloe all pass. Nobody beat your Queens, so you start fresh and can play anything: a single, a pair, a triple or four of a kind.
Equal cards never beat each other: a pair of 9s can't be answered with another pair of 9s. And a single card only ever answers a single: four Kings can't stop a lone Ace.
The Revolution, in practice
Normally the order runs from 2 (lowest) to Ace and then Joker (highest). Three 3s flip it for the rest of the game: the 2 becomes the strongest card and the Joker the weakest. A deck has only four 3s, so a Revolution can happen just once per game. You can start one when you play fresh, or on top of three 2s.
It changes the whole game. A hand full of low cards suddenly wins every round, and the player sitting on Aces and Jokers is in trouble. When to start a Revolution, and when to keep your three 3s as your very last play, is one of the big decisions in LaRevolt. Some tips are on the strategy page.
Common questions
Are Jokers wild?
No. A Joker is simply the highest card (the lowest during a Revolution). Two Jokers make a pair, the strongest pair in the game.
Can I break up a set?
Yes. You can play one card of a pair, or two cards from three Kings. Whether you should is another matter.
What if I play four 3s?
That's an ordinary four of a kind. Only exactly three 3s start the Revolution.
Who starts each game?
A random player starts the first game of a match. After that, the player who finished last starts.
Do I need an account?
No. Solo games against bots work right away, even offline. Online play uses a free guest account, created for you; signing in with Google keeps your progress on every device.
Is it really free?
Yes. LaRevolt has no purchases. The points you win are for fun and for entering online tournaments; they have no money value.