DOUBLEDUCK

A partnership version of Duck Soup

Players 4 Marx Brothers Cards 104 Type Tricks

Down

This is a four-player partnership version of my two-handed game Duck Soup, which, to my great surprise and delight, continues to attract fan mail

Cards

Use two 52-card packs shuffled together. Cards rank as normal, except that Ace counts low in the first half (KQJ1098765432A) and high in the second (AKQJ1098765432).

Deal

The turn to deal and play passes to the left. Deal 13 cards each, one at a time, and stack the rest face down to form a stock. In the first course (Duck), each player, after playing to a trick, draws the top card of stock to restore their hand to thirteen. The second course (Soup) begins when the stock is empty.

Object

To win tricks, especially tricks containing cards of different soups. (Sorry - suits). It's more profitable to win a middling number of tricks in both courses than many in one course and few in the other.

Play (Duck course)

The player at dealer's left leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads to the next. There is no need to follow suit and there is no trump suit. The trick is taken by...

The exact duplicate of the card led (provided its player remembers to call "Doubleduck!").
Or, failing that:
The last-played card of the same rank as the one led (provided its player calls "Quack", or "Quack-quack", or "Quack-quack-quack", as the case may be, with one quack per duplicate).
Or, failing that:
The lowest card of the suit led in the first half of the game (Duck), or the highest in the second half (Soup). In case of equality, the second-played best card beats the first.

Remember: Ace counts lowest in the Duck course and highest in the Soup.

The winner of a trick extracts from it any one card of each suit played, places it face down on a winnings pile for his side, and discards the others to a waste-pile common to both sides.

There is no need to keep tricks separate, since all that counts is the number of cards won per trick, which will be 1, 2, 3 or 4.

Each player in turn, starting with the trick-winner, then draws the top card of stock and adds it to their hand before the winner leads to the next trick.

Play (Soup course)

The Soup course begins when 13 tricks have been played and no more cards remain in stock. It is played in exactly the same way as the Duck course, except that -

the trick is taken by the highest card of the same suit as the one led, unless somebody quacks or doubleducks,
Aces are high instead of low, and
the cards won by each side are stored by the partner of whoever stored those of the Duck course.

Score

Each side's final score for the whole deal is the number of won cards stored by one partner multiplied by the number stored by the other. For example, if one partner has stored 14 cards from the Duck course and the other 19 from the Soup course, their side's score will be 266.

Game

Each player deals in turn and a game is either four deals or 1000 points, whichever is reached first. The winning side scores 1 game point, or 2 if they reached 1000 and their opponents did not. In the latter case, they also score an additional game point for each deal left unplayed, making a possible maximum of 5 if they win on the first deal alone.

Notes and examples

Although a doubleduck always wins the trick, it may not be worth much. For example, if the cards played are

6, the second 3 wins a trick worth only one point as it contains only one suit. Again, if you are playing fourth to a trick consisting so far of

J-

J and you hold both

J and the other

J, a third quack with the diamond will score 4 as opposed to only 3 for doubleducking with the spade. The best reason for doubleducking is simply to secure a trick and the lead when you know or suspect your partner might otherwise lose it.

	© 2009 by David Parlett
Site map	More games	Up page

	Original card games by David Parlett
Index	DOUBLEDUCK A partnership version of Duck Soup Players 4 Marx Brothers Cards 104 Type Tricks	Down
	This is a four-player partnership version of my two-handed game Duck Soup, which, to my great surprise and delight, continues to attract fan mail
	Cards Use two 52-card packs shuffled together. Cards rank as normal, except that Ace counts low in the first half (KQJ1098765432A) and high in the second (AKQJ1098765432). Deal The turn to deal and play passes to the left. Deal 13 cards each, one at a time, and stack the rest face down to form a stock. In the first course (Duck), each player, after playing to a trick, draws the top card of stock to restore their hand to thirteen. The second course (Soup) begins when the stock is empty. Object To win tricks, especially tricks containing cards of different soups. (Sorry - suits). It's more profitable to win a middling number of tricks in both courses than many in one course and few in the other. Play (Duck course) The player at dealer's left leads to the first trick and the winner of each trick leads to the next. There is no need to follow suit and there is no trump suit. The trick is taken by... The exact duplicate of the card led (provided its player remembers to call "Doubleduck!"). Or, failing that: The last-played card of the same rank as the one led (provided its player calls "Quack", or "Quack-quack", or "Quack-quack-quack", as the case may be, with one quack per duplicate). Or, failing that: The lowest card of the suit led in the first half of the game (Duck), or the highest in the second half (Soup). In case of equality, the second-played best card beats the first. Remember: Ace counts lowest in the Duck course and highest in the Soup. The winner of a trick extracts from it any one card of each suit played, places it face down on a winnings pile for his side, and discards the others to a waste-pile common to both sides. There is no need to keep tricks separate, since all that counts is the number of cards won per trick, which will be 1, 2, 3 or 4. Each player in turn, starting with the trick-winner, then draws the top card of stock and adds it to their hand before the winner leads to the next trick. Play (Soup course) The Soup course begins when 13 tricks have been played and no more cards remain in stock. It is played in exactly the same way as the Duck course, except that - the trick is taken by the highest card of the same suit as the one led, unless somebody quacks or doubleducks, Aces are high instead of low, and the cards won by each side are stored by the partner of whoever stored those of the Duck course. Score Each side's final score for the whole deal is the number of won cards stored by one partner multiplied by the number stored by the other. For example, if one partner has stored 14 cards from the Duck course and the other 19 from the Soup course, their side's score will be 266. Game Each player deals in turn and a game is either four deals or 1000 points, whichever is reached first. The winning side scores 1 game point, or 2 if they reached 1000 and their opponents did not. In the latter case, they also score an additional game point for each deal left unplayed, making a possible maximum of 5 if they win on the first deal alone. Notes and examples Although a doubleduck always wins the trick, it may not be worth much. For example, if the cards played are 3-3-8-6, the second 3 wins a trick worth only one point as it contains only one suit. Again, if you are playing fourth to a trick consisting so far of J-J-J and you hold both J and the other J, a third quack with the diamond will score 4 as opposed to only 3 for doubleducking with the spade. The best reason for doubleducking is simply to secure a trick and the lead when you know or suspect your partner might otherwise lose it.