When I first read the directions on how to play Dry Jack, I thought it would be a great game for younger kids but that my family wouldn’t find it stimulating enough. To say that I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. It turns out that it is more competitive and strategic that I thought and we’re hooked.
Dry Jack is a game that can be played with two or more players of almost any age.
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What You Need for Dry Jack
You will need a deck or cards with the jokers removed. You will also need a pen and paper for keeping score. If you are playing with more than four players, you will need two decks.
If you need some new cards, check out the selection here; Canadians here. We think the Crazy Chicken Lady ones are fun looking!
How to Play Dry Jack
First, choose a player to be the first dealer.
The dealer then deals six cards to each player. Next, she places four cards in the middle of the playing area face up.
The player to the dealer’s left goes first. He will choose a card from his hand to place on one of the centre piles.
If the card he plays matches the card he put it on in rank, then he collects the pile and puts it to the side. If the card he plays does not match, the turn moves to the next player.
When a player makes a match with a pile that only has one card, then it is said to be a “dry trick”. The player collects the card and scores 10 points.
Jacks are wild and can be placed on any pile during your turn.
When a play takes a pile, then the next player has to play a card into the empty space, regardless of what cards are in his hand. Meaning that if he has a matching card for a pile, he will have to wait for his next turn and hope the pile will still show a match for his card. He must fill the empty space first.
When all players have played all of the cards in their hands, then the dealer deals a new hand to everyone and play continues with the piles that are in the center.
When there is not enough cards in the stock pile for each player to have a hand of six cards, the game, or round is over.
Scoring
The scoring of Dry Jack takes a little longer but is worth it. To start, the player who collected the most cards wins 5 points. The player with the most hearts scores 5 points. For each jack a player has, they score one point for each. The ace of spades and the 10 of spaces are worth 2 points each. These scores are added to the points collected for dry tricks.
Summary of points:
Most cards = 5 points
Most Hearts = 5 points
Each Jack = 1 point each
Ace of spades = 2 points
10 of spades = 2 points
Add to points for Dry Jacks
Winning Dry Jack
The player at the end of round with the most points wins. For a longer game, you can decide on a number of rounds and the player with the most points at the end of those rounds is the winner.
Is Dry Jacks your new favorite game?
As I said in the beginning, we didn’t think going into this simple-game-play game that it would be for us. But it has surprising strategy to it and a competiveness that wants us to play again and again.
If you’re looking for more easy to play card games check out King’s Market, Hockey Card game, and Frogs in the Pond. Visit our Family Game Shelf Shop for lots of seasonal and original games like our Whacky Putt—indoor dice mini golf!
And if you need some new cards, check out the fun ones here. Canadians can shop here.
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