How to Play the Rockaway Card Game

We have a new, easy to learn card game for you today: Rockaway. At first, I thought this game would be great for younger kids (and it is) but that it might not to right for our family with teenagers. I was wrong. Rockaway is a great game for players of all ages and it makes a great light game.

I seem to be surprised by games all the time, like with Play or Pay, Dry Jack and Crazy Fish.

Like some of those games, Rockaway is best played with more players, but we have a twist that makes it enjoyable as a two or three player game too.

Let’s get into the rules, how to play and how to win the Rockaway card game!

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What you Need for the Rockaway Card Game

When playing with five or fewer players, you will need a standard deck of cards with the jokers removed. When you have more than five players, you’ll need two decks.

If you need some new cards, shop here; Canadians, here.

How to Play Rockaway

To start, deal each player 7 cards. Once the cards have been dealt, flip over the top card of the deck and place it in the middle. The deck now becomes the draw pile.

On your turn, you must match the top card to the discard pile with either a card that matches the suit or the rank. An ace may be played at any time and it changes the suit that is in play.

If you are not able to play, or don’t wish to play, then you must draw cards and add them to your hand until you can play.

If the draw pile is empty and a player can’t play, their turn is skipped.

When a player sheds their last card, the round is over and you move on to scoring. Similarly, if no player can play and the draw pile is empty, the round comes to an end.

Scoring

To score, players add up the cards left tin their hands. Aces are worth 15 points each, the face cards are worth 10 points each and the rest of the cards are worth their face values.

For the second round, the dealer job is passed clock wise to the next player. The second round and all other rounds are played the same.

Winning Rockaway

The game is played with everyone player having a turn to deal once. When all players have had a chance to deal, the player with the least amount of points is the winner.

Rockaway for Two Players

To play with two or three players, we have changed the rules to play until 100 or 500 points. The game is played the same, but playing to a score value adds a depth to the game that is missing when playing with few people.

All in Fun

The Rockaway card game is a great game of r a group of players of all ages. It’s easy enough for the youngest players but engaging enough for older players too.

For more card games with a similar feel, check out Go Boom, Play or Pay and Fe Fi Fo Fum. And for tons of fun check out our Family Game Shelf shop where you’ll find seasonal and original games like our mini gold dice game Whacky Putt and our line of escape rooms for kids. There’s something for everyone.