Everyone likes a bargain. And it's all too easy to find oneself in a buying frenzy. But there's not always a use for all the junk one collects, because in the end only the true values count.

However, each person must decide for himself which items are a bargain and which are junk. Of course it only gets harder when others are looking for the same bargain!

Components

• 108 bargain cards in 6 colors
• 2 super-special offers
• Rulebook

Object of the Game

With the cards that you receive, you play a trick taking game.

Which color is trump (if there is a trump at all) is only set during the course of each trick, changing from one trick to the next.

Players try to collect cards of the value that they have selected; that is their bargain for the round. All other items may hurt, because each other card may bring you a negative score.

After all tricks of a round are played through, you can part with one type of junk so as to reduce your negative score. Simultaneously, you can select a new bargain for the next round. A new trick round starts with the remaining cards.

Whoever collects the most bargains and least junk during the game wins.

Game Play

With 3 players there will be 6 rounds; with 4 players, 4 rounds.

Before the first round, you draw lots to be the first dealer. In subsequent rounds, the deal passes clockwise. The dealer shuffles and deals each player eight cards face down.

The remaining cards are put aside. They are only used in future rounds. Everyone takes their cards and sorts them.

Preliminary

The preliminary action is only performed in the first round. In turn, each player discloses one card from their hand and forms their bargain pile with it.

This way each player shows which bargain they would like to collect in the following trick taking game. The eldest hand (player left of the dealer) selects first, and the other players follow

clockwise. Players can choose a bargain that another player has already chosen. However, it becomes more difficult for both players to then find their bargain.

When a player wins a trick containing their selected bargain, they immediately put it on their bargain pile. Each of these cards is worth one point (without regard to the value).

All other cards won in a trick are at first worthless. They are put face down beside the bargain pile and form the odds and ends stack. Each card in this stack will count minus one point in the end (also without regard to the value).

You can, however, clear part of the odds and ends after each trick taking turn; with some luck and tactics, you may even transform odds and ends into bargains and thus turn negatives into positives.

The Trick Taking Game

The player to the left of the dealer leads a card. The players each play one card in turn to the trick.

• The color of the first card must be followed (ex. Super special offer).

• If you don't have a card of the color led, then you may play a card of another color. You must immediately announce whether this color is trump or not. In each trick, there can be only one trump color.

• Whoever has played the highest card in the trick wins. In a trick without trump, that is the highest card in the color led; in a trick with trump, the highest trump.

• The winner of the trick leads to the next trick.

Each card appears twice in the deck. If you play a card that is already present in the trick, you decide when playing whether your card is higher or lower than the previously played card.

The super special offer card is the highest trump. It may be played even if you have a card in the color lead. The first super special offer card played is higher than the second.

Examples:

Anke leads a green 2. Green must be followed and cannot be the trump color. Bert and Chris each have green cards, and therefore must follow with them.

Bert plays a green 7. Chris would like to like to win the trick, but can't trump. As it is his highest green card, he also has a 7; he plays it and explains that it is higher than the first 7.

Doris has no green cards. She plays a yellow 6. Because she would not like to win the trick, she proclaims that yellow is not trump. Chris wins the trick.

Anke leads a yellow 4. Bert would like to have the 4 and cannot follow. He plays the blue 9 and explains that blue is the trump color.

Chris would also like the trick, however he has yellow cards in his hand and has to follow the lead. However, he also has a super special offer, which he now plays as the highest trump.

Doris uses the opportunity in order to get rid of her super special offer. Chris wins the trick, because the first of these two cards is higher than the second.

Anke leads a blue 5. Bert has no blue, and would like to win the trick, so he plays a red 3 and explains that red is the trump color.

Chris would also like to have the trick and has no blue cards, but also has no red cards. He plays a yellow 9 and gets annoyed, because he cannot proclaim yellow the trump color, since trump is already red.

Doris would not like the trick, but has only red cards (trump) in her hand. She plays the red 3 and explains that it is lower than the red 3 from Bert. Bert wins the trick.

If you have won a trick, you immediately look to see whether you have won one or more of your chosen bargain.

If yes, you place these on your bargain pile; all other cards (including the super special offers) are placed upon your odds and ends stack face down.

The trick taking game ends for that round when all cards have been played. Now, you move on to clearing.

Clearing

Sort all cards in your odds and ends stack. Starting with the player who won the last trick, each player may discard all of their cards of a single value to the trash heap. You may, however, be able to create bargains from odds and ends! Only the first:

• with 3 players, 3 cards of a value
• with 4 players, 2 cards of a value

are thrown on the trash heap. Any cards beyond these may be added onto your bargain pile. In this way, minuses turn into points. Simultaneously, you have set a new bargain for yourself for the next round. The old bargain is applied to you no longer.

Examples:

A four player game. Anke has collected the 6 bargain in the first round. She has won three tricks and has received her bargain with twice. Now she has the following cards in her odds and ends stack: 1-3-3-3- 3-4-4-5-7-9.

She throws two 3s on the trash heap, then puts other 3 on her bargain pile. She is now no longer on the hunt for 6s but after 3s.

Two 4s are in Anke's odds and ends stacks. The other players don't know this of course. If she should receive in the next trick taking round more 4s, she can switch to a new bargain when the next clearing arrives.

Several players may choose to get rid of the save value card during clearing. Super special offers can never be cleared, and must be kept through the final scoring. Players may throw sets of any size, even if not large enough to change your bargain card. They can even give up throwing off cards completely.

Starting the Next Round

The next dealer collects the cards from the trash heap and shuffles them, placing them under the remaining cards. Then he distributes the cards and the next round begins.

If there are not sufficient cards to deal eight to each player, as many cards as possible are dealt such that every player receives the same number of cards.

New Round - New Bargain

If you have chosen a new bargain during the clearing round, cards with your former bargain will now be added to your odds and ends stack.

You can no longer place them on your bargain pile, because only the uppermost card of the stack determines which cards you can put on your bargain pile during the trick round.

Example:

Anke had collected the 6 bargain in the first trick taking round. When clearing, she has changed to the 3 bargain.

If she now wins a trick with the cards 2-3-6-8, she can place the 3 on the bargain pile, while the 6 goes with the 2 and the 8 on her odds and ends stack.

End of the Game

The game ends after the stipulated number of rounds. In the last round, players may clear twice. Everyone may choose two values to discard and possibly use to add to their bargain pile.

Of course this time everyone chooses the values for which they have the most cards. The minimum (three or two cards) go on the trash heap, while the remaining cards of this value go on the bargain pile. Everyone counts the cards their two stacks.

Each bargain card counts one point, while each odds and ends card subtracts one point. Whoever has the most points wins.

Tips

Decide early on which values you would like to change you into a bargain. Otherwise, it can occur that you have many cards in several values that you will unable to completely clear, hurting your score.

Even if you win no tricks in the first round, you still can win the game. Concentrate on giving other players odds and ends so as to hurt their scores.

It is helpful to know which values a player collected previously, as they will usually have fewer of these in their odds and ends stack.

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