The Rules

Fast, fierce, and funny. Learn in minutes. Play for hours.

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OBJECTIVE

Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
The last player is the Donk → "EE-AW!"

COMPONENTS

53‑card deck:
  • 1 × Joker
  • 4 × Sweep
  • 4 × each number 1–12

SETUP

  • Shuffle and deal all cards face‑down clockwise.
  • First game: the player with the orange DONK! card begins and must play it — as a single or as part of a set (pairs, trips, or quads of the same value).
  • From the second game on: the Donk shuffles, deals, and starts with any card or set.

HOW A ROUND WORKS

  • Always play a higher value than what’s on top of the pile: singles on singles, sets on sets.
  • Can’t or don’t want to play? Say “Skip.” Place your cards facedown on the table and sit out until the pile is cleared.
  • If everyone has skipped, clear the pile. The last player who successfully played starts the next round.

CARD ORDER (high → low)

Joker › Sweep › 12, 11, 10 … 3, 2, 1


POWER CARDS

  • Joker — beats everything (including sets). Clears the pile and starts the new round.
  • Sweep — beats everything (including sets) except the Joker. Clears the pile and starts the new round. Cannot be your last card. If it is, you’re the Donk.

SHOUT WHEN YOU PLAY

  • 1 — DONK! → shout “Donk!”
  • 5 — LOWER! → shout “Lower!”; only the next player must play a value under 5 (doesn’t apply to Joker or Sweep).
If another player shouts before you do (and you should have), take back the card(s) you just played and your turn ends. You stay in the round, but the next player goes.

TITLES (finish order)

  • First: Rey / Reina — You rule!
  • Second: Príncipe / Princesa — So close!
  • Second‑last: Bufón — Oops.
  • Last: Donk — “EE-AW!”

CARD SWAP BEFORE THE NEXT GAME

  • Rey ↔ Donk: swap your two worst for the two best.
  • Príncipe ↔ Bufón: swap your one worst for the one best.

IMPORTANT: the Joker is never swapped.

Best cards: Sweep, 12, 11…
Worst cards: 1, 2, 3, etc.


THE FUN RULES

Spice it up with any (or all) of these.
  • The Donk: Whenever a DONK! card (the 1) is played, the Donk must shout “EE-AW!”. If the Donk plays it themselves, they shout “Donk!” then “EE-AW!”
  • The Street: 3+ consecutive numbers force the next number in the sequence. Ex. 6,7,8 forces a 9, etc.
  • Donk’s Delight: If someone is Donk 3 times in a row, no swapping between Donk and Rey/Reina this round.
  • The Jester: If your last card is the Joker, tell a joke before the next game.
  • Wealth Tax: If you’re dealt all four Sweeps, you must play them all on your first turn.
  • The Furnace: If a triple of 6s is played, everyone must immediately put all Sweeps from their hand onto the discard pile.

EXAMPLE ROUND

  • The player with the orange DONK! opens the first game with that card.
  • Next player plays a 4.
  • Next plays a 9.
  • A Sweep is played — it would clear the pile, but…
  • A Joker beats the Sweep and clears the pile; that player starts anew.
  • They play a 1 but forget to shout “Donk!”. Another player calls it first → the 1 goes back to their hand and their turn is paused.
  • Next play: pair of 7s.
  • Then: pair of 10s; the remaining players skip.
  • No one can beat it → the pair‑of‑10s player starts the next round.

QUICK GLOSSARY

  • Round: until the pile is cleared.
  • Pile: face‑up cards in the middle.
  • Skip: pass and sit out until the next round.
  • Set: pair, triple, quad.

SET REFERENCE

  • Pair → two of the same value

  • Triple → three of the same value

  • Quad → four of the same value