Mau-Mau

Objective: The main goal of Mau-Mau is to discard all of your hand cards. The first player to have no cards left wins the round.

Setup

Number of Players: 2 to 5 players
Materials Needed: A standard 52-card deck. With 5 or more players, it is advisable to add a second deck.

Dealing: At the start, each player is dealt five cards (alternatively, six cards). The remaining cards form a face-down draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over to start the discard pile.
Direction of Play: The player to the dealer's left begins, and play proceeds clockwise.
Playing Cards:
- A player can place a card on the discard pile if it matches either the rank (e.g., Ace, King) or the suit (Clubs, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds) of the top card of the discard pile.
- If a player has no matching card, they must draw a card from the draw pile. If the drawn card can be played, it can be placed immediately.
Special Cards:
- 7: The next player must draw two cards. Alternatively, this player can play another 7 to increase the draw penalty by two, making the next player draw four cards, and so forth.
- 8: The next player is skipped.
- Jack: A Jack allows the player to choose the suit, regardless of the previously played card.
Calling "Mau": When a player has only one card left, they must call "Mau". If they forget and another player notices, the player must draw two penalty cards.
End of the Game:
The round ends when a player has discarded their last card and calls "Mau-Mau".
The winner may collect points based on the total card values of the remaining player hands (in some variants). High cards might be worth more points, with Jacks often having the highest value.

Playing strong special cards early can be advantageous to put opponents under pressure.
It can be wise to save an "escape card" like a Jack or 8 for the final move to ensure flexibility.

Any questions about the game? It’s a simple, fast-paced game perfect for casual play and room for house rules.