Sabai-Sabai Game Instructions

Game Objective

The objective of the game is to have fun and finish with the fewest points.
The player with the lowest score wins.
Points are calculated as the sum of the numbers on the cards.
A joker has a value of -4.

End of the Game

The game ends when:

• A player has discarded all their cards (reaching 0 points).
• Someone says “sabai-sabai” and taps the table twice to announce the final round.
All players take one last turn.

The starting player deals the cards for the new round.

Game Setup

Each player receives four face-down cards.
Two of these cards can be viewed and memorized once.
The game can be played with a minimum of two and a maximum of twelve players per deck.

Game Play

The game is played counterclockwise.
The player to the right of the dealer starts.
On their turn, the player draws a card from the deck and looks at it.
Then they choose between two options:

1. Keep the card:

The drawn card is swapped with one of their face-down cards.
The swapped card is placed face-up on the discard pile.

2. Play the card directly:

The card is placed face-up on the discard pile.

Interception

If a player has the same card as the one just played, they may place it immediately on the discard pile.
The effects of these cards are executed in order (see “Special Cards”).
No player is skipped.
If a player makes a mistake in intercepting, they must take the incorrectly played card
along with another card from the deck (without looking at it).

This rule is suitable for advanced players and can be omitted for beginners:

If you know the cards of other players that they themselves have not yet seen,
you may play matching cards for them.
To do this, you hand one of your cards face-down to the player.
Functions and penalties affect the active player.

Special Cards

If a card with a special function is played, it must be executed immediately:

11 peek: Look at one of your face-down cards.
12 spy: Look at a face-down card of another player.
13 give: Hand one of your face-down cards to another player without them seeing it.
14 switch: Swap one of your face-down cards with a card from another player without looking.

Additional Rules

“Four of a Kind”

When four identical cards are stacked, all players must place their hand on them as quickly as possible.
The last one to do so must draw an additional card from the deck without looking.

Cursed Joker

This card cannot be swapped for a drawn card or discarded directly.
It can only be handed over using the “13 give” card or swapped with the “14 switch” card.
It can also be discarded on another joker (“burned”).
The player who holds the Cursed Joker at the end of the round loses the game.
Exception: Whoever finishes with all four jokers wins the game and is entered into the “Hall of Fame”!

Simple Game Mode

Players may not play cards on behalf of others, only their own.

Have fun playing! ☺