Arlington is a card game for two to six players. General conventions for card games apply.
Arlington is played with a deck of 54 cards. 52 of them are called suit cards and the other two are jokers.
Suit cards are the Cartesian product of four suits and thirteen ranks.
The suits are spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. They are abbreviated in these rules as "S", "H", "D", and "C" respectively. Suits are ordered as listed in this paragraph, with spades being the highest and clubs the lowest.
The ranks are aces, kings, queens, jacks, tens, nines, eights, sevens, sixes, fives, fours, threes, and twos. They are abbreviated in these rules as "A", "K", "Q", "J", "T", "9", "8", "7", "6", "5", "4", "3", and "2" respectively. Ranks are ordered as listed in this paragraph, with aces being the highest and twos the lowest.
The suit cards are ordered, with cards of different ranks ordered according to their ranks and cards of the same rank ordered according to their suits. Therefore the highest ten suit cards are, from highest to tenth highest, SA, HA, DA, CA, SK, HK, DK, CK, SQ, HQ, and the lowest ten suit cards are, from tenth lowest to lowest, D4, C4, S3, H3, D3, C3, S2, H2, D2, C2.
There are two jokers. They are not distinguished from each other. A joker is abbreviated in these rules as "JK".
Certain groups of cards are known as legal sets. Any other group of cards is an illegal set. There are two types of legal sets, pure sets and jokered sets.
Legal sets fall into four categories, called spectra. It is possible for a legal set to belong to more than one spectrum. The four spectra are Aces, Multiples, Couples, and Runs. The following descriptions of the spectra define what pure sets belong to each spectrum. The classification of jokered sets is explained in the section on jokered sets.
Any number of As constitutes a pure set in the Aces spectrum. This includes a single A by itself.
A set of two or more cards of the same rank constitutes a pure set in the Multiples spectrum.
A pure set in the Couples spectrum is either:
1) a K and a Q,
2) a Q and a J, or
3) H2 by itself.
A pure set in the Runs spectrum consists of two or more cards of the same suit of consecutive ranks. "Consecutive ranks" means that it includes every rank which is both higher than the lowest rank in the set and lower than the highest rank in the set.
Note that aces are always high, so {SA, S2} is not a legal set in the Runs spectrum.
The sets in each spectrum are ordered. This section defines the ordering of pure sets. The ordering of jokered sets is explained in the section on jokered sets.
In the Aces, Multiples, and Runs spectra a set with more cards is higher than a set with less cards. In these same spectra if two sets have the same number of cards then the set containing the highest of the cards found in only one of the sets is higher.
As an example, the following pure sets in the Multiples spectrum are listed
from highest to lowest. {S3, H3, D3, C3}, {S7, H7, D7}, {S7, H7, C7},
{S8, C8}, {H8, D8}, {H8, C8}, {S5, H5}. In this example {S7, H7, D7} is
higher than {S7, H7, C7} because:
1) The sets have an equal number of cards,
2) the cards found in only one of the sets are D7 and C7,
3) D7 is the highest of those cards, and
4) D7 is in {S7, H7, D7}.
In the Couples spectrum two cards of the same suit are higher than H2, which is higher than two cards of different suits. If this rule does not distinguish between two sets then the rules for the other three spectra are used.
A jokered set is a pure set with one or two cards replaced by jokers. A jokered set is said to represent the pure set it's based on, and a joker in a jokered set is said to represent the suit card it replaces.
If two jokers are in the same jokered set they may not represent the same suit card.
A joker in a jokered set must represent a suit card which exists but which is not part of the same set. Therefore, {S7, H7, D7, C7, JK} is an illegal set because there is no 7 which exists but which is not already in the set.
A jokered set is part of the same spectrum as the pure set it represents, and is ordered the same as that pure set.
A game of Arlington consists of a series of hands. Each hand has a dealer. The dealer of the first hand may be chosen by any method. If no other method is agreed upon the players cut the deck and the player who cut the highest ranked suit card deals first. For other hands the dealership passes clockwise. In these rules the word clockwise is always with respect to a point of view facing downwards, so the second hand's dealer is the player to the left of the first hand's dealer.
A hand begins with the dealer shuffling the entire deck and dealing eight cards, one at a time, to each player, including herself, beginning with the player to her left and proceeding clockwise. The remaining cards are placed faced down, to form the graveyard. Some rules of play require that cards be placed on the graveyard during the course of the hand. These cards are always placed face down. Cards placed on the graveyard never reenter play during a given hand.
The cards dealt to each player are called that player's hand. (Hopefully context will make it clear which definition of hand is being referred to when I use that word.) Each player may look at the cards in her hand whenever she wishes. No player is allowed to look at the cards in another player's hand unless the other player reveals them. The area in front of each player on the playing surface is that player's table, onto which cards might be played during the course of a hand.
The hand consists of a series of plays followed by the hand's scoring. At the start of each play one player has the lead. If the player who has the lead has no cards in her hand then there will be no more plays in that hand and the scoring begins. Scoring is discussed in more detail below. If the player with the lead has at least one card in her hand then she must choose one of the following five actions: Leading a card, leading a set, playing the S2, adding to a set, or picking up a joker. She will always be able to lead a card, so she will always be able to choose at least one of these actions.
After the cards are dealt the player to the dealer's left has the lead.
When the player with the lead leads a card she places a card from her hand face up in the middle of the playing surface. Proceeding clockwise, every other player who has at least one card in his hand places a card from his hand face up in the middle of the playing surface. The card should not be placed so as to obscure other cards. The collection of cards thus played is called a trick. One of the cards played in the trick is said to take the trick. If a joker was the first card played in the trick it takes the trick. If a suit card was the first card played in the trick then the highest card in the trick of the same suit as the first card played takes the trick. This may be the first card itself. Note that there is no obligation for players to follow suit, but a player who does not follow suit cannot take the trick. Note also that a player with at least one card in his hand may not pass when someone else leads a card, he must play a card.
When all cards in the trick have been played and the card which takes the trick has been determined then the card which takes the trick is placed on the graveyard and the rest of the cards in the trick become part of the hand of the player who played the card which took the trick. That player then has the lead.
When the player with the lead leads a set she places a legal set on her table. This becomes the active set. Proceeding clockwise, players who have at least one card in their hands respond to the active set until either all such players, other than the player who lead, have responded, or one of the responses is to kill the active set with the S2, as explained below.
There are three ways to respond to an active set. The first is to pass. In this case the player responding simply says, "pass", and nothing more occurs.
The second is to kill the active set with S2. In this case the player responding plays the S2. Both the active set and the S2 are placed on the graveyard and the player who played the S2 has the lead.
The third is to play a new active set. In this case the player responding places a legal set on his table which is in the same spectrum as the active set and of higher rank. The former active set is placed on the graveyard and the newly placed set becomes the active set. Note that the new set must be higher ranked than the former one; it cannot be equal. So {7S, JK} cannot be played when the active set is {7H, JK} in the Multiples spectrum, since they both represent {7S, 7H}.
Any set played in response must be in the same spectrum as the set which was originally lead, even if an intermediate active set qualifies for more than one spectrum. So the sequence {SQ, HJ}, {DK, DQ}, {C6, C7, C8} is not allowed, even though {DK, DQ} is legal in both the Couples and Runs spectra. If the original set lead is legal in more than one spectrum or if it's a single card set (which might lead players to think that the player with the lead was leading a card) the player with the lead should name the spectrum which the set being lead belongs to. If she does not, then it is assumed that a single card is being lead as a card and that a multi-card set is the first spectrum in the following list to which it belongs: Aces, Multiples, Couples, Runs.
When there are no more players to respond to the active set the player who played the remaining active set has the lead. That set is no longer considered active. Note that the opportunity to respond to the active set ends with the player to the right of the player who originally lead; playing a new active set does not change that.
If there is a set on at least one player's table a player who has the lead may place the S2 on that set. Both that set and the S2 are placed on the graveyard. The player who played the S2 has the lead again. The set may be on any player's table, including that of the player who is playing the S2.
If there is a set on at least one player's table a player who has the lead may add a card to it. The only requirement is that the set that results is a legal set in some spectrum. There is no requirement that it be in the same spectrum that the set was originally played in. There is no requirement that a joker represent the same card that it did before. The set may be on any player's table, including that of the player who is adding to it.
If there is a jokered set on at least one player's table a player who has the lead may switch the joker with a card in her hand. That is, the joker becomes part of her hand and a card in her hand is added to the set that the joker came from. The only requirement is that the set that results is a legal set in some spectrum. There is no requirement that it be in the same spectrum that the set was originally played in. There is no requirement that the card which replaces the joker be the card which the joker originally represented. There is no requirement that another joker in the set represent the same card that it did before. The set may be on any player's table, including that of the player who is picking up the joker.
When the player who has the lead has no cards in her hand the scoring phase of the hand begins. All cards in players' hands are placed on the graveyard. Each player receives points for the sets which are on her table, as follows.
For an N card set in the Aces or Multiples spectrum the player gets 2 to the (N-1)th power points. I.e.
| no. of cards | points |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 8 |
For the Couples spectrum a K and Q in the same suit yield 8 points, a Q and J in the same suit yield 4 points, H2 yields 2 points, a K and Q in different suits yield 2 points, and a Q and J in different suits yield 1 point.
For an N card set in the Runs spectrum the player gets 2 times N-1 points. I.e.
| no. of cards | points |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 5 | 8 |
| N | 2(N-1) |
A set which is legal in more than one set is interpreted, when scoring, as being in whichever spectrum yields the most points, even if that is not the spectrum in which it was originally played. A jokered set which can represent more than one pure set is interpreted, when scoring, as representing whatever set yields the most points, even if that is not the set which it originally represented. E.g. {DQ, JK} played as a pair of queens in the Multiples spectrum will be yield 8 points as representing {DK, DQ} in the Couples spectrum.
A player begins the game with a total score of zero, and the score acquired in the scoring phase of each hand is added to the player's total score. The game ends when, at the end of the scoring phase of a hand, at least one player has a total score of at least 32. At that point the player with the highest total score wins. If there is a tie for highest total score then the victory is shared between those players who have attained that tied score.