Online Poker PokerStars.com

Requirements

• An ordinary deck of 52 cards
• Three or more players, probably best with four or five

Game play

In the beginning the dealer deals everybody five cards, and puts the remaining stock of cards face down in a pile. As soon as the deal is finished, if someone has a 3, he starts by putting it on the table face down (and declaring it as a 3). If several people claim to have 3's, whoever puts their card down first starts. From then on the players take turns clockwise. If at the beginning nobody claims to have a 3, then the next lowest card goes first.

At your turn, you can put on the table as many cards as you wish, provided they are all of the same rank, which is equal to or higher than the rank played by the previous player. You play your cards face down, but must always tell the others what your cards were (e.g. "three eights").

You can't play jacks, queens or kings if the previous play was 7 or lower, and you can't play aces unless the previous play was a jack, queen or king or the table is empty.

If the table is empty (other than at the start of the hand) you may play any set of equal ranked cards.

At your turn, as an alternative to playing from your hand, you can draw the top card of the stock and add it to your hand. The turn then passes to the next player. Another possibility is to draw the top card from the stock and play it face down, without having looked at it, and tell the other players what rank you claim it is (as always the rank you claim must be in accordance with the rules of play).

You may also start the game by drawing the top card of the stock, and playing it face down without looking at it, claiming that it is a three.

Some cards have special effects. The special cards are:

Tens

If one or more 10s are played on a lower card, all the cards played so far, including the 10(s) are discarded. The person who played the 10 then continues by playing another set of cards, of any rank. If a 10 is played on an empty table, the next player must pick it up and the following player continues play.

Ace

Aces behave like a tens, but can only be played on a jack, queen or king, or when the table is empty.

Twos

You can play a 2 on top of any card or when the table is empty. If the previous play was a 2, the only legal play is another 2.

The last one to have cards in his hand loses.

Admittedly Paskahousu is more fun with a cold beer or three within easy reach... Paskahousu, by the way, is Finnish for "Shitpants", which is what the loser (who gets to deal the next round, and often also to fetch some more beer for the players) is called.