Liberty Fan Tan

Rank of Cards

The cards in each suit rank: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A.

The Ante

Each player puts one chip in the pot before each deal.

The Deal

Deal the cards one at a time face down, beginning with the player on the left. All the cards are dealt, and some players may receive fewer cards than others. It is customary for each player with fewer cards to ante one additional chip.

Object of the Game

The goal is to be the first player to get rid of all his cards.

The Play

Beginning to the left of the dealer, each person must play a card if possible.

The player to the left of the dealer begins by playing a card of any suit. The next player must follow with the next higher card in the same suit or must put one counter in the center of the table. The third player must continue with the next card in sequence or must put one counter in the center of the table. Play continues in this fashion with players building up past the King with Ace, deuce and so on until all 13 cards of the suit have been played. The one who plays the 13th card of the first suit may begin a new suit, where the process repeats itself.

The first player to get rid of all of their cards wins.

How to Keep Score

One can play a series of rounds, scoring 1 point for each card each player has remaining at the end of each round. When one player reaches 100 points, the game is over and the player who then has the smallest score is the overall winner.