Okinawa

Steps to Play

1. All players ante an equal amount into each of 3 separate pots (e.g., a dime each into pot 1, pot 2, and pot 3 — 30 cents total per player).
2. The dealer performs a random cut of the deck and flips the top card of the cut. The suit of that card becomes the trump suit for the round. Announce trump to all players.
3. Dealer deals 3 cards face-down to each player. Players look at their own cards only.
4. Starting left of the dealer, each player may exchange any number of their cards (0 to 3) by discarding them face-down and drawing replacements from the deck.
5. The player to the left of the dealer leads the first trick by playing any card from their hand, trump or non-trump.
6. Each subsequent player in clockwise order must play a card of the led suit if they have one. If they cannot follow suit, they may play any trump card or any other card.
7. A player who does not want to participate in a trick may fold their entire hand before playing. A folded player is out for the rest of the round and forfeits their ante — they do not win any pots but also do not owe matching.
8. The trick is won by the highest trump played; if no trump was played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The trick winner claims one of the three pots.
9. Play continues for tricks 2 and 3, each won by the same rules. Each trick winner claims the next unclaimed pot.
10. Any player who stayed in (did not fold) but failed to win a trick must match each pot they did not win. These matched amounts carry into the next round's pots.
11. Re-deal and repeat if any player owed a match. The game ends when a full round of three tricks is completed with all three pots won and no player owes a match payment.

How to Win

A player wins by taking a trick and claiming one of the three pots. The overall hand ends when all three pots have been won in a single round of tricks without any matching penalty triggered. If a player who stayed in loses a trick, they must match those pots, and the game continues into the next round with larger pots.

Tips & House Rules

• Because there are 3 separate pots, you can win one, two, or all three in a round. The player with trump cards has a significant advantage — keep track of what trump has been played.
• Folding is a defensive tool: if your hand is weak after the draw, folding means you only lose your ante rather than risking a pot-matching penalty.
• Trump suit is random every round (set by the cut), so the power dynamic shifts constantly. Don't assume a strong hand from the previous round will hold up next round.
• With only 3 cards and up to a full exchange, the draw phase is critical. A complete redraw is high risk — you could end up worse than before.
• Pots can grow quickly if multiple players stay in and lose tricks. Agree on a pot cap before starting to keep the game from escalating too far.
• If only one player stays in (all others fold), that player wins all three pots uncontested — no tricks need to be played. This makes the fold decision very strategic.