The site with the official Cambio rules! Learn to play Cambio for free in a few minutes and never lose again. The best card game for young and old!
- Purpose of the game
- Preparations
- Explanation of games
- meaning of cards
- End of the game
- Special rules
- Counting of points
- Game addition
- Origin
Purpose of the game
The object of the game is to exchange as few points as possible.
Preparations
Each player is dealt four solid, well-shuffled cards, two up, two down. Then a pot of closed cards is created in the middle between the players. From this, the top card is discarded close, next to the pile.
Explanation of games
At the beginning of the game, each player is given the opportunity to briefly look at the two bottom cards. The player must then remember the cards. The starting player (first time being the youngest, then the winner of the previous pot) opens the closed card on the table.
Each player may place a double card from his own stack on the open pile at any time. This can be done once per newly opened card.
Then it is the player's turn to play his turn. In all cases, the next player has the following options:
- The player takes a card from the open pot and exchanges it with one of his own cards;
- The player takes a card from the closed pot. Then the player can:
- OR Place the card of the closed pot on the open pot. This automatically activates the special operation of a card (see heading meaning cards)
- OR exchange the card of the closed pot with one of the own cards and then place the own card on the open pot.
After a player's turn is over, the next player's turn is (clockwise).
meaning of cards
| 2 = No special card. (2 pt) | 9 = look at another map (9 pt) |
| 3 = No special card. (3 pt) | 10 = look at another map (9 pt) |
| 4 = No special card. (4 pt) | Farmer = exchange with looking at others (10 pt) |
| 5 = No special card. (5 pt) | Woman = exchange without looking (10 pt) |
| 6 = No special card. (6 pt) | Lord = red (-1 pt) / black (10 pt) |
| 7 = look at a map (7 pt) | Ace = No special card. (1 pt) |
| 8 = see a map on yourself (8 pt) | Joker = No special card. (0 pt) |
End of the game
When a player has five points or less in front of him, the player may call (at the end of his turn) "CAMBIO". From that moment on, the cards of this player are frozen and other players can no longer claim the special cards against this person.
After the turn of the player who called Cambio, all other players turn once more. At the end of that last round, everyone turns around the cards and the score is drawn up. It shall be recorded in accordance with the rules set out in the heading ‘Point counting’ below. The game is played up to 88 points.
Special rules
- Error in the game = extra card.
- You take turns sharing.
- The winner of the previous pot always starts (due to time lag).
- If someone is without cards, it is an automatic cambio and all other players are allowed to play their turn once more, even though the automatic cambio did not arise in the turn of the player without cards. If an automatic cambio occurs, while another player has already said cambio, both players' cards are frozen.
- You always turn your cards away from you and use the same hand when laying down multiple cards (in case a card can be discarded).
- If someone has said cambio and in the last round another person has no more cards, that person may take another card. He doesn't necessarily have to put it down.
- Someone said cambio, but more than 5, that person gets 10 penalty points. Suppose the other players still have more (punishment) points than this player, this player still loses.
- The cards cannot be rearranged.
Counting of points
- Correct cambio = score – 3
- Wrong cambio (>5 points) = score + 8
- Not lowest score*, but cambio called and score <5 = score + 5
*The player who said cambio must have the lowest score, but this score does not have to be lower than that of other players. Only if other players have a lower score than the player who called cambio do the penalty points apply.
Game addition
In addition to playing with your own cards, the game can also be played with the cards of other players. For example: If player 1 knows of player 2 that he has a red gentleman, player 1 can discard player 2's red gentleman on the open pot if a gentleman appears on the open pot. Agree with your fellow players before the game whether you use the rule, because it is not part of the official cambio.
Origin Cambio
Cambio is originally a corruption of the Latin word cambium, which loosely translates to something like ‘change’. It is not for nothing that the word cambio comes back in the Spanish and Italian language with the same definition. In everyday language, you can see that it is often a synonym for exchanging foreign currency for one's own currency. Cambio is a typical card game that is not much documented, but is passed on to other people in a playful way. Nevertheless, there are sources that show that Cambio was already played in Italy in the 14th century. Since then, a lot has changed in the game. The rules that we have presented on this site are therefore a refinement of the game Cambio in all its facets. Do you agree with one of the rules or do you play a different variation? Then leave a tip via the form below.
Incidentally, the game cambio is also often referred to by other names, Kabo, Cucu, Cario, Golf or Mountain Dog or Desert Dog (Mountain Dog). These names are not correct for this version of the game. In addition, there is the children's game Beverbende, which has similar rules.
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