Read Me
Welcome to the Paranoid Game! Also known as Egyptian Rat Screw!
The rules are as follows:
* Objective
The game ends when only one player holds all the cards, thereby
winning the game.
* Gameplay
The standard deck of cards (without Jokers) is dealt, face down, to
all the players. Players never see their own cards. At each turn, one
player at a time plays the top card from their hand onto the center
pile. The turn advances clockwise to the next player with cards.
Players can claim the pile under special circumstances, discussed
below, by slapping the pile. When the pile is claimed, all the cards
in the pile go to first player to slap, and that player starts the
next turn.
* Doubles and sandwiches
If at any time during play, the same card value (regardless of suit)
shows up back-to-back, also known as "a double", then the first player
to slap the deck takes the entire pile. Players may also slap when
there are "sandwiches": two cards of the same value separated by one
card of a different value.
If another card has already been played on top of a double or
sandwich, players may not slap the deck.
* Face cards
Face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces) provide an opportunity for
that player to claim the pile, by forcing the next player to reveal
a face card on their turn.
If an Ace is played, then the next player can play up to four cards
from his hand until another face card is revealed. If a King is
played, only three cards may be revealed; with a Queen, only two
cards. And with a Jack, the next player gets only one chance to
produce another face card.
If the next player is unable to produce a face card within his turn,
then the last player to have played a face card can slap and take the
pile. The owner of the pile has three seconds as exclusive claimant of
the pile. after those three seconds, any other player can slap the
pile to claim it.
* Penalty for erroneous slapping
If a player slaps out of turn, then that player is penalized 5 cards,
which are taken from the top of the player's hand and placed in a
separate pile called the "penalty pile". Whenever the center pile is
legitimately claimed, the claimer also takes the penalty pile.