How to Play Judgement

Judgement blends quick math with tactical card play. Use this guide to learn each stage of the game, then open the game lobby or revisit the landing page's How to Play walkthrough when you need a refresher.

TL;DR

• Deal sizes climb then fall; everyone must bid and the total can never match the tricks in the round.
• Hit your bid to earn 11 * prediction + 10; miss and the round pays 0.
• Activate Double Points between rounds for a 2x payout (and -15 risk); Special Power in round 6 boosts hits by 1.5x.
• Blind Prediction hides opponents' bids during the prediction phase, and Blind Tricks keeps their cards face down until each trick resolves.

Setup

• Gather 3 to 6 players and a standard 52-card deck.
• Deal one card per player in the first round, increasing by one card each round until you cannot deal evenly.
• Continue decreasing the hand size back to a single card for the final round.
• Flip the next undealt card to establish the trump suit for that round.

Bidding

• Starting with the dealer's left, each player announces how many tricks they expect to win.
• The dealer bids last but cannot make the total bids equal the number of available tricks, preventing an effortless round.
• Track bids carefully so you know how aggressive or defensive each player must be.

Trick-taking

• The player to the dealer's left leads the first card; subsequent trick winners lead the next.
• You must follow suit if you can. If you cannot, you may play any card, including trump.
• The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
• Keep a running count of the tricks you and your opponents have taken to stay aligned with your bids.

Scoring

• Meet your bid exactly to earn 10 base points plus 11 for every trick you predicted. Calling 2 and winning 2, for example, awards 32 points.
• Missing your bid yields zero points for the round, so overshooting or falling short both forfeit the payout.
• Update the scoreboard after every round so everyone can adjust their strategy for the next hand.

Powers and modes

• Double Points: Activate it between rounds to double upcoming hits for 3 rounds. Miss while it is live and you take -15 instead of 0. Learn the timing in the Double Points and Special Power Guide.
• Special Power (Round 6): Players who shine in round 7 carry a 1.5x boost into the next round 6. Stack it with Double Points for a 3x burst.
• Blind Prediction: Hide opponents' bids during the prediction phase (your own number stays visible) so you must track totals manually. See Blind Modes Explained.
• Blind Tricks: Keeps opponents' cards face down while each trick is in progress, flipping open as soon as the winner is determined.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting the revealed trump card -- glance at it before every trick to avoid wasting high cards.
• Bidding impulsively without evaluating card distribution or remembering previous trump suits.
• Ignoring opponents' bids; knowing who must chase tricks helps you decide when to sacrifice or pounce.
• Leaving score updates for later, which makes it easy to lose track of who is actually leading the table.

Master these fundamentals, and you'll be ready to judge every round with confidence.

Related reading

• Beginner's Guide to Judgement
• Judgement Scoring Explained
• Practice with Noble Gas Bots
• Joker Card Variant: Rules and Strategy