Objective

Skull King is played over 10 rounds. In each round, you must predict exactly how many tricks you will win to earn points.

Bidding Phase

After dealing, all players simultaneously shout "Yo-Ho-Ho!" and reveal their bid using their fingers. A bid of 0 is high-risk, high-reward.

Trick Taking Phase

Players must follow the suit of the first color card played. If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card. Special cards (Pirates, Mermaid, Skull King) can be played at any time.

• Skull King beats all Pirates.
• Pirates beat all numbered cards (including Jolly Roger trumps).
• Mermaids beat the Skull King but lose to Pirates.
• Escape cards always lose.

Scoring

• Met Bid (N > 0): 20 pts per trick won.
• Met Bid (0): 10 pts × current round number.
• Missed Bid (N > 0): -10 pts × difference from bid.
• Missed Bid (0): -10 pts × current round number.

Bonus Points

Bonuses are only awarded if you meet your bid exactly:

• Capture Pirate with Skull King: +30 pts
• Capture Skull King with Mermaid: +40 pts
• Capture Suit 14s: +10 pts (Jolly Roger 14: +20 pts)
• Capture Beast: +10 pts
• Capture Kraken: +10 pts
• Capture White Whale: +10 pts