CHICAGO

How to Play Chicago

Welcome to Chicago, a classic two-player card game that combines the strategic hand-building of Poker with the tactical card play of trick-taking games like Whist or Bridge. Perfect for fast-paced, high-stakes competition, Chicago rewards both careful planning and bold bluffing.

Goal: Be the first player to reach 52 points across multiple rounds of play.

1. The Deal

At the start of each round, a standard 52-card deck is shuffled. Each player is dealt a hand of 5 cards. The remaining cards form the draw pile. The role of the dealer alternates between rounds.

2. Hand Building & Exchanges

Once cards are dealt, players evaluate their hands. There are two rounds of exchanges. In each round, players have the opportunity to discard cards and draw new ones to build the best possible Poker hand:

First Exchange: You can discard between 0 and 5 cards. You will draw replacement cards from the deck.
First Evaluation: The hands are compared. The player with the higher Poker hand wins points (see scoring table below).
Second Exchange: You can discard and replace cards once more.
Second Evaluation: Hands are compared again, and the player with the better hand wins points once more.

The "Hanging" Rule (42 Points): If you have 42 or more points, you are in the "Hanging" state. You cannot exchange cards for the rest of the game! Your exchange turns are skipped automatically by the server. You must play the hand you are dealt.

3. Poker Hand Points Table

Points are awarded after each exchange round according to standard Poker hand rankings. Note that points are only awarded if your hand is stronger than your opponent's, and only if it's better than "nothing" (High Card).

Poker Hand	Required Combination	Points Awarded
Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit	10 points
Straight Flush	Five consecutive cards of the same suit	8 points
Four of a Kind	Four cards of the identical rank	7 points
Full House	Three of a Kind plus a Pair	6 points
Flush	Five cards of the same suit (consecutive or not)	5 points
Straight	Five consecutive cards of mixed suits	4 points
Three of a Kind	Three cards of the identical rank	3 points
Two Pairs	Two different pairs of matching ranks	2 points
Pair	Two cards of matching rank	1 point

4. The Chicago Call

After the second exchange round is complete, the trick-taking phase begins. Before any cards are played, players who have **15 or more points** have the option to make a "Chicago Call".

By calling Chicago, you bet that you will win all 5 tricks in this round.
If you successfully win all 5 tricks: You are awarded +15 bonus points.
If you lose even a single trick: You are penalized -15 points.

5. The Tricks

Once Chicago calls are declared (or skipped), the trick play begins:

The player who did not deal leads the first trick by playing a card face up.
Must Follow Suit: The second player MUST play a card of the same suit if they have one. If they do not have a card of the lead suit, they can play any card.
Winning a Trick: The highest card of the lead suit wins the trick. (Rank order: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2). There are no trumps.
The winner of a trick leads the card for the next trick.
Last Trick Bonus: The player who wins the 5th (final) trick is awarded +5 bonus points.

6. Round End and Game Win

Once all 5 tricks are played, the scores are updated. If a player's score reaches 52 points, they win the game! If neither player has reached 52 points, the cards are gathered, the deal rotates, and a new round begins.