Intro
The Go Boom card game is a fun and easy-to-learn trick-taking game that can be played with multiple players. It’s a great game for both kids and adults as a family activity. Besides trick-taking it also involves shedding and matching cards.
What is Needed
- A Standard 52-card deck
- 2-7 players
- Something to note down the score
Goal
Be the first player to get rid of all the cards in your hand by winning tricks.
Dealing Phase
- One player is the dealer. The player to the left of the dealer plays first.
- The dealer shuffles the cards and deals each player 7 cards.
- The remaining cards are placed facedown in a draw pile.
Gameplay
The first player leads by playing any card from their hand face up.
- Going clockwise, each player must follow suit if possible. If they can’t follow suit, they must play a card of the same rank.
- If a player can’t follow suit or play the same rank, they must draw from the draw pile until they get a playable card.
The player who plays the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next trick.
When a player plays their last card, they say “Boom!” and win the round.
Scoring
At the end of each round, players score points based on the cards left in their hand:
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2-10 | Face value |
| Jack | 10 |
| Queen | 10 |
| King | 10 |
The first player to reach 100 points loses the game.
Go Boom Rules
In summary, the must-follow rules for Go Boom are as follows:
- You must follow suit if possible
- If you can’t play, draw from the draw pile
- If the draw pile runs out, you forfeit your turn
- The highest card of the led suit wins the trick
- Whoever wins the trick leads the next trick
Ending
The first player to get rid of all their cards by winning tricks wins the round. The first player to reach 100 points in multiple rounds loses the game.
Playing Example
Let’s assume in a multi-player game of Go Boom:
- Player 1 has 10♣
- Player 2 has J♣
- Player 3 has 10♠
In this example, Player 1 leads with a 10♣. Player 2 is able to follow suit by playing a J♣. Player 3 doesn’t have a Clubs card, so they draw from the draw pile until they get a card they can play – the 10♠.
Player 2 had the highest Clubs card, so they win the trick. Winning tricks is good, but the goal is to get rid of your cards first.
So even though Player 3 had to draw more cards, they still have a chance to win the overall game. The key is to play strategically to get rid of your cards first, even if it means losing some tricks along the way.
Variations
- Double Deck Go Boom – Use 2 decks for up to 12 players
- Reverse Scoring – Players get points for cards left in hand. The lowest score wins.
