Chase the Ace Rules

Chase the Ace is also called Cuckoo, Ranter Go Round in Britain, and Screw Your Neighbor in the United States. It is not a poker game, but it is often played for a break during a poker session.

A standard 52-card deck is used. Cards rank from king (high) down to ace (low): K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A. Suits have no effect.

The object on each deal is not to be left holding the lowest card. The object of the game is to be the last player with any lives remaining.

The rules below assume play passes clockwise. The direction varies between countries, and the dealer shall announce it if there is any doubt.

Each player starts with the same number of lives, usually three, and puts an equal stake into the pot. The overall winner takes the whole pot.

The dealer deals one card face down to each player. Each player may look at their own card.

Each player has one turn, starting with the player to the dealer's left and going clockwise. The dealer's turn comes last.

On their turn, a player may either keep their card or exchange it with the player on their left.

The player on the left must accept the exchange unless they hold a king. A player holding a king shows it, and the player who asked for the exchange keeps their own card.

The dealer's turn. The dealer may keep their card or exchange it for a card cut from the undealt stock. If the card cut is a king, the dealer must keep their original card.

When every player has had a turn, all cards are turned face up. The player with the lowest card loses one life. If several players tie for the lowest card, each of them loses a life.

A player who has lost all their lives is out of the game. The last player left in wins the pot.

Last players tie. If all the remaining players are on their last life and tie for the lowest card, the group shall have agreed in advance which of these rules applies:

4.3(a) The tied players are joint winners and share the pot equally.

4.3(b) The tied players keep their last lives and play another deal between them.

4.3(c) The tied players cut the deck, and the highest card takes the pot.

4.3(d) The game is undecided. The pot carries forward to the next game, and each player adds a new stake.

4.3(e) The game is undecided. The pot carries forward to the next game with nothing added.

Four lives. One American version for 3 to 26 players gives each player four lives, kept as four equal piles of money. The last player left in takes all the money.

Kings. Groups treat kings in different ways:

5.2(a) Kings may be traded like any other card, with no special effect.

5.2(b) A player dealt a king turns it face up straight after the deal. If any king is dealt, there is no trading on that deal, and the lowest card loses a life.

5.2(c) A king is turned up when someone tries to trade with it, and no further trading takes place on that deal.

Queens and jacks. Some players add these rules:

5.3(a) A player asked to trade who holds a queen does not trade. The player asking must instead trade with the player on their own right. If that player also holds a queen, the player between the two queens may not trade.

5.3(b) A player asked to trade who holds a jack shows it, and the trade does not happen. Play passes to the next player.

Pairs are safe. In another American version, players who hold cards of the same rank at the end are safe. The lowest card held by only one player loses a life. If no player holds a card of a rank unique to them, the usual suggestion is that no one loses a life on that deal.