Bastard Brag♠

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Aim and equipment

This selects the lives-and-knocking game, not betting or shared poker cards. For 3–10 players, use 52 cards without jokers and play clockwise. Each starts with 3 life tokens. Avoid the weakest three-card hand at showdown.

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Setup and deal

Choose the first dealer randomly; rotate left after each deal. Shuffle and deal singly to 3 each plus a separate central hand. The centre’s first 2 cards are face down and its last 1 face up; players inspect their own 3. Set the unused remainder aside: it is not a draw stock. Dealer’s left begins exchanging.

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Legal actions

On your turn exchange 1 hand card for 1 different centre card, or exchange all 3 for the entire centre. Taking its exposed card leaves your replacement exposed; taking a hidden card leaves the replacement hidden. Hold your discard apart until you take a different card. On a whole-hand exchange choose 1 surrendered card face up and leave the other 2 down. There is no passing instead of exchanging before a legal knock.

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Scoring

High to low: prial, running flush, mixed run, flush, pair, high card. Prials rank 3–3–3 above A–A–A, then K down to 2. Runs rank A–2–3 highest, then A–K–Q, K–Q–J down to 4–3–2; K–A–2 is invalid. Any run beats a plain flush. Compare flushes and high cards lexicographically in A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 order. Compare pairs by pair rank then kicker. For exact rank equality compare the highest card’s suit: spades > hearts > diamonds > clubs. This is this profile’s special tie rule, not a universal Brag rule.

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Ending the game

Knock instead of exchanging only from circuit 2, after everyone has exchanged at least once. The knocker keeps their hand and never acts again that deal. Each other player gets exactly 1 last turn and must exchange 1 or 3, with no further knock or pass. Reveal all hands; the worst loses 1 life. Zero lives eliminates immediately. Deal again to survivors until 1 winner remains. There is no floating life at zero.

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Context and variants

This is a British exchange branch of Brag. Player accounts describe several forms without establishing an exact inventor or date. The betting version limits exchanges before Brag betting. Do not mix it into this lives profile. Stop the Bus also names other exchange games with different centre access.

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Worked example

A holds Q♠, 7♦, 4♣; the centre exposes Q♣. A exchanges 4♣ for Q♣, leaving 4♣ exposed, and now has queens with a seven. Nobody inspected the centre’s 2 hidden cards. At showdown this beats jacks even with an ace kicker, but loses to any flush. The exchange creates no communal card: Q♣ belongs only to A.

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Common questions