Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopCard games
Five Crowns
GigamicMarsha J. Falco1996
- players
- 2–7
- minutes
- 45
- years
- 8+
In the box
116 cards: two decks of 5 suits, from 3 to King, and 6 jokers
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Marsha J. Falco
- Publisher
- Gigamic
- Mechanics
- Hand ManagementSet Collection
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Over eleven rounds of three to thirteen cards, go out by laying down your whole hand in runs and sets, knowing that one rank becomes wild each round: the 3s, then the 4s, and so on. On your turn, draw one card, from the draw pile or the discard pile, then discard one; once a player goes out, the others play one last turn and count the cards left in their hand. After the eleventh round, the lowest cumulative total wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 decks shuffled, 3 → 13 cards
- A 116-card deck, made of two identical 58-card decks: five suits (stars, hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds) from 3 to king, plus three jokers per deck, six in all.
- The two decks are shuffled together.
- The game has eleven rounds. In the first round, everyone is dealt three cards; one more card is dealt each round, up to thirteen.
- Cards are dealt one at a time. The rest forms the draw pile; its top card is turned face up to start the discard pile.
- The player to the dealer's left starts; the deal passes to the left each round.
How to play
Draw, Discard, Go out
- Each round, one rank becomes wild: the 3s in the first round, the 4s in the second, and so on.
- On your turn, draw the top card of the draw pile or the top card of the discard pile, then end by discarding one card.
- You keep your combinations in your hand: nothing is laid down until you can go out.
- Going out: after drawing, lay down your whole hand in valid combinations, with one card left over to discard. That last card may well be playable.
- Once a player has gone out, each of the others plays one last turn: they draw, lay down all the combinations they can, then discard.
- You never add to another player's combinations.
- When the draw pile runs out, reshuffle the discard pile to form a new one.
Scoring
Face cards 11 to 13, Wild cards 20, Jokers 50
- A run: at least three consecutive cards of the same suit. A set (book): at least three cards of the same rank.
- Jokers and the round's wild cards can stand in for any card.
- Cards left in hand count their value: number cards their face value, the jack 11, the queen 12, the king 13. Jokers are worth 50, the round's wild cards 20.
- Cards laid down in combinations do not count: only unused cards are added up.
- The player who went out therefore scores zero for the round.
End of the game
11 rounds, Lowest total
- The game ends after the eleventh round, the one with thirteen cards.
- The lowest cumulative total wins.
- On a tie, the rules leave the choice: several winners, or a six-card tie-break round played by the tied players only.
House rules and pitfalls
A popular short version: six rounds, from three to eight cards, for a half-hour game.
- A popular short version: six rounds, from three to eight cards, for a half-hour game. It is not in the official rules.
- A wild card you cannot use may be discarded: you save 20 points, at the risk of helping your neighbour.
- In French the game is called Les Cinq Rois, sometimes Cinq Couronnes, after its original name Five Crowns.
- To avoid getting the wild card wrong, the rules suggest counting your cards: with three cards, the 3s are wild; with eleven, the jacks; with twelve, the queens; with thirteen, the kings.
- Strategy advised by the rules: keep your options open. A single round can turn the standings upside down, right up to the last one, when the kings are wild.
- For a big table, the rules suggest combining two boxes: up to fourteen people can then play.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family · Play with the game assistant
Variants
Game length
11 rounds (official rules)
6 rounds (short game)
A widely played house rule: 3 to 8 cards, half an hour. The official rules have 11 rounds.
13 rounds (extended)
House rule: two more rounds, up to fifteen cards. The official rules have 11 rounds.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What are the cards left in hand worth?
Number cards are worth their face value, the jack 11, the queen 12, the king 13. A wild card of the round is worth 20, a joker 50.
Can jokers and wild cards replace anything?
Yes, in a run as well as in a set. The rules set no limit on how many go in the same combination, and they may sit side by side: a combination made only of wild cards is therefore allowed too.
What happens when someone lays down all their cards?
Each of the other players gets one last turn: they draw, lay down what they can, discard, then the round ends and the cards left in hand are counted.
Can a run go from king to ace?
No: the game has no aces. Cards go from 3 to king, and a run does not wrap around.
How do you know which card is wild?
It matches the number of cards dealt in the round: the 3s with three cards, the 4s with four cards, and so on. Beyond ten, the jacks go wild with eleven cards, the queens with twelve and the kings with thirteen, for the eleventh and last round. Jokers are wild in every round.
Can you take a wild card from the discard pile?
Yes. You may always take the top card of the discard pile, whatever it is, joker or wild card included; never the ones underneath. That is why discarding a useless wild card saves you 20 points but may help your neighbour.
How many cards are there, and how many can play?
The game has 116 cards: two 58-card decks, each made of five suits from 3 to king and three jokers. Up to seven can play, and up to fourteen by combining two boxes, as the rules suggest.
Do you have to lay down all your cards at once?
Yes. You lay nothing down until you can place your whole hand in valid combinations, and you must always keep one card for the final discard. Only the last turn, once another player has gone out, lets you lay down part of your hand.