Traditional card games
Yaniv
- players
- 2–8
- minutes
- 25
- years
- 8+
In the box
54-card deck
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Hand ManagementSet Collection
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
With 54 cards, jokers included, each player receives five cards: the aim is to score as few points as possible. On your turn, discard one card or one combination, then take a card; with 5 points or less in hand, you can call “Yaniv” and score 0 if you have strictly the lowest total, otherwise it is “Assaf” and a penalty. Over 200 points, you are knocked out, and the last player still in wins.
Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026
Never played? Aim of the game and full rulesStep by step, with examples, for a first game.The rules, step by step
Setup
54 cards with jokers, 5 cards each, Jack, Queen, King 10
- A 54-card deck, jokers included. Two to five players ideally, up to eight; from four players up, some shuffle two decks together.
- Card values: Ace 1, 2 to 10 face value, Jack, Queen and King 10, Joker 0.
- Five cards each. The rest forms the stock, whose top card is turned over to start the discard pile.
- The first player is drawn by lot; in later rounds, the winner of the previous round starts.
How to play
Discard, then take, Yaniv at 5 points max
- On your turn, first discard one card, or a single combination: cards of the same rank, or a run of at least three cards in the same suit (the Ace counts low; a joker stands in for any card in a run).
- Then take just one card: the top card of the stock, or one of the cards the previous player has just thrown, the first or the last of their combination.
- At the start of their turn, instead of playing, a player whose hand is worth 5 points or less may call "Yaniv". Nothing forces them to.
- When the stock runs out, shuffle the discard pile, except the cards thrown last, to make a new one.
Scoring
Lowest caller: 0, Assaf: +30 penalty, Exactly 100 → 50
- When Yaniv is called, everyone shows their hand.
- If the caller has strictly the lowest total, they score 0, and each of the others scores the value of their hand.
- Otherwise it is "Assaf": an opponent has as much as the caller or less. The caller scores their hand plus a 30-point penalty, and all the others score their hands, including the player who made the Assaf.
- Halving rule: a total that lands exactly on 100 goes back down to 50, and exactly on 200 to 100.
End of the game
Over 200: knocked out, Last player in wins
- A player who goes over 200 points is knocked out; the others carry on.
- The last player still in wins the game.
House rules and pitfalls
Customs vary a lot.
- Customs vary a lot. The versions kept here are those of Pagat and English Wikipedia, which agree on the Assaf and on being knocked out over 200.
- Calling limit: 5 points in the Israeli rules, but some tables play to 6, 7, 10 or even more. The higher it is, the shorter the rounds.
- Limit: in Nepal you are out over 100, with no halving rule. Other tables stop the game at the first knockout, and the lowest total wins.
- The halving rule has its variants: 200 brought back to 150; 50 taken off at every multiple of 50 hit exactly; or the total halved at every multiple of 50 hit exactly (50 gives 25, 150 gives 75). Settle yours before you play.
- Assaf, a variant quoted by Pagat: only the caller and those with more than the caller score their hands; those with as much or less score 0.
never played?Aim of the game and full rules9 chapters · about 3 min read
Object of the game
Bring down the value of your hand by getting rid of your high cards. When it is worth 5 points or less, you may call "Yaniv!" to end the round. If nobody has as much as you or less, you score zero and the others score their hands. But if an opponent has as much or less, it is "Assaf!", and the caller takes a 30-point penalty. Players who go over 200 points are knocked out.
Equipment
A 52-card deck and its two jokers (54 cards). Two to five players ideally, up to eight; from four players up, some shuffle two decks together so as not to run out of cards.
Card values
- Ace: 1 point.
- 2 to 10: face value.
- Jack, Queen, King: 10 points.
- Joker: 0 points.
Preparing a round
- Deal five cards to each player, one at a time.
- Put the rest face down: this is the stock.
- Turn over the top card of the stock: it starts the discard pile.
- In the first round, draw lots for who starts. After that, it is the winner of the previous round, the player who had the lowest total.
The turn
Each turn has two actions, in this order: first discard, then draw.
Discard. Place on the discard pile, face up, a single card or a single combination:
- a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind (cards of the same rank);
- a run of at least three consecutive cards in the same suit (5, 6, 7 of spades), laid down in order. The Ace counts low: Ace-2-3 is a run, Queen-King-Ace is not. A joker can stand in for any card in a run.
Draw a card. Just one, however many cards you threw: either the top card of the stock, or one of the cards the previous player has just discarded. If they put down several, you may only take the first or the last.
for example
Léa discards two Kings. Tom could take one of those Kings, but that would be pointless. He discards his 9 and draws a 2 from the stock: his hand has just gone down by 7 points.
If the stock is empty, shuffle the discard pile, except the cards the last player has just put on it, to make a new stock.
Calling "Yaniv"
At the start of their turn, instead of discarding, a player whose hand is worth 5 points or less may say "Yaniv!". They are never obliged to, and can only do it at that moment. Everyone shows their hand.
- If the caller has strictly the lowest total, they score 0, and each of the others scores the value of their hand.
- If an opponent has an equal or lower total, it is "Assaf!": the caller scores their hand plus 30 points penalty, and all the others score their hands, including the player who made the Assaf.
for example
Tom calls Yaniv with 4 points. Sam shows an Ace and a joker: 1 point. Assaf! Tom scores 4 + 30 = 34 points, and Sam scores 1 point.
End of the game
A player who goes over 200 points is knocked out (100 at some tables, notably in Nepal). The last player still in has won. Some tables stop the game at the first knockout: the lowest total wins.
The halving rule
A common rule in Israel: a player who lands exactly on 100 goes back down to 50, and exactly on 200 goes back down to 100. There is no shortage of variants (exactly 50 brought back to 25, 200 brought back to 150, or 50 taken off at every multiple of 50 hit exactly): announce yours before the game. You can even aim for these marks by calling Yaniv on purpose to lose just the right amount.
Tips for beginners
- Get rid of court cards quickly: they are worth 10 and you can easily draw more.
- Keep a joker: it is worth nothing and completes a run.
- Watch what your right-hand neighbour discards: you are the one who can pick it up.
- Do not call Yaniv on 5 if an opponent has just picked up low cards.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Elimination
Over 200 points
Over 100 points
The Nepalese version, without the halving rule.
Stop when someone reaches 100 points
House rule: the game stops as soon as a player reaches 100 points; the lowest total wins.
Stop when someone reaches 200 points
House rule: the game stops as soon as a player reaches 200 points; the lowest total wins.
Table rules
Without the halving rule
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What is the aim?
To finish each round with the lowest hand, so as to score as few points as possible. When yours is worth 5 points or less, you may call "Yaniv": if nobody has as much as you or less, you score zero.
How does a turn work?
First discard a card or a combination (cards of the same rank, a run of three in one suit), then take a card: from the stock, or from among those the previous player has just thrown. You discard before you draw, the other way round from rummy.
What happens if someone has as much as the caller or less?
It is an "Assaf": the caller scores their hand plus a 30-point penalty, and the others score their hands as usual. Calling too early is costly.
What are the cards worth?
Ace 1, 2 to 10 face value, Jack, Queen and King 10, Joker 0. Add up your hand to know your total.
How does the game end?
Points add up from round to round. Over 200 points (100 at some tables), a player is knocked out; the last player still in wins.