Hotspot Cards — Rules

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards.

Normal play

On your turn, play a card matching either the suit or rank of the current card. For example, on 7♥ you may play any Heart or any other 7.

Power cards

Ace — Change suit. An Ace is wild. Play it and choose Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs or Spades as the active suit.

Jack — Reverse. A Jack reverses the direction of play.

King — Skip. A King skips the next player.

Queen — optional extra go

Playing a Queen gives you the option to play another legal card immediately. The Queen and its follow-up card can be selected and played together as one turn action. For example, Q♠ + 5♠ is a legal two-card sequence. If those are your final two cards, you go directly to zero and win — LAST CARD is not required.

You are never forced to use the extra go; you may play a Queen on its own and deliberately end your turn. The follow-up must still be legal against the Queen. Another Queen can be used as the follow-up and grants another extra go, so Queens can be chained.

Example: Q♥ → Q♣ → 3♣. The first Queen allows Q♣; Q♣ then allows 3♣. You may select the whole legal sequence together.

A Queen's extra go can also lead into a 3+ matching-rank play. For example: Q♥ → Q♣ → 3♣ + 3♥ + 3♠ + 3♦.

2s — Pick up

Every 2 adds two cards to the pickup penalty: one 2 = pick up 2, two 2s = 4, three = 6, four = 8, and so on. A player facing the penalty may play another legal 2 to increase and pass it on, otherwise they must draw the whole accumulated penalty.

Playing 3 or more matching cards

If you hold three or more cards of the same rank, you may play them together. The first selected card must be legal against the current card/suit; the remaining selected cards are allowed because they share its rank. With two decks there is no four-card limit.

You do not have to use this rule. You may choose to play just one card and keep the others.

For a 3+ group of power cards, only the final/top card normally activates its power. For example, four Kings laid together skip only one player. 2s are the exception: every 2 in the group contributes +2 to the pickup penalty.

LAST CARD!

If a completed play leaves you holding exactly one card, you have 5 seconds to press LAST CARD!. If you miss it, you pick up one penalty card and everyone sees the missed-call animation.

If a legal play takes you directly from several cards to zero, you win immediately and do not need to call Last Card. Example: Q♥ followed by 3♥ + 3♠ + 3♣ as your remaining cards can take you directly to zero.

Winning and the next game

The first player to legally reach zero cards wins. The host presses Deal for the next game, but the host does not automatically start. The opening player rotates one active seat around the table after each completed game, regardless of who won.

Spectators and rooms

Approved members may enter while a game is underway. They watch and chat as spectators until the next Deal, when they join if a seat is available. There can be up to 8 active players. Locking a room blocks new membership requests but does not stop existing approved members entering.

Remember

You control your strategy. The game does not force you to use a Queen's extra go or to lay a matching group simply because you can.