1988 Puesto n.º 9775 en BGG

Animal Poker

4–8 jugadores 60 min A partir de 10 años 1.4/5 de complejidad 5.6/10 de valoración

Acerca de este juego

Animal Poker, first released as Career Poker, offers each player a job at the firm of Crazy & Co. The positions within the company are constantly changing. So the boss's chair can start wobbling, and before you know it the journeyman is calling the shots. But beware! The last one left sitting on their cards gets stuck with the dirty work and is the dishwasher.

Qué sensaciones ofrece

Ladder Climbing Animals Children's Game Card Game

Inteligencia del juego

Aprende el juego

100% de cobertura de conocimiento

Preparación

1. DETERMINE ACTIVE JOB CARDS: Remove all job cards numbered higher than the current number of players. Shuffle remaining job cards and deal one face-down to each player. 2. PREPARE PLAYING CARDS: Take one complete set of number cards (1–13) per player. Always include all 3 freelancer cards. Remove any leftover number cards from the game. 3. REARRANGING SEATING ORDER (from 2nd session onward): All players reveal their job cards. The CEO stays in place. All other players reseat themselves in rank order clockwise: directly to the CEO's right sits the Trainee, then the next-highest rank, and so on, closing the circle back to the CEO. 4. TRAINEE DEALS CARDS: The Trainee shuffles all playing cards and deals 13 cards to each player. The Trainee receives the 3 remaining cards in addition to their own 13 (16 total). 5. SUPERIORS CASH IN: Higher-ranked players give their lowest cards to their paired subordinates and receive the subordinates' highest cards in return. Freelancers count as the highest card for this exchange. Exchange amounts: CEO ↔ Trainee: 3 cards each; 2nd-highest ↔ 2nd-lowest: 2 cards each; 3rd-highest ↔ 3rd-lowest (6+ players only): 1 card each. With 5 players, the middle-ranked job is unpaired and does not exchange. Jobs without a pair never exchange.

Flujo del turno

A session consists of multiple rounds played until only one player has cards remaining. Each round proceeds clockwise starting from the designated starting player. On their turn, a player either PLAYs or PASSes. The starting player must play one or more cards of the same number (and/or freelancers). Each subsequent player must play the exact same quantity of cards, all of the same number (or freelancers), and at a strictly higher number than the previous player — or they must pass (voluntarily or if unable). After every player has taken exactly one turn, the round ends: the Trainee collects all played cards face-down onto a discard pile. The player who played the highest cards in that round starts the next round. When a player plays their last card, they immediately claim the highest available face-up job card and sit out for the rest of the session. The session ends when only one player has cards left; that player takes the Trainee job.

Puntuación y victoria

The player who most recently claimed the CEO job card when the agreed play time expires is the overall winner. Fuentes de puntuación: Claiming the CEO job card by being the first to shed all cards in a session, Being the first to shed all cards each session earns the highest available job — earlier finishers earn higher-ranked jobs

Fuente: Rulebook

Reglas que debes conocer

Las reglas más útiles para jugar bien la primera partida.

Setup

Only use job cards up to the number of players.

Before the game, remove all job cards numbered higher than the current number of players and return them to the box. Only job cards numbered 1 through N (where N = number of players) are used. Shuffle the remaining job cards and deal one face-down to each player.

Setup

Prepare one complete set of number cards (1–13) per player, plus always 3 freelancers.

For each player in the game, include one full set of number cards 1 through 13 (so with 4 players: four 1s, four 2s, … four 13s). Always include all 3 freelancer cards regardless of player count. Any leftover number cards are returned to the box and not used.

Setup

Players sit in job-rank order; CEO stays put, Trainee sits directly to CEO's right.

At the start of every session (including the first, once jobs are revealed), all players turn their job cards face-up. The CEO remains in their seat. All other players rearrange so that the Trainee sits directly to the CEO's right, with each successive rank clockwise from the Trainee upward, closing the circle back to the CEO. Players place their job cards face-up in front of them.

Setup

The Trainee shuffles all playing cards and deals 13 to each player; the Trainee keeps the 3 remaining cards.

The Trainee shuffles all playing cards (number cards + 3 freelancers) and deals exactly 13 cards to every player including themselves. The 3 cards left over after dealing go to the Trainee, giving the Trainee a starting hand of 16 cards. No other player receives extra cards.

Setup

Higher-ranked players give their lowest cards to subordinates and receive their highest cards in return.

After dealing, paired superiors and subordinates exchange cards. The superior gives away their lowest-valued card(s) and receives the subordinate's highest-valued card(s). Freelancers count as the highest card for this exchange. The exchange amounts are: CEO ↔ Trainee exchange 3 cards; 2nd-highest rank ↔ 2nd-lowest rank exchange 2 cards; 3rd-highest rank ↔ 3rd-lowest rank exchange 1 card (only with 6+ players). With exactly 5 players, the middle-ranked job is unpaired and does not exchange cards. Any job without a paired counterpart never exchanges.

Turn structure

The CEO is the starting player of the first round of every session.

In the very first round of each session, the CEO takes the first turn. In subsequent rounds within the same session, the starting player is determined by who played the highest cards in the previous round.

Turn structure

The starting player must play one or more cards of the same number and/or freelancers.

The starting player of a round must play at least one card. All cards played must share the same number, or be freelancers, or be a mix of same-number cards and freelancers. The number of cards played sets the quantity that all subsequent players must match this round. It is not mandatory to play all cards of that number — the starting player may choose to play fewer.

Turn structure

Subsequent players must play the exact same quantity of cards, all the same number or freelancers, and at a strictly higher value than the previous player.

When it is not the starting player's turn, the active player must satisfy all three conditions to play: (1) play exactly the same number of cards as the starting player played this round; (2) all cards played must be the same number or freelancers; (3) the number played must be strictly higher than the number played by the previous player. A player may also pass voluntarily even if they could legally play.

Informe estratégico

Trainee's Strategic Burden

The Trainee starts with 16 cards (3 more than everyone else) AND must give away their 3 best cards to the CEO. This double disadvantage means the Trainee should focus on playing aggressively early to shed cards quickly, and prioritize holding freelancers — which are their most powerful cards and would be painful to surrender.

Freelancer Timing

Freelancers are the only cards that can beat a 13, making them uniquely powerful for ending a round on top and claiming the starting-player advantage. However, hoarding them risks being forced to give them away as your 'highest cards' during the next Superiors Cash In phase if you hold a high rank. Use them before the session ends if you're in a superior position.

Job Claiming Order

Going out first guarantees the CEO job (the best possible outcome). Since job quality strictly decreases for each subsequent player who goes out, going out second is dramatically better than going out third or later. Don't just aim to empty your hand — aim to do it before everyone else.

Starting Player Advantage

The starting player sets the card quantity and the opening number for the round, giving them significant control. Win the previous round's highest play to earn this privilege. Conversely, if you can't beat the current highest play, pass strategically to conserve your high cards for a round you control.

Card Quantity Selection

As starting player, choosing to play a larger group of cards (e.g., three of a kind) forces all subsequent players to match that quantity exactly — a powerful restriction that can make it impossible for card-poor players to respond, especially late in the session.

CEO Card Exchange Exploitation

The CEO receives 3 of the Trainee's best cards and gives away 3 of their worst. This compounds over sessions: a CEO who converts this advantage into going out first again perpetuates their dominant position. Break this cycle by using the exchange to give the CEO cards that cluster poorly (e.g., mid-range cards that are hard to play in groups).

Preguntas frecuentes y casos límite

What value does a freelancer have — is it always the highest card?

It depends on context. When played alongside number cards, a freelancer takes their number value. When played alone (without number cards), it counts as the highest number currently in play, beating even a 13. In the Superiors Cash In phase, freelancers always count as the highest card.

The player who played the highest cards this round just used their last card. Who starts next round?

Since that player is now out of the session, they cannot start the next round. Instead, the next player counterclockwise from them who still has cards in hand becomes the new starting player.

The Trainee starts with 16 cards and must also give 3 of their best cards to the CEO. How does this interact?

Yes — the Trainee deals, receives 3 extra cards (16 total), and then must give their 3 highest-valued cards to the CEO, receiving the CEO's 3 lowest cards in return. The Trainee ends up with 16 cards but potentially weaker ones.

In a 5-player game, does the middle-ranked player exchange cards?

No. With 5 players, the middle-ranked job is unpaired and does not exchange any cards with anyone during the Superiors Cash In phase.

The previous player played three 13s. Can I play any card?

No. The only legal play is three freelancer cards. No number card can beat a 13, so only freelancers — which count as higher than 13 when played alone — are valid. If you have fewer than three freelancers, you must pass.

Two players play their last cards in the same session — who gets the better job?

Players go out at different points across rounds; they do not go out simultaneously. The player who plays their last card first (in an earlier round, or earlier in the same round's turn order) claims the highest available job first. The second player out takes the next highest available job.

Who owns the discard pile and manages played cards?

The Trainee is responsible for collecting all played cards at the end of each round and placing them face-down in a discard pile on their side of the table. The Trainee manages this even if they are themselves still in the session.

Does the CEO always go first, even after the first round?

The CEO is only the guaranteed starting player for the very first round of each session. From the second round onward, the starting player is whoever played the highest cards in the previous round — this may or may not be the CEO.