A simple game about getting rid of your hand of cards. All players must match a drawn card (by value or colour) in order to get rid of it. Higher valued cards (showing elder members of the Zahlemann family) take precedent over younger ones so getting rid of the baby is the toughest. Once one player goes out, the other players must pay the value of their remaining cards.
Game intelligence
1. Distribute starting coins to each player: 1×50, 1×20, 2×10, 2×5, 4×2, and 4×1. 2. Shuffle the full deck of cards. 3. Deal 5 cards face-down to each player. Players hold their hand cards so no other player can see them. 4. Place the remaining cards face-down in the centre of the table as the draw pile. 5. Flip the top card of the draw pile face-up and place it next to the draw pile to start the discard pile. 6. The youngest player takes the first turn of the first round.
On your turn, you must play one card from your hand onto the discard pile, matching either the value or the colour of the current top card. If you have a matching card, play it and end your turn — the next player must now match the new top card. If you have no matching card, draw the top card from the draw pile; if it matches you may play it immediately, otherwise your turn ends and play passes left. When you play your second-to-last card you must announce 'Zahlemann'; failure to do so requires you to draw a penalty card (which cannot be played immediately). When you play your last card, announce 'Zahlemann und Söhne' to end the round and collect payments from all other players.
At game end (triggered by a player going bankrupt or being unable to pay), all players count their remaining coins. The player with the most coins wins. Scoring sources: Collecting coin payments from other players when you win a round by emptying your hand, Minimising your own payments by holding low-value cards when an opponent goes out
Source: Rulebook
The most useful rules for getting a first game right.
There are six card values, each represented by a different family member: Baby = 1, Boy = 2, Older Brother = 5, Dad Poen = 10, Grandpa Poen = 20, Great-Grandpa = 50. These values are fixed and never change. Each value exists in six different colours: red, blue, yellow, green, grey, and purple, giving 36 cards in total.
At the start of the game each player receives the following coins: 1×50, 1×20, 2×10 (=20), 2×5 (=10), 4×2 (=8), and 4×1 (=4), for a total of 112 coins. These coins serve as both the currency for paying round winners and the measure of victory at game end.
The full deck is shuffled. Each player is dealt 5 cards face-down and holds them so opponents cannot see them. The remaining cards form the draw pile, placed face-down in the centre of the table. The top card of the draw pile is flipped face-up and placed beside the draw pile to form the discard pile. This face-up card sets the initial matching requirement for the first player.
In the very first round, the youngest player takes the first turn. In all subsequent rounds, the player who paid the most coins to the previous round's winner becomes the starting player. In the event of a tie for most paid, the rules do not specify a tiebreaker — players may decide amongst themselves (e.g., youngest among those tied).
When it is your turn, you must play one card from your hand onto the discard pile. The card you play must match the current top card in one of two ways: (a) it has the same numeric value as the top card, regardless of colour, or (b) it has the same colour as the top card, regardless of value. Example: if the top card is a Blue 50, you may play any other 50-value card (of any colour) or any other blue card (of any value). After playing, your turn ends and the next player must match your newly played card.
If you have no card in hand that matches the top discard card (by value or colour), you must draw the top card from the draw pile. If this drawn card matches the top discard card, you may play it immediately on the same turn. If the drawn card does not match, your turn ends and the card stays in your hand. You may only draw one card per turn in this situation.
When you play the card that leaves you with exactly one card in hand (i.e., your second-to-last card), you must announce 'Zahlemann' at the time of playing it. If you forget to announce 'Zahlemann' and another player notices before the next player takes their turn, you must draw the top card from the draw pile as a penalty. This penalty card cannot be played immediately even if it would match the top discard card.
When you play your final card from your hand, you announce 'Zahlemann und Söhne'. This immediately ends the current round. You are the winner of the round. All other players must now pay you coins equal to the total value of the cards remaining in their hands.
Since you collect coins equal to opponents' remaining card values (rule: round_payment), it is almost always better to go out quickly — even discarding low-value cards — than to hold high-value cards hoping for a bigger payout. A fast win with opponents holding mid-value hands beats a slow win with opponents holding only 1s.
Forgetting to announce 'Zahlemann' forces you to draw a penalty card that you cannot immediately play (rule: zahlemann_announcement). This not only adds a card to your hand but also signals to opponents that you are close to winning, giving them time to prepare. Stay alert, especially in fast turns.
The game ends the moment any player goes bankrupt (rule: game_end_trigger). Watch how many coins opponents have. If a player is low on coins, winning one more round against them could end the game — which is great if you are ahead, but dangerous if you are behind. Timing your round wins relative to opponent wealth is key.
You pay opponents exact amounts and may make change (rule: making_change), but change requires cooperation. Hoarding large denominations can be risky if you owe an odd amount and no one will make change. Keep a variety of denominations when possible.
In the variant, a value-1 (Baby) card lets you play an additional card immediately (rule: variant_value_1_bonus_play). This is a powerful hand-thinning tool. Saving a value-1 card for late in your hand — especially as your second-to-last card — lets you go from two cards to zero in one turn, potentially catching opponents off guard before they can react.
In the variant, playing a value-50 card skips the next player entirely and forces them to draw (rule: variant_value_50_draw_penalty). This is especially powerful when an opponent has just one or two cards and is close to winning. Use 50s offensively to stall frontrunners, not just as colour/value matches.
The value-2 card causes all players to pass their entire hand to the left (rule: variant_value_2_pass_hands). This is a double-edged sword: it can rescue you from a terrible hand but gift a great hand to your left neighbour. Assess whether the player to your left is a bigger threat than the player to your right (who receives your current hand) before playing a 2.
No. The penalty card drawn for forgetting 'Zahlemann' cannot be played immediately, even if it matches the top discard card. It stays in your hand and you must wait for your next turn.
Yes, you may play the drawn card immediately if it matches. And yes, if playing it leaves you with exactly one card in hand, you must announce 'Zahlemann' at that moment, just as you would on any other play.
When you play the value-1 card (your second-to-last), you should announce 'Zahlemann'. You then immediately play your last card and announce 'Zahlemann und Söhne', ending the round. Both announcements happen in quick succession on the same turn.
No. When a value-50 card is played against you, you must draw a card and your entire turn is skipped — you may not play any card, including the drawn card or any card already in your hand.
Yes. Every player — including you — simultaneously passes all remaining hand cards to the left. You pass whatever remains in your hand after playing the 2. The 2 itself is on the discard pile and is not passed.
The game ends immediately as soon as any player cannot pay their full debt. The rules state the game is over at that point and everyone counts remaining money. The rules do not explicitly address partial payment — the most reasonable interpretation is that any coins the bankrupt player does have are paid out before counting, but the game ends regardless.
The rules do not specify a tiebreaker for the new-round starting player. Players should agree on a method before the game (e.g., youngest among those tied, or a quick coin flip).
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