What Is Cassino?
Cassino (also Casino) is a classic fishing card game that’s been played since the 1700s. Players use cards from their hand to capture cards on the table — either by matching the same rank or by matching the sum of multiple table cards. It’s more strategic than it appears: capturing the most cards, most spades, and specific point cards (Aces, 10♦, 2♠) determines the winner.
What You Need
- A standard 52-card deck
- 2 to 4 players
- Score pad
Setup
- Deal 4 cards face-down to each player.
- Deal 4 cards face-up to the center of the table.
- Place remaining cards as stock — additional hands will be dealt throughout.
How to Play — Step by Step
- On your turn, play one card from your hand to either capture or trail.
Capturing by Matching
If your card matches the rank of one or more table cards, you can capture ALL of them. Play your card plus take the matching table cards into your personal capture pile.
Capturing by Building
You can combine table cards with a card from your hand to build a sum equal to another card in your hand. Announce the build value: ‘Building 8’ (if a 5 and 3 are on the table and you play a 5 to make 8, intending to capture with an 8 from your hand). Your opponent can take over your build if they also have the right card!
Trailing
If you can’t or don’t want to capture, play a card face-up to the table (trailing). This is sometimes useful for strategic positioning.
Dealing New Cards
When all players are out of cards, the dealer deals 4 more cards to each player (not to the table). This repeats until the deck is exhausted. Remaining table cards go to the last player who made a capture.
Scoring
- Most cards: 3 points
- Most spades: 1 point
- Big Casino (10♦): 2 points
- Little Casino (2♠): 1 point
- Each Ace: 1 point (4 total)
- Sweep (capturing all table cards in one play): 1 point per sweep
Winning
First player to reach 21 points wins. Or play the full deck and score — highest wins.
Strategy Tips
- Protect your builds — don’t build if you might not capture it next turn.
- Capture the 10♦ and 2♠ as priorities — they score disproportionately.
- Trail Aces carefully — they’re worth points and opponents will target them.