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How to play Five Crowns Card Game for Rulebook haters

I wrote this Five Crowns card game rules guide to help you get started quick without going through lengthy rulebooks.

What is Five Crowns Card Game about?

Players play 11 hands/rounds. In each round, players attempt to play all their cards by making card combinations.

Setting Up Five Crowns Card Game

There are two 58-card decks. Each deck has three Jokers and five suits: stars, hearts ♥, clubs ♣, spades ♠, and diamonds ♦.
Each suit has eleven cards: 3 through 10, Jack, Queen, and King.

Wild Cards

Jokers are always Wild Cards.
Rotating Wild cards rotate based on the number of cards dealt that round:
- when 3 cards are dealt, the 3s become wild,
- when 4 cards are dealt, the 4s become wild,
- and so on until the last round when the Kings become wild.

Dealer deals cards

Select a dealer who shuffles both decks of cards together.
In the first round, deal three cards, one at a time, clockwise, to each player. After every round, one more card is dealt.
For example, after the second round, deal 4 cards, then 5 cards, and so on until each player is dealt 13 cards.
Form the draw pile with the remaining cards and flip the top card over.

Step-by-Step Five Crowns Card Game Rules

Overview of gameplay

Players play 11 hands/rounds.
In each round, players try to play all their cards by making card combinations.
Points are awarded to those with cards in hand at the end of each round.
After 11 rounds, the player with the lowest score wins.

Gameplay each round

Player on the dealer’s left starts
Pick the top card from the discard pile OR the draw pile to begin your turn
Form Books and/or Runs card combinations until you can go out

Forming Books
Three or more cards of the same value regardless of suit.

Example of a book in Five Crowns — Example of forming a book in Five Crowns

Any card in a book can be replaced by a wild card.
You can have as many wild cards in a book and they can be adjacent to each other.

Five Crowns Example of forming a book when 8 is a wild card — Five Crowns Example of forming a book with Wild Cards where 8 is the Wild Card

Forming Runs
A run consists of a sequence of three or more consecutive cards of the same suit.

Image Not Found — Example of forming runs

Any card in a run can be replaced by a wild card.
You can have as many wild cards in a run

Discard one card to end your turn.
Lay down your Books and/or Runs if GOING OUT on your turn or if another player has GONE OUT.

Going Out during the Round
Going out player places entire hand in books and/or runs on table before discarding their last card.
Remaining players have one more turn to lay down any books or runs before discarding acard to end their turn

Score the round

Unused cards (not used in books/runs) will count towards a player’s score.
Each number card is worth its face value, Jacks are 11 points, Queens are 12, Kings are 13, Jokers are 50, and the current wild card is 20 points

Begin New Round

Five Crowns Card Game Rules FAQs

How do you win Five Crowns?

Players play 11 rounds and compete to form card combinations that allow them to go out of each round. Players left in the round score points for unused cards. After 11 rounds, the player with the lowest number of points wins.

Can you play Five Crowns with 2 players?

2 to 7 players can play Five Crowns.

Can you play Five Crowns by yourself?

Yes. There are solo rules for Five Crowns. Click here

How much is a Joker worth in Five Crowns?

Jokers are worth 50 points. Each number card is worth its face value, Jacks are 11 points, Queens are 12, Kings are 13, and the current wild card is 20 points.