9 Lives

What Will You Do With 9 Lives?

Trick Taking with Visible Suits

A trick taking game where you always know what suits your opponents are holding.

Have you ever heard the myth about cats having nine lives? In this trick-taking game you’ll put that to the test. Each round, you’ll bet how many tricks you can win. Are you confident you'll win four hands? Or, do you think you'll be able to sneak one win and tank the other hands?

Be careful, because every victory will add a card back into your hand! Can you outwit the other players and earn nine lives before they do?

Strategy

No Bad Hands

9 Lives builds on the rich trick-taking foundation (Spades, Heart, etc), but then turns it sideways.

1. The backs of the cards show what suit they are. It REALLY affects the way you plan a trick taker when you know what suits people have.

2. You take a card from that trick into your hand, after you win said trick. You'll want plenty of plays to understand all the strategies this unlocks.

3. There aren’t any “bad” hands. As long as you can predict how many tricks you are going to take, you can score.

3. There aren’t any “bad” hands. As long as you can predict how many tricks you are going to take, you can score.

Game Overview

1. Make Your Bid

After the cards are dealt, look at your cards AND around the table to see what suits your opponents have. Will you call your shot and confidently bet on a specific number of won tricks? Or, will you hedge your bets? You’ll have a better chance at scoring, but gain less points if you do.

2. Play Out Hands

All players play cards in-turn. Don’t forget about the trump cards and your goals! There are no bad hands in 9 Lives–in fact, you’ll often want to “lose” hands to make sure you hit your bet!

3. Score (Or Lose Lives!)

If you hit your soft bid, gain two points. If you called your shot perfectly, gain four points! Didn't match your prediction? Lose points equal to how much you missed it by!

4. First to 9 Lives Wins!

Did you play it safe, or go for glory? The fact that you can't get negative points causes some players to play very confidently!