How to play Matatu

🎯 Objective

• Be the first player to get rid of all your cards to win the game.
• Alternatively, cut the game when you have fewer than 21 points to win by lowest score.

🃏 Basic Play

• You can only play a card that matches the suite (♠♣♦♥) or rank (A,2,3...K) of the card on top of the pile.
• If you can't play, you must pick a card from the deck.
• When you have 2 cards left, other players will see a "warning" indicator.
• When you have 1 card left, other players will see a "card" indicator (red and pulsing).

⚡ Special Cards

• Ace (A): Change the current suite to any suite you choose. A of Spades also blocks 2s and Jokers.
• Two (2): Next player picks 2 cards or plays another 2/Joker to transfer penalty.
• Seven (7): If it matches the cutting suite, you can cut the game (only if your points ≤ 20).
• Eight (8): Skips the next player's turn completely.
• Jack (J): Reverses the direction of play (clockwise ↔ counterclockwise).
• Joker: Next player picks 5 cards or plays another 2/Joker to transfer penalty.

🛡️ Defense & Strategy

• Ace of Spades: Completely blocks 2s and Jokers - no cards to pick!
• Counter with 2s/Jokers: Instead of picking cards, play another 2 or Joker to pass the penalty to the next player.
• Stacking penalties: Multiple 2s and Jokers stack (2+2+Joker = 9 cards to pick).
• Plan your Aces: Use Aces strategically to change suits when you're stuck.

✂️ Cutting the Game

• Play a 7 of the cutting suite (shown at top right) to end the game early.
• You can only cut if your total card points are 20 or less.
• When someone cuts, the player with the lowest points wins.
• Cutting suite is randomly chosen at the start of each game.

🔢 Card Points

• Ace: 15 points
• King, Queen, Jack: 13, 12, 11 points respectively
• Number cards (3-10): Face value (3=3 points, 10=10 points)
• Two: 20 points
• Joker: 50 points

🏆 Winning

• Normal win: First player to play all their cards wins.
• Cut win: When someone cuts, lowest point total wins.
• Tie in cut: If points are tied, the player who cut wins.