Overview
Haggis is a climbing card game for 2-3 players. Players try to empty their hand of cards before opponents while capturing valuable scoring cards during play. Additional points can be earned by betting on being the first to shed all cards. The game is played over multiple rounds until a target cumulative score (250 for short, 350 for long) is reached.
Components
- 54 playing cards: ranks 2-10 in 5 suits, plus 3 Jacks, 3 Queens, and 3 Kings
- 3 Player Aid cards
- Rules document
Card rankings (low to high): 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
Point cards: 3s, 5s, 7s, 9s (worth 1 point each in captures), J (2 points), Q (3 points), K (5 points)
Setup
2-player game: Remove one complete suit, one Jack, one Queen, and one King from the deck before play.
- Select a dealer for the first round.
- Place 1 Jack, 1 Queen, and 1 King face-up in front of each player (these are wild cards).
- Shuffle remaining cards and deal 14 face-down to each player.
- A player’s hand = 14 dealt cards (held in hand) + 3 wild cards (face-up on table).
- Set aside remaining cards (8 for 2 players, 3 for 3 players) as the Haggis – do not look at them.
Turn Structure
Each round consists of multiple tricks:
- Lead: Opening player plays a card combination (set, sequence, or bomb).
- Follow: Each player clockwise may play a higher-ranking combination of the same type and size, or a bomb, or pass.
- Trick end:
- 2-player: trick ends as soon as one player passes
- 3-player: trick ends when two players pass in succession (a player who passed may still play later until the trick ends)
- Capture: Winner captures all cards in the trick (unless won by a bomb – see Special Rules).
- Next trick: Winner leads the next trick.
Actions
Card Combinations
Sets: Groups of cards of the same rank (singles, pairs, 3-of-a-kind, up to 8-of-a-kind).
Sequences (runs): Three or more singles of consecutive rank in the same suit, or two or more larger sets of consecutive rank. Each card in a set must be of the same suit.
Wild Cards (J, Q, K): May substitute for any lower-ranked card in a set or sequence. When in a sequence, wild cards take whatever suit is needed. Wild cards can also be played naturally (e.g., J as a single beats 10). Combinations must contain at least one non-wild card (otherwise it is a bomb).
Bombs (ranked lowest to highest)
| Rank |
Bomb |
| 1 |
3-5-7-9 in 4 different suits (no wilds) |
| 2 |
J-Q |
| 3 |
J-K |
| 4 |
Q-K |
| 5 |
J-Q-K |
| 6 |
3-5-7-9 all in one suit (no wilds) |
Bombs can beat any combination except a higher-ranked bomb.
Beating a Combination
- Must be the exact same type and same number of cards, with higher-ranking cards
- Exception: bombs can beat any non-bomb combination and can only be beaten by higher-ranked bombs
Scoring / Victory Conditions
Scoring per Round
1. Cards in opponents’ hands: The player who goes out scores 5 points per card remaining in the hand of the opponent who held the most cards (wild cards count).
2. Captured point cards: All point cards (3, 5, 7, 9, J, Q, K) captured during tricks score their point value for the capturing player.
| Card |
Point Value |
| 3, 5, 7, 9 |
1 each |
| Jack |
2 |
| Queen |
3 |
| King |
5 |
3. Bets: If the bettor went out first, they score the bet amount. If the bettor did NOT go out first, the bet amount goes to the player who went out first AND to any other opponent who did not bet.
Betting
- Declared at any time before the player has played any cards
- Bet levels: 0 (No Bet), 15 (Little Bet), 30 (Big Bet)
- All players may bet independently; bets need not be equal
- Once placed, bets cannot be retracted or altered
Winning the Game
Play rounds until an agreed cumulative score is reached or passed:
- Short game: 250 points
- Long game: 350 points
- Tied scores: continue playing until one player leads
Special Rules & Edge Cases
- Bomb trick capture: When a trick is won by a bomb, the captured cards go to one of the winner’s opponents (winner chooses which). Tournament variant: captured by the player with the next-highest combination played.
- 3-player passing: A player who passes may still play on subsequent turns within the same trick, until 2 players pass in succession.
- End of round: When all but one player has shed their cards, the round is over. The last player captures all cards in the final trick (unless it was a bomb). All remaining hand cards plus the Haggis go to the player who went out first.
- Dealer for subsequent rounds: The player leading in points deals. Tie: winner of the last round deals.
- First lead in subsequent rounds: Player with fewest points leads. Tie: player to left of dealer leads.
- Wild cards in hand: Wild cards on the table count as part of your hand for card-count purposes.
Player Reference
| Combination |
Description |
| Single |
1 card |
| Pair |
2 cards same rank |
| 3-of-a-kind |
3 cards same rank |
| Run of singles |
3+ consecutive ranks, same suit |
| Run of pairs |
2+ consecutive pairs |
| Run of larger sets |
2+ consecutive sets of same size |
| Bomb |
Special point-card combinations |
Bet amounts: 0 / 15 / 30
Target scores: 250 (short) or 350 (long)
Hand size: 14 dealt + 3 wild cards = 17 total