Rules for Pentathlon

Pentathlon is a varied card game that combines five different games into one. It's suitable for 3–5 players (best with 4) and typically takes 30–45 minutes. You need a standard 52-card deck (no jokers) and something to keep score with.

The goal is to finish with the fewest points after all five rounds. Each round has its own rules and challenges, which keeps the game interesting from start to finish.

All 52 cards are dealt to the players. It's important that all players have the same number of cards in every round except the fourth (Fan Tan). If the cards don't divide evenly, remove one or two red twos.

Examples:

• 3 players: Remove one red two (51 cards ÷ 3 = 17 cards each)
• 4 players: Use the full deck (52 cards ÷ 4 = 13 cards each)
• 5 players: Remove two red twos (50 cards ÷ 5 = 10 cards each)

In the fourth round (Fan Tan), use the full deck. It's fine if some players get one more card than others.

Card values vary between rounds:

• Rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5: Ace is highest, then K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2
• Round 4 (Fan Tan): King is highest, then Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A (ace is lowest)

Keep track of which value the ace has in each round, as it often matters.

In the first round, the goal is to take as few tricks as possible, ideally none.

How to play:

• The player to the left of the dealer leads with any card
• Other players must follow suit if they can
• If you can't follow suit, you may discard any card (but won't win the trick)
• The highest card of the led suit wins the trick
• The trick winner leads the next card

Scoring: Each trick gives 1 point (bad)

The second round is played like the first, but now clubs score points.

How to play:

• Same rules as round 1
• Try to avoid tricks containing ♣️
• Get rid of clubs when others have led a different suit

Scoring: Each ♣️ in your tricks gives 1 point

Tip: Count the clubs as they are played.

In the third round, avoid the four queens. They carry high penalty points.

How to play:

• Same trick-taking rules as before
• Be careful when high cards are played
• Try to discard queens onto others' tricks

Scoring: Each queen gives 4 points (16 points total in play)

The fourth round is completely different. Fan Tan is played.

How to play:

• The player with ♥️7 starts by playing it
• The next player can: play ♥️6 or ♥️8 (building on the sequence), start a new sequence with a different 7, or pass
• Sequences build outward from 7 in both directions: ...4-5-6-7-8-9-10...
• The goal is to get rid of all your cards first
• Remember: ace is lowest in this round

Scoring:

• Each pass gives 1 point
• Each card in hand when someone goes out gives 1 point
• The player who goes out first scores 0 points

In the final round, things are reversed. Now you want to take tricks.

How to play:

• Same trick-taking rules as rounds 1–3
• Try to take as many tricks as possible
• Use your high cards wisely

Scoring: Each trick gives -1 point.

This is your chance to recover from earlier rounds.

After each round, record the scores:

• Round 1: Number of tricks × 1 point
• Round 2: Number of ♣️ × 1 point
• Round 3: Number of queens × 4 points
• Round 4: Number of passes + cards in hand
• Round 5: Number of tricks × -1 point

Add up all points. The player with the lowest total wins.

Example: Anna: 3+5+8+7-4 = 19 points, Bob: 5+2+4+9-6 = 14 points. Bob wins.

Some tips for doing well at Pentathlon:

• General: Keep track of which cards have been played
• Rounds 1–3: Get rid of high cards early when you have the chance
• Round 2: If you must take a trick, try to take one that contains no clubs
• Round 3: Be careful when high cards are played in the suits that contain queens
• Round 4: Play 7s first if you have them, otherwise cards close to 7
• Round 5: Save your aces for the end of the round

Some variations to try:

• Alternative scoring: Some play with each queen worth 5 points instead of 4
• Six-Round Game: Add an extra round for more variety
• Seven-Round Game: Seven different rounds for a longer challenge
• Trump variant: Some play round 5 with a trump suit (for example, ♠️ as trump)
• Double points: The last round gives -2 points per trick

Try different options to find what suits your group.