The development and release of Scrunch! has been postponed.
Scrunch Overview
Scrunch is a card game played with four players that is known by manty other names such as 'Up the River, Down the River'. The game uses a trump suit that changes with each hand. After the cards are dealt, each player places a bid. Points are added to the player’s score when the bid matches the number of tricks that were taken.
The first hand is played with ten cards. The following hand is played with nine cards, then eight, and so on, until only one card is dealt to each player. The next hand is played with two cards, with each subsequent hand increased by one card until the last hand of ten cards. Trump is determined by turning a card over from the deck after the cards have been dealt.
Each player must take a turn as dealer. The deal rotates clockwise and changes with each hand. The player to the left of the dealer always bids first. The bid continues clockwise, ending with the dealer. The dealer is at a disadvantage during the bidding phase of the game since the total number of bids can not equal the number of cards dealt.
The player that bids first also leads. Any card may be played, including a trump card. Play continues clockwise with each player following suit. If the player is not holding a card of the led suit, any other suit may be played. The player with the highest card of the led suit wins the trick unless a trump card has been played, whereas the highest trump takes the trick. The player who takes the trick leads next.
After the hand has been played out, if the number of tricks taken matches the player’s bid, the player receives ten points plus one point for each trick. If the bid was not made, no points are added or subtracted from the player’s score.
How To Play
The Deal:
The dealer is selected randomly at the beginning of each game. The current dealer's name is printed in dark red. The current bidder's name is displayed in white text.
​
Bidding:
To bid, tap cards in your hand to represent the number of tricks that you think you will take. (The cards do not have to be the ones that you expect to win a trick with. We're just going for a number here.) A second tap on a card removes it from the count. Tap 'Submit' to record your bid. To bid zero, tap 'Submit' without tapping any cards.
​
Playing:
Any card can be led, even a trump card. To play a card, tap it and then tap 'Submit'. You do not need to tap 'Submit' when playing the last card in your hand. If you try to play an illegal card, it will blink to indicate that you must follow suit. After all four players have played a card, the trick winner's name will blink. Tap 'Next' to move on to the next trick or to end the hand or game. When you win a game, you will receive 25 coins. Coins are used to purchase various cheat tokens.
Bidding correctly is essential to win at Scrunch. Since all the cards in the deck are not dealt, it is possible for a two to be the highest card in a suit. This, along with the fact that the bids can not add up to the number of cards dealt can make bidding difficult. Count your trump cards and look for high cards in the other suits. If you are holding a lot of cards in one suit, this may mean that the other players don’t have many, or any cards in that suit. This could allow you to control the lead, or make it easier to throw cards away.
Many players simply count their trump and subtract one or two depending upon the supporting cards in their hand. When in doubt, bid low. It is usually easiest to throw cards away.
Since each player must follow suit until they are out of cards in the led suit, try to remember when another player trumps or throws a card from another suit. This will help you determine which cards in your hand are most likely to take tricks.
Knowing which card to lead can often make or break the hand for you. If it is your lead and you haven’t made your bid, try to lead a card that will win the trick for you. If you already have the number of tricks that you bid for, lead a low card that you think will be taken by another player. If trump has been played out, the player with the lead will often take the remaining tricks.
If there is no way you will make your bid, it is good strategy to try and hinder your opponents. You can do this by trying to make them take more tricks than they bid or by taking a trick that they need. You will know which strategy to use by looking at the number of tricks your opponents have taken compared to their bids.
If you make your bid, it is in proper tradition to say, “I made mine!” with gusto. This intimidates the other players, and is proven to bring good luck.
Hints
Glossary
Ace – The highest card in a given suit. An ace is indicated by the letter “A” and has one large suit symbol in the center.
Bid - The number of tricks a player expects to take in the hand.
Card Numbering – Cards are numbered, in order of value as follows: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J (Jack), Q (Queen), K (King), and A (Ace).
Hand - The cards a player holds, or the name given to the act of playing through the dealt cards.
Jack – A jack is equivalent to a card that would have the number 11 on it. Jacks have a picture of a young prince on them and are labeled with the letter “J”.
King – The second highest card in a given suit equivalent to a card that would have the number 13 on it. The card has a picture of a king and is labeled with the letter “K”.
Lead - To play the first card in a round. The led suit is the highest for that round. Only a trump card will beat the led suit.
Round - The act of playing for one trick. Each player plays one card in each round.
Suit - The four suits are Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades as shown here:
​
​
Queen – The third highest card in a given suit equivalent to a card that would have the number 12 on it. The card has a picture of a queen and is labeled with the letter “Q”.
Trick - The cards played after one round. The player with the highest valued card will take the trick.
Trump - The most powerful suit. The trump suit is determined by dealing an extra card and placing it face up for all the players to see. The suit of this face up card is trump.
