Number of Players: 2 or more Cards Used: 1 full deck of 40 kabufuda cards Game Length: Not set Goal: To get as close to 9 as possible At the beginning of each round of play the dealer is decided by having each player draw a card from the deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer. The other players should sit in a circle in the order of their drawn cards, from right to left. Play now begins. The dealer shuffles the deck and passes it to each player. Any player can shuffle or cut the deck as they wish. Once they are all satisfied, the dealer deals one card face-up to each player including himself. Each player bets the same amount as their card. If they have a 5, then they bet 5. Once each player has placed their bet, the dealer deals each player one card face-down. The players look at their cards and add the total of the two cards. The goal of Hiki-kabu is to get a total of 9 or as close to 9 as possible. If the total is 10 or greater, the first digit of the number is ignored. So a hand of 17 is the same as a hand of 7, and a hand of 10 is the same as a hand of 0. Once all the players have learned their current totals, the dealer asks each player (going right to left) if they would like any more cards. If they do, the dealer deals them a third card face-up. There are two rules in Hiki-kabu concerning taking cards that apply to all of the players (including the dealer): players are not allowed to take a 3rd card if their current total is 7 or higher, and they are required to take another card if their total is 3 or less. Now for the showdown. The cards are revealed. The player with the highest total wins the pot. If there is a tie, the players split the pot evenly. If all players have the same total, then the dealer wins the pot. There are two more special rules for Hiki-kabu. If a player has three identical cards in their hand, their hand counts as a 9 and all players have to pay triple their bet. The other rule applies only to the dealer. If the dealer's first card is a 9 and his second card is a 1, he wins regardless of what cards the other players have (even if its a three of a kind like above). If his first card is a 1 and his second card is a 9, this rule does not apply.