Deal
Three players each receive sixteen cards from a pack of 48 comprising an ordinary 52 card pack without the tens. The card ranking in each of the suits is A K Q J 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. Card play and dealer rotation is always clockwise,
Clumond
Scoring for this game is done with the aid of playing chips and a pot or pool which is known as the clumond.
Object
The object of the game is to play thirteen tricks and to arrange for the three cards remaining to correspond to the exact number of tricks taken in play by way of a code described below.
Code for Target Number of Tricks
The players' remaining three cards determine their target number of tricks taken in play as follows:-
Only the suits of the cards is to be considered in the coding.
For each Club remaining, count 3,
for each Heart, count 2,
for each Spade count 1 and
for each Diamond count 0.
This gives possibilities for representations from 0 ( 3 x Diamonds) to 9 ( 3 x Clubs) with some targets having more than one representation.
eg. 5 = Club + Heart + Diamond
= Club + Spade + Spade
= Heart + Heart + Spade
For targets of 10 through 13, deduct 10, so that a representation for 0 is also that for 10, 1 is also that for 11, etc.
Clumond is the elision of "Clubs" and "Diamonds", the two suits which are the extremes. An easy way to remember the coding order of the suits is to remember how the name is derived and that the suits alternate in colour.
At the beginning of each hand, players each contribute an agreed number of chips (eg. two) as an ante. At the end of play of the thirteen tricks, players reveal their remaining cards to determine their targets. Unsuccessful players contribute a further chip per trick taken above or below par. Player(s) who manage to achieve their target withdraw one third the clumond after all contributing settlaments for that hand (rounding down if necessary).
Going for Clumond
Ordinarily, after the cards are dealt, the play of the hand is in No Trumps and settlement at the end of the hand is as described above. The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick. Before play commences, however, one player may "go for clumond" which carries with it greater risks, rewards and privileges.
The player who goes for clumond is known as the declarer. In any hand there may be at most one declarer, the option being first offerred to the dealer's left, the dealer's right if the option is declined and ultimately to the dealer if the option is declined by both players.
Declarer plays for the full withdrawal of the clumond if successful, but risks the clumond being distributed between his / her opponents on failure. This is the only settlement that takes place. Declarer's privilege is that he / she may set the trump suit to other than no trumps if desired. The trump suit is stated at the beginning, before the first card is led. If there is a declarer, the player to declarer's left leads to the first trick (declarer plays last).
Normal trick taking rules apply, (Suit led must be followed if possible, else any card may be played. A trick is taken by the highest card of the suit led or, if a trump is played, by the highest trump. The winner of a trick leads to the next trick).
Pencil and Paper (alternate) Scoring
As an alternative to using chips, the following scoring scheme may be used instead:-
Declared Hands:- +10 to declarer if successful,
(else) +5 to each defender if unsuccessful
Undeclared Hands: +2 to each successful player,
-1 per trick taken over or under par to unsuccessful players