5 Crowns Rules, Wild Cards by Round and Score Keeper
5 Crowns is rummy with a twist that trips up new players every game: the wild card changes every round. Here are the rules in plain English, a round-by-round wild card chart to keep on the table, and a score keeper that shows whose deal it is and adds up the cards left in your hand.
5 Crowns in 30 seconds
- The game lasts 11 rounds. Round 1 deals 3 cards to each player, and every round adds one more card, ending with 13.
- The wild rank is the number of cards you were dealt (3s in round 1, Kings in round 11). Jokers are wild every round.
- On your turn, take the top card of the draw pile or the discard pile, then discard one card.
- Your aim is to turn your whole hand into books (three or more of the same rank) and runs (three or more in a row in one suit).
- When someone goes out, everyone else gets one more turn. Cards you could not use count against you.
- Lowest total after round 11 wins.
Wild card for each round
If you forget which card is wild, count your hand at the start of the round. That number is wild. The deck has no 1s or 2s, so round 1 starts at 3s.
| Round | Cards dealt | Wild card (plus jokers) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 3s |
| 2 | 4 | 4s |
| 3 | 5 | 5s |
| 4 | 6 | 6s |
| 5 | 7 | 7s |
| 6 | 8 | 8s |
| 7 | 9 | 9s |
| 8 | 10 | 10s |
| 9 | 11 | Jacks |
| 10 | 12 | Queens |
| 11 | 13 | Kings |
5 Crowns score keeper
The cards
A full game uses two 58-card decks shuffled together, 116 cards in all. There are five suits: stars, hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds. Each suit runs 3, 4, 5 and so on up to 10, then Jack, Queen and King. Each deck adds three jokers, so six jokers are in play.
Because there are two decks, you can hold two identical cards, such as two Queens of hearts. They can sit in the same book.
Books and runs
A book is three or more cards of the same rank. Suits do not matter: 9 of stars, 9 of clubs, 9 of clubs is a book.
A run is three or more cards in a row, all in one suit: 4, 5, 6 of diamonds, or 10, Jack, Queen, King of spades.
Wild cards can stand in for any card in a book or a run, and you can use as many as you like, even side by side. In round 5 (7 cards, 7s wild), Jack of hearts, 7 of clubs and a joker make a book of Jacks.
How a round works
- Deal. Shuffle both decks together and deal one card at a time, clockwise, until each player has that round's count. Put the rest face down as the draw pile and turn its top card face up to start the discard pile.
- Take a card. The player on the dealer's left goes first. Take either the top card of the draw pile or the top card of the discard pile. Only the top card is available.
- Discard. End your turn by putting one card face up on the discard pile. Keep your books and runs hidden in your hand; you do not lay them down as you go.
- Go out. When, after drawing, every card but one fits into books and runs, lay them all down and discard the last card. Only as many cards as you were dealt can go into your books and runs, because one card always has to go on the discard pile. That last discard is allowed to be a card that would have fit.
- Last turns. Every other player takes one more turn. They draw, lay down any books and runs they can make, and discard. Whatever is left in their hand counts against them.
- Next round. The deal moves one seat to the left. Deal one more card than last round and move the wild card up one rank.
You may not add cards to another player's laid-down books or runs. If the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new one. If you are stuck holding a wild card you cannot use, you are allowed to discard it to save the 20 points, though it may help the next player.
5 Crowns scoring
Cards used in books and runs score nothing. Every card left over counts against you:
| Card left in hand | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 through 10 | Face value |
| Jack | 11 |
| Queen | 12 |
| King | 13 |
| This round's wild rank | 20 |
| Joker | 50 |
A wild card is only worth 20 in the round where it is wild. In round 1 a King left in hand is 13; in round 11 the same King is 20.
Example, round 3 (5 cards, 5s wild): you are caught holding a 5 of stars, a 9 of hearts and a joker. That is 20 + 9 + 50 = 79 points. The player who went out scores 0.
What the scoring means for play
- A joker you cannot fit anywhere is the most expensive card in the game. If someone looks close to going out, using it in any book or run beats holding it.
- The last rounds deal 11, 12 and 13 cards, and a stuck hand there can cost more than 100 points. A big lead after round 8 is not safe; the box's own slogan is that the game is not over until the Kings go wild.
Options and house rules
The first three come from the official instructions. The rest are table habits, not official rules, so agree on them first.
- Ties (official). Share the win, or deal a 6-card round to the tied players only.
- Big groups (official). The box is for 1 to 7 players. Shuffle two complete games together to play with up to 14.
- Solitaire (official). The instructions include a one-player version where you build all 11 hands at once.
- Shorter game (house rule). Some families stop after fewer rounds when time is short. The keeper still shows all 11 rounds; the leader at any point is the player with the lowest total so far.
- Reading the wild card aloud (house habit). The dealer calls out the wild card when dealing. It saves the round-4 argument about whether 6s or 5s are wild.
5 Crowns questions
What is wild in 5 Crowns?
Jokers are wild in every round. On top of that, one rank is wild each round, and it always matches the number of cards dealt: 3s when you hold three cards, 4s when you hold four, up to Kings in the last round with 13 cards.
How many points is a joker worth in 5 Crowns?
A joker left in your hand when the round ends costs 50 points. The round's other wild card costs 20. Number cards count their face value, Jacks 11, Queens 12 and Kings 13.
Can you play on another player's books or runs?
No. The official rules do not allow adding cards to anyone else's books or runs. You can only use the cards in your own hand.
Who wins 5 Crowns?
The player with the lowest total after all 11 rounds. If two players tie, the rules allow sharing the win or dealing a 6-card tiebreaker round for the tied players.