WINNERS!!! WINNERS!!!

Just wanted to post a few pics of some recent winners... feel free to add/update accordingly! :)
~Em

Liverpool Rules

Liverpool is a multi-player, multi-round card game (similar to Phase 10) that adds features like buying and going out. These rules have been passed down through the Jacobsen family and have been used at Link gatherings over the past few years.

The Deck
The game is played with multiple (typically 2 - for 4 to 5 players, 3 decks for more) standard 52-card playing deck plus jokers (2 per deck). The ranking from low-to-high is A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A. Aces can be low or high.

Dealing
Dealership rotates to each play from round to round. The dealer to the first round is usually determined by selecting a card from the deck - high card deals first. The dealer deals an eleven card hand to each player. After all the cards have been dealt, another card (up-card), is placed face-up in a central location known as the discard pile. The remainder of the pack is called the deck.

Cutting the Deck
The dealer shuffles the cards and the player to the right cuts the deck. The dealer deals from the stack that is left behind. If the player manages to cut the exact number of cards required to deal the hand (with or without a face-up card), then all players except the person who cut the deck receives a 25 point penalty.

Gameplay
On each turn, a player:

• May allow any player to buy the top card from the discard pile.
• Draws either the face-up card of the discard pile or one card from the deck.
• May lay down their completed round-appropriate collection of sets and runs.
• May play off other players who have laid down once they have laid down themselves.
• May discard one card from their hand onto the discard pile.

Play continues, in alternating turns, until one player goes out, or has no cards left in their hand. Points are tallied and recorded by the score keeper. All of the cards are shuffled and the next round of play commences.

Requirements for Laying Down
The requirements for each round of play are as follows:

1. 2 sets (6 cards)
2. 1 set + 1 run (7 cards)
3. 2 runs (8 cards)
4. 3 sets (9 cards)
5. 2 sets + 1 run (10 cards)
6. 1 set + 2 runs (11 cards)
7. 3 runs (12 cards) *

* Player must have a discard to go out. You must buy to complete this round.

Buying
After each player has finished their turn by discarding, the discarded card may be "bought" by any other player or picked up by the next player as part of their turn. If the next player draws from the draw pile and places it in their hand, buying is no longer available. At any point before viewing the draw card, the player may change their mind and pick up the card from the discard pile to prevent the card being bought. Alternatively, if the card was purchased from the discard pile, the next card in the discard pile may be picked up by the player whose turn it is.

The "price" for picking up these extra cards is drawing 2 additional cards from the deck. If more than one player desires to buy the card, the player who is nearest (clockwise) the player who is about to draw gets precedence. Each player may only buy twice during the game and is not eligible to buy after laying down.

Wild Cards
Jokers are wild and can represent any card (suit and number). However there are restrictions on their usage:

• Once a joker has been played in a set, it is dead and can not be replaced at a later time.
• Jokers (w) can not be back to back in a run. Legal example: 7♥ 8♥ w 10♥. Illegal example: 7♥ w w 10♥.

During their turn while playing off another player, a player may replace that other player's laid joker from within a run with the card it is substituting, so long as that joker is placed somewhere else or in the player's hand before the player concludes their turn. An easy way to "waste" the extra joker if it doesn't allow you to lay additional cards is to simply add it to a set, as this prohibits another player from performing the wild card substitution trick again.

Playing off other players
Once a player has laid down, they can then attempt to further reduce the number of cards in their hand by adding to other players' laid cards. If another player has laid down a set of 3's (3♥ 3♣ 3♠) and you have a 3 in your hand, you may lay it down on his pile. A player who has laid down a run of hearts (3♥ 4♥ 5♥ 6♥), you may add a 7♥ to their pile.

Scoring

At the end of each round when a player goes out, the rest of the players total their scores by counting up the value of the cards remaining in their hands. Cards are valued as follows:

• Aces are 20 points each.
• 2 through 9 are 5 points each.
• 10, J, Q and K are 10 points each.
• Jokers are 50 points each.
  

The player with the lowest point total at the end of final round wins, so players usually work to lower their scores by going down, playing off other players who have gone down and, secondarily, replacing high cards (such as face cards and aces) with lower ones.

CALLING ALL LINKS

Hey you... yeah, I'm talking to you.  The one that's red in the face, fuming from the ears, and foaming at the mouth.  I completely understand your passion, pain and furry... I mean, really... only an "nonLink" would throw down such a card, wreck your hand, ruin your strategy, and just totally MESS up the game!  Please, please... take the time to "educate" them.  I'll wait.  They obviously don't know how to play the game properly!

juuuuust kidding!  okay, ladies and gents... I've created the first "Link Family" blog.  So if you are an outright, 100%, tried and true Link, a fortunate recipient of the Link genetic pool, or a brave sole who married a Link, this blog is for you!

My intent is for it to be used for all things "LINK" related.  This includes but is not limited to the following:

• rules for card games
• "Link" rules for card games
• disputes of the rules of card games
• rants about the absurdity of some of the rules of the card games (probably the ones that "made" you lose the game which, depending on the support you rally, will result in a change of the "Link" rules for said game)
• friendly "joshing"
• outright ridicule (a kids got to learn!)
• age requirements and stipulations to sit down at a Link table to play (rule no. 1: must be able to shuffling)
• Link card lingo (bisz bisz means (a) a drink (b) a term of endearment (c) to shuffle properly (d) to leave the table crying)
• photos of the winners (obviously a Link)
• photos of the LOSERS! (obviously not a Link)
• overall stats and tally of winners and losers (otherwise, why play, right?)
• and any other "Link" stuff (like sharing of recipes, stories, photos, etc... you know, the lesser competitive, more loving stuff!!!)

I hope you all visit the blog (bookoflink.blogspot.com) and become "followers".

Also, this blog is open for anyone to post.  But in order to do so, you must log in under the admin email/password.  Not too complicated (even a nonLink can do it!).  You just need to log in as followings:

1. in your internet browser type: bookoflink.blogspot.com
2. upper right corner, click: log in
3. user name: **REMOVED BY CHRISTIE**
4. password:**REMOVED BY CHRISTIE**
5. to post a new blog, click on "new post"

lemme know if anyone has any questions, forgets the password, or is just generally confused by the use and abuse of blogging.  I'd be happy to help ya navigate and post your rants accordingly.

Love you all and am excited to see how this blog unfolds.  

XO, Em (50% Link) Tharpe