Gamehelpcalypso

Overview

• Four 52-card decks shuffled together.
• Trick-taking game.
• 4 players in fixed partnerships opposite one another: major suits ​♥ ​♠ vs minor suits ​♣ ​♦.
• Each player is assigned one 'calypso' trump suit.
• Each deal is 52 cards and passes left.
• First deal of a new round is dealt by the previous dealer.
• High ⇨ low: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2.

Play

• Player left of the dealer leads the first trick.
• Taker leads the next trick.
• Clockwise turn order.
• Must follow suit, else discard (renouncing).
  • If a player renounces, a suit indicator displays this fact for the remainder of the hand.
• Can lead with a trump.
• Following suit is never trumping.
• Highest rank trump wins, else highest rank of the suit led wins.
• With more than one card of the highest rank, the first played wins.

Examples led by North

North ​♠	East ​♣	South ​♥	West ​♦	Winning reason
6♠ Win	5♠	10♠	K♠	highest rank trump ('lead trump')
6♠	5♠	3♥ Win	K♠	highest rank trump ('trumped in')
6♠	5♠	3♥	4♦ Win	highest rank trump ('over trumped')
7♣	9♣	A♣ Win	Q♣	highest rank of suit led
7♣	9♣	A♣ Win	A♣	1st highest rank of suit led
7♣	J♣	6♥ Win	9♣	highest rank trump ('trumped in')
7♣	J♣	6♥ Win	3♦	highest rank trump ('trumped in')
6♥	J♣ Win	K♥	10♥	highest rank trump ('trumped in')
6♥	J♣ Win	K♥	J♦	1st highest rank trump ('trumped in')

Calypsos

• Calypso = 13 cards A ⇨ 2 in a trump suit.
• Taker and partner fill in their calypsos with cards won.
• All other cards face down on their trick-pile.
• Completed calypsos are set aside to start the next calypso.
  • Note: cards in trick piles cannot be used in calypsos.

Scoring

After a round of four hands, players score individually:

• 1st calypso = 500 points.
• 2nd calypso = 750 points.
• 3rd/4th calypso = 1000 points.
• incomplete calypsos = 20 points/card.
• trick piles = 10 points/card.

Partners combine their scores.

Options

Game Length

Standard, short - 1 round (4 hands)

Medium - 2 rounds (8 hands)

Longer - 3 rounds (12 hands)

Full rotation - 4 rounds (16 hands)

• 4 rounds - everyone gets to be first player once

Renounce indicators

Renounce indicators on

• Renounce indicators show suits that players have failed to follow suit to

Renounce indicators off

Partnerships

Random

• Partnerships are allocated randomly

By table order - 1st and 3rd against 2nd and 4th

By table order - 1st and 2nd against 3rd and 4th

By table order - 1st and 4th against 2nd and 3rd

Game log detail

All cards played are entered into the gamelog

Only trick winners are entered into the gamelog

How to Use the Lead in Calypso

These short notes are from Calypso: The four-trump game, published by Jo Culbertson in 1955. There is much more to the game, but hopefully these few ideas gleaned from the book will give a sense of how to play the game and therefore make it more enjoyable

• Leads of your own suit

Leads of your own suit will always win unless they are trumped. When others lead your suit, it is an ordinary suit, not a trump.

If you do not have protection in your own suit (Ace or at least a King) lead your low trumps when you have the lead to collect them for a Calypso. If you have protection, and can win an opposing lead of your own suit, do not lead your suit.

The question is how many tricks of your suit to lead if you do not have protection:

With 1, 2, or 3 small trumps, lead all of them. With 4 or 5 more small trumps, lead two of them and possibly a third. With 7 or more small trumps, lead one of them.

If opponents lead your suit, and you use up protection to take the lead, continue leading your small trumps, less the number of tricks of them already played.

If your partner shows out of your trumps, carry on leading them no matter your suit length, because your partner can trump in—or discard a valuable opposing Calypso card.

• Leads of opposing suits

Leading opposing suits is good, because they are ordinary suits not trumps. Especially, lead winners in opposing suits. Pull out opoosing Calypso cards.

With a choice, usually lead the opposing suit in which you are longer. Thereby, hopefully void your opponent's suit before it can be led. If you have winners in either suit, lead them first, no matter your length in opposing suits.

With no difference between the opposing suits, usually lead the suit of the player on your left. The opposing player on your left doesn't yet know what your partner will do, and a finesse is possible.

• Leads of your partner's suit

Almost never lead your partner's suit when you have a choice. If you have high cards in your partner's suit save them for when the opponents lead it. If you have low cards in your opponent's suit, the opposing players may be high and will strip out your opponent's Calypso cards. Leave it to your partner to lead low cards in their suit.