The Rules
Objective
The goal is to have the fewest points by the end of the game.
Setup
Deal four cards to each player face-down in a 2×2 pattern. Place the deck in the center of the table.
Each player may look at and memorize the two cards closest to them before the game begins. After that, players may not look at their cards again unless they play a 7 or 8 (more on this later).
Choose a player to begin (typically the most recent winner) and proceed clockwise.
Taking a Turn
During their turn, a player must draw a card from the top of the deck and choose to:
- Play the card. Place it face-up in the discard pile. Some cards have special abilities (see cheat sheet). Using abilities is optional.
- Swap the card. Replace a card in their hand with the drawn card, placing the old one face-up in the discard pile. Cards lose their abilities if not played immediately.
Burning Matching Cards
If a player knows the position of a card that matches the top card of the discard pile (value only, suits don't matter), they may “burn” it by placing it face-up in the discard pile. Any player may burn a matching card at any time, even if it's not their turn, and they may burn cards from any hand on the table. Be quick — only one card may be burned at a time.
If a player successfully burns a card from another player's hand, they may give that player one of their own cards, which may not be looked at.
Penalties
A player must draw a card (without looking at it) and add it to their hand if they:
- Use both hands to quickly discard and burn another card (only one hand allowed).
- Rearrange their cards.
- Incorrectly burn a card that doesn't match the discard pile.
- Pick up a card to burn it, but another player beats them to it.
The player must also undo the action that earned them the penalty.
Winning
Once a player thinks they have the lowest score, they may call “Cambio” on their turn instead of drawing a card. If they have already drawn, it is too late to call “Cambio.”
After calling “Cambio,” their hand is frozen and may not be changed by any player. The other players each get one more turn. Then, all players reveal their cards and total their points (see cheat sheet for point values). The player with the fewest points wins.
In the event of a tie, the win goes to the player who didn't call Cambio. If still tied, the player with the fewest cards wins. If there's still a tie after that, decide it with Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Other Notes
- If you run out of cards in the deck, shuffle the discard pile to replace it. This is common among larger groups. If desired, you may combine multiple decks to avoid this.
- Some similar card games allow players the option to draw from the discard pile instead of the deck. This is not allowed in Cambio — players may only draw from the deck.
- The game continues even if a player runs out of cards. It only ends when a player calls “Cambio” as explained above.
- If a player with no cards burns another player's card, the other player receives no penalty.