Five Crowns Rules Explained (with Scoring)
Five Crowns is rummy with one big twist: a wild card that changes every hand, climbing from 3s all the way to Kings over eleven hands. If you can make sets and runs, you already know 90% of the rules. Here’s the other 10%, plus exactly how scoring works.
What’s in the box
Five Crowns uses two 58-card decks shuffled together — 116 cards total. The thing that throws new players is the fifth suit.
There are five suits: hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds, and a fifth suit of stars. Each suit runs from 3 to King (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King) — there are no 2s or Aces. On top of the suited cards, there are six jokers, and jokers are wild in every single hand.
Worth knowing: there are no Aces and no 2s in Five Crowns. The lowest card is a 3. If you’re used to standard playing cards, that’s the detail that’ll trip you up first.
The goal
The goal of Five Crowns is to finish each hand with the lowest score, and low score wins after all eleven hands. You score points for cards left in your hand when someone goes out — so you want to be the one going out, or at least be caught holding as little as possible.
You “go out” by arranging your entire hand into books and runs with no leftover cards.
- A book is three or more cards of the same number, any suits — like three 7s.
- A run is three or more cards of the same suit in sequence — like 5-6-7 of stars.
Every card in your hand has to belong to a book or a run when you go out. One card is set aside as your final discard.
The eleven hands and the changing wild card
This is the rule that makes Five Crowns its own game. You play eleven hands, and the number of cards dealt grows by one each hand — and the wild card always matches that number.
The rule: the wild card each hand is whatever rank matches the number of cards dealt. Three cards dealt = 3s wild. Thirteen cards dealt = Kings wild.
Here’s the full progression:
| Hand | Cards dealt | Wild card |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Jokers are wild in addition to the current rank, every hand. Wild cards can stand in for any card in a book or run.
How a turn works
A turn in Five Crowns is two steps: draw, then discard.
- Draw one card — either the top card of the face-down deck or the top card of the face-up discard pile.
- Discard one card face-up onto the discard pile.
That’s the whole turn. Play passes to the left. You keep taking turns, building toward a hand of complete books and runs.
Going out and the final turn
The first player whose entire hand forms valid books and runs lays them all down on their turn — that’s “going out.” They discard their last card and reveal their combinations.
Once someone goes out, every other player gets exactly one more turn. On that final turn you draw and discard like normal, trying to complete as many books and runs as possible to minimize the cards left in your hand. Then everyone reveals and scores.
You’re holding 5-6-7 of hearts (a valid run), three 9s (a valid book), and one stray King. The player to your right goes out. On your final turn, you draw — if you can’t use the King, you discard it so it doesn’t count against you, and you score only whatever you can’t get rid of. Always dump your highest leftover card on that final turn.
How scoring works
You only score the cards left in your hand after going out — laid-down books and runs are worth zero. Here’s exactly what each card costs you:
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 through 10 | Face value (a 7 = 7 points) |
| Jack | 11 |
| Queen | 12 |
| King | 13 |
| Current wild card | 20 |
| Joker | 50 |
Add up your leftover cards each hand and keep a running total across all eleven hands. The lowest total score after the eleventh hand wins. The player who goes out scores zero for that hand — which is exactly why going out matters so much.
The two numbers that surprise people: the current hand’s wild card is worth a steep 20 points if you’re caught holding it, and a joker is a punishing 50. Never end a hand with a wild in your hand if you can help it.
If you want to get good once you’ve got the rules down, our Five Crowns strategy guide covers go-out timing and wild-card discipline. And if you’re still deciding whether to buy it, here’s our full Five Crowns review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Five Crowns step by step?
Deal the starting hand, then on each turn draw one card from the deck or discard pile and discard one. Build your hand into books (3+ same number) and runs (3+ same suit in sequence). The first player to arrange their whole hand goes out, everyone gets one final turn, then you score leftover cards. Repeat for all eleven hands.
How many cards do you deal in Five Crowns?
It changes every hand. The first hand you deal three cards, the second hand four, and so on up to thirteen cards in the eleventh and final hand. The number of cards dealt always matches the wild card for that hand.
What are the wild cards in Five Crowns?
Jokers are wild in every hand, plus one rank per hand that matches the number of cards dealt. In the three-card hand 3s are wild, in the four-card hand 4s are wild, climbing to Kings in the final thirteen-card hand.
What is a book and a run in Five Crowns?
A book is three or more cards of the same number in any suits, like three 8s. A run is three or more cards of the same suit in sequence, like 6-7-8 of clubs. To go out, every card in your hand must belong to a book or a run.
How many points is a joker worth in Five Crowns?
A joker is worth 50 points if it’s left in your hand when someone goes out — the most painful card in the game. The current hand’s wild card is worth 20. That’s why you always want your wild cards laid down on the table, not stuck in your hand.
Does the lowest or highest score win Five Crowns?
The lowest score wins. You’re trying to avoid points, not collect them. You score the cards left in your hand each time someone goes out, and the player with the lowest total after all eleven hands wins the game.
Can you play Five Crowns with regular cards?
Not easily — Five Crowns needs the fifth star suit and has no Aces or 2s, so a standard 52-card deck won’t replicate it. The changing wild card and five-suit structure are core to the game, so you really need the actual Five Crowns deck.
Once you’ve played one full game, the rules disappear into the background and the only thing on your mind is whether to go out now or risk one more turn. That’s the whole appeal.