How to Play Loo
How to Play Loo
Five-card Loo is a lively trick-taking game for a small group. You need a normal deck of cards, some paper or a notes app for keeping track, and a few identical counters to represent the pool. If you need a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore, you can get one there. This guide uses one common beginner version; Loo rules differ by region and family, so your group can agree on house rules before the first deal.
Quick facts
| Fact | Beginner version |
|---|---|
| Players | 3–6, with 4–6 especially comfortable |
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck |
| Hand size | Five cards per player |
| Goal | Win at least one of the five tricks |
| Special card | Jack of clubs, called Pam, is the highest card |
| Play direction | Clockwise; deal passes left after each hand |
What you are trying to do
Each hand contains five tricks. A trick is one round in which every active player plays one card. Your main aim is to win one or more tricks. At the end, the pool is shared according to the tricks won. A player who stays in the hand but wins no trick is “looed” and adds five counters to the next pool. For a friendly game, counters are simply points or markers, not points. You can stop after an agreed number of hands and note who collected the most counters.
The cards in each suit normally rank from high to low: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Pam, the jack of clubs, beats every other card, including every trump card.
What you need
Use a standard 52-card deck with no jokers. You also need five counters for the opening pool, plus extra counters for later hands. Coins, buttons, or scraps of paper can work as counters, but keep them identical so nobody confuses them with cards. Choose a dealer at random for the first hand. The deal then moves clockwise, so the next dealer is the player on the current dealer’s left.
Set it up
Before each deal, the dealer places five counters in the centre. Add any counters left from the previous hand. This centre collection is the pool. Shuffle well and deal five cards to each player, one card at a time or in small batches, using the same method throughout the game. Put the undealt cards face down as a stock, then turn the next card face up. Its suit is the trump suit, the suit that can beat cards from other suits.
Starting with the player to the dealer’s left, each person looks at their hand and announces “stand” or “pass.” A player who passes puts their cards face down and does not play or collect from the pool. A player who stands must play the hand and can be looed if they win no tricks. If everyone passes except the dealer, the dealer takes the pool without playing, and the next hand begins with a fresh pool.
After all players have chosen, each person who stood may exchange some or all of their cards. In turn, beginning with the player to the dealer’s left, say how many cards you want to exchange: zero, one, two, three, four, or five. Place that number face down aside, then draw the same number from the stock. Do not look at replacement cards until they are in your hand. If the stock runs short, shuffle the discarded cards to make a new face-down stock. You do not get a second exchange.
How to play
- Choose the opening lead. The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick. If that player passed, the nearest active player clockwise leads instead. To lead means to play the first card of a trick.
- Follow the suit led. Everyone else plays clockwise. If you have a card in the suit led, you must play that suit. If you cannot follow the suit led, you must play a trump if you have one. If a trump has already been played, you must play a higher trump when possible. If you cannot follow suit and cannot beat the highest trump, you may discard any card, including Pam.
- Compare the cards. If the trick contains Pam, Pam wins it. Otherwise, the highest trump wins. If there is no trump, the highest card in the suit led wins. A card from another non-trump suit cannot win.
- Lead the next trick. The winner places the played cards in a visible row in front of them and leads the next trick. The winner must lead a trump if they have one; if they have no trump, they may lead any card. This restriction keeps the standard five-card Loo rhythm and gives trump cards an important role throughout the hand.
- Continue until five tricks are complete. Each active player has five cards, so everybody who stood will play once in each trick. Keep played cards face up in front of their winners, making it easy to count tricks.
Remember the special order: Pam is above everything; after Pam, any trump beats a non-trump; among cards in the same relevant suit, the usual high-to-low order applies. If two people think a rule was missed, pause before the next card and settle it together.
How you win
When the fifth trick ends, count each active player’s tricks. Divide the pool into five equal shares whenever possible. Give one share for every trick won. For example, if the pool has 15 counters and you won two tricks, you collect six counters. If a player stood but won zero tricks, that player is looed and contributes five counters to the next pool. Players who passed neither collect nor contribute for that hand.
If the pool cannot be divided perfectly, leave the extra counters in the centre and add the dealer’s five counters before the next deal. If you prefer a simpler family score, record one point per trick instead and treat the pool only as a visual reminder. Agree on that choice before starting.
Easy first-game tips
Keep at least one card in each suit when you can, because a hand with several suits gives you more chances to follow suit and save a strong card for later. Trump cards are powerful, but do not spend one too early unless it wins an important trick. Pam is unbeatable, so consider saving it for a trick where several players have already shown strong cards.
When deciding whether to stand, look for Pam, several trumps, or high cards in different suits. A hand full of low cards is risky, but exchanging can improve it. Watch which suits other players cannot follow: that clue helps you predict when someone may use a trump. Also remember that a trick winner with a trump must lead one on the next trick. Most importantly, announce every choice clearly and play at a steady pace. The first hand is for learning the rhythm.
Quick questions
Can a non-trump card beat the suit led?
No. If nobody plays Pam or a trump, the highest card of the suit led wins. A card from a different non-trump suit is lower than the led suit for that trick.
What happens if I pass?
You set your hand aside and take no part in the five tricks. You cannot collect from the pool, but you also cannot be looed for taking no tricks.