Kaboo Rules: How to Play, Snap and Score

What you need and the objective

Sheffield’s Kaboo card game rules are for two or more players. The source does not state a maximum player count or specify exactly how many jokers to include, so agree on the latter before you start.

Your aim is to have the lowest total value in the cards in front of you when the round ends. You will know some cards at the beginning, but the rest require memory, observation and decisions about whether to exchange or remove them.

In this guide, your hand means the cards laid face down in front of you, not cards held in your hand.

• Players: Two or more.
• Cards: A standard deck including jokers.
• Optional: Paper or a device to record scores if you agree to play several rounds.

Set up a round

Deal four cards face down to each player. Each person arranges their cards in a square, with two cards nearest them and two farther away.

Place the remaining deck face down as the stockpile. Turn its top card face up beside it to begin the discard pile.

Each player privately looks once at the two cards nearest them. Remember their values and positions, then leave them face down. Do not look at them again unless a special action allows it.

The player to the dealer’s left takes the first turn. Play then proceeds clockwise. Keep track of card positions: a card you once knew may later be exchanged or swapped.

• Far row: Two face-down cards you do not inspect during setup.
• Near row: Two face-down cards you look at privately once during setup.

How to play Kaboo

To understand how to play Kaboo, start with the three choices available on your turn. You can draw from the stockpile, take the top discard and exchange it, or call Kaboo instead of drawing.

If you draw from the stockpile, look at the drawn card. You may exchange it for one of your own face-down cards, putting the displaced card on the discard pile. Alternatively, discard the drawn card. If that drawn card has a qualifying special action, you can use the action when you discard it.

If you take the top card from the discard pile, exchange it for one of your own cards and put the displaced card on the discard pile. The card you take is known to you; the card you give up may not be, unless you have previously seen and remembered it.

For example, you might draw a 3 and exchange it for a face-down card whose value you do not know. You place the 3 in that position and reveal the displaced card on the discard pile. Whether the exchange improved your total depends on what you gave up.

The third option is to call Kaboo when you believe your total is lowest. That starts the final turns, described below. Snaps can also occur outside the ordinary turn sequence.

• Draw from the stockpile and either exchange the card or discard it.
• Take the top discard and exchange it for one of your cards.
• Call Kaboo instead of drawing.

Card values and special actions

The following values and actions are based on the University of Sheffield Card Gaming Society’s version. Sheffield describes the ace as low; this guide interprets it as worth 1 point.

The listed powers apply when you draw a qualifying card from the stockpile and discard it. Do not assume that every special card automatically activates when it is displaced in an exchange or taken from the discard pile; those cases are not established by the Sheffield instructions.

For example, if you draw and discard an 8, you can privately look at one of your own face-down cards. Leave it face down afterwards and try to remember both its value and position.

A blind swap means exchanging a card with another player without first looking at the cards being swapped. Other versions may assign different values and powers to the same cards.

• Ace: 1 point; no special action specified.
• 2 to 6: Face value; no special action specified.
• 7 or 8: Face value; look at one of your own cards.
• 9 or 10: Face value; look at one of another player’s cards.
• Jack or queen: 11 or 12 points respectively; blind-swap a card with another player.
• Black king: 13 points; look at another player’s card and decide whether to swap.
• Red king: 0 points; no special action specified.
• Joker: −1 point; no special action specified.

Snapping matching cards

In Sheffield’s version, a player can snap at any time when a face-down card matches the discard. Only the first snap is valid. You can attempt to snap one of your own cards or one belonging to another player.

A correct snap of your own card removes it from your hand. For example, if a 5 is on the discard pile and you correctly snap a 5 from your layout, you have one fewer card to count at the end.

A correct snap of an opponent’s card also helps you reduce your hand: you can give that opponent one of your own cards. An incorrect snap, however, adds two penalty cards to your hand. A guess is therefore costly if your memory is wrong.

For a practical way to handle the cards, F.G. Bradley’s separately published Cabo (Kaboo) rules say to return an incorrectly snapped card to its original position and add two face-down penalty cards. After a successful opponent snap, they say to move one of your cards into the resulting gap. These are compatible procedures from another source, not rules established in every version.

There is an important restriction after a call: the caller’s cards must not be touched. Sheffield also does not fully explain the sequence if a snap and a special action compete for attention, so settle that timing before the round.

Calling Kaboo and the final turns

Calling Kaboo is a turn choice. On your own turn, instead of drawing, call when you believe your cards have the lowest total. Sheffield’s version does not require your hand to be at or below a particular number of points.

After the call, every other player gets one final turn. The caller does not get another turn, and the caller’s cards must not be touched during this period. That protection prevents opponents from snapping or swapping the caller’s cards.

In a three-player round, for example, if player A calls, players B and C each take one final turn. Everyone then reveals their remaining cards and calculates their total. B and C can still affect their own hands during those turns, so A’s belief that they were ahead at the moment of calling may not hold at the reveal.

Kaboo scoring and winning

For Sheffield Kaboo scoring, first reveal the cards and add the values in each player’s remaining hand. Compare those unadjusted totals to determine whether the caller was outright lowest.

If the caller’s total is lower than every other player’s, subtract 5 from the caller’s score. If the caller ties for lowest or has a higher total than someone else, add 5 instead. The objective is to finish with the lowest score.

Suppose the caller’s cards total 6 and the other player’s cards total 9. The caller is outright lowest, so their adjusted score is 1: 6 minus 5.

Now suppose both players’ cards total 6. The caller has not finished outright lowest, so their adjusted score is 11: 6 plus 5. The other player’s score remains 6. In both examples, the call is assessed using the card totals before the caller adjustment.

Sheffield does not specify a general tie-break for other tied players or a target for a multi-round match. If you want to keep a running score, agree on the number of rounds or another ending condition, as well as how to handle ties.

Variations and decisions to agree on

Commercial CABO is a related low-score memory game, but its instructions should not be mixed into this walkthrough. The current CABO publisher describes matching cards on a player’s turn and a five-point penalty for an unsuccessful call. Sheffield instead allows any-time snapping and uses its own minus-five or plus-five caller adjustment.

Even commercial editions differ. The 2019 Bézier CABO second-edition rulebook specifies a ten-point unsuccessful-call penalty and ends the round when the deck is depleted. The current publisher describes reshuffling when the draw pile runs out. If you own a CABO product, check the instructions for your edition.

Sheffield leaves several practical details open. Choose your answers as house rules rather than treating them as published Sheffield rules:

• How many jokers will be included?
• What happens if the stockpile runs out?
• How will you resolve a snap attempted as a special action is being used?
• Will an invalid call, such as one made out of turn, be disregarded?
• If playing several rounds, when does the match end and how are general ties handled?

Tips for beginners

These suggestions follow from the mechanics above; they cannot guarantee a low score or a successful call.

• Remember positions as well as values. Knowing where a low card sits helps you avoid exchanging it accidentally.
• Watch the discard pile. A revealed card can tell you something about a player’s layout, but a later swap may make that information outdated.
• Snap when you are confident. Removing a card can help, while an incorrect snap adds two cards to your hand.
• Consider the final turns before calling. Opponents can still improve their hands, and a tie for lowest gives the caller a five-point penalty.

FAQ

How many players can play Kaboo?

The Sheffield rules specify two or more players but do not state a maximum. Make sure the group has enough cards for the deal and stockpile, and agree on a different arrangement if the deck will not accommodate everyone. Other versions may specify their own limits.

Can you play Kaboo with two players?

Yes. Two players fall within Sheffield’s stated range, and its instructions do not specify a separate two-player adjustment. Each player receives four cards, and the non-caller takes one final turn after a call.

Do you need three points or fewer to call Kaboo?

No, not in the Sheffield version. You call on your own turn when you believe your total is lowest, even if you think it is above three. A separately published player-authored version uses a three-point threshold, so check which rules your group has chosen.

What happens if someone calls Kaboo at the wrong time?

An unsuccessful call and an invalid call are different issues. Under Sheffield’s rules, a caller who ties for lowest or does worse receives five extra points. The source does not specify a procedural penalty for calling out of turn or after drawing. Agree beforehand whether to disregard such a call rather than automatically applying the scoring penalty.

Can you snap a caller’s cards during the final turns?

No. Sheffield says the caller’s cards must not be touched after the call. That also prevents another player from swapping with the caller’s cards during the final turns. The rule does not give the same stated protection to every other player’s cards.

What happens when the stockpile runs out?

The Sheffield instructions do not specify what happens, so agree on a procedure before play. The current commercial CABO publisher describes reshuffling the discard pile while leaving its top card, but that procedure is not automatically part of Sheffield Kaboo.

Are Kaboo and CABO the same game?

They are related low-score memory games, but the names do not guarantee identical rules. Sheffield Kaboo allows any-time snaps and uses a minus-five or plus-five caller adjustment. Commercial CABO has different matching and scoring instructions, which can also vary by edition.