The Play

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Declare or Decline

The Dealer has the first opportunity to Declare, and does so by accepting the revealed Trump suit (says Yes) and begins the Round as the Leader.

The Leader is the player who plays the first card, or cards, of any Trick. Only the Leader can use the Big Bear cards and the Little Wolf cards as Wildcards to create Sets or Runs.

Players must always play the same number of cards as played by the Leader.

The player that wins the Trick becomes the Leader.

If the Dealer Declares, the Dealer adds the Pups to their hand, and discards any Four cards of their choice face down. The Round is then played with the revealed suit as the Trump suit.

If the Dealer Declines the revealed Trump suit (says No), the Dealer places the Pups on top of the remaining stack of undealt cards, and the opportunity to Declare and begin the Round as the Leader is passed on to the next player, moving in a clockwise direction.

If any player other than the Dealer Declares, the Round is played with the revealed suit as the Trump suit, but the Declarer is not entitled to look at or add the Pups to their holding.

If all players Decline, the Round is played with the revealed suit as the Trump suit, and the Leader defaults to the Dealer.