Rules of Play

Little Wolf is a Two player Trump/No-Trump card game in which players score points by accumulating as many, or as few Tricks as possible.

Although Little Wolf was designed as a Two player game, it can be played with Three or Four players, or with Four players using partners.

All players begin with a score of 1 point and the game ends when a single player or team scores 15 or more points.

The Deck:

The Deck contains a total of 60 playing cards. It is comprised of a standard 52 card deck with the addition of Eight un-suited playing cards known as Den cards.

The Cards:

There are Four different types of Den cards, with Two of each type in the Deck. They are called the Worm, the Gong, the Big Bear and the Little Wolf.

The playing cards rank in ascending order beginning with the Worm, followed by the Ace through to the King, then the Gong, the Big Bear and finally the Little Wolf.

The suited cards are ranked lowest to highest from Ace to King, however, the suits themselves are not ranked.

The Den cards are ranked lowest to highest beginning with the Worm, followed by the Gong, the Big Bear and finally the Little Wolf.

All Den cards are considered Trump cards if a Trump card is revealed during the deal, and they assume the Trump suit designation together with their rank.

When No Trump suit is revealed during the Deal, the Den cards hold no suit designation but they maintain their rank.

The Den Cards:

There are Two Worm cards in the Deck and the Worm is the lowest ranked card in the Deck. The Worm becomes the lowest ranked Trump card if a Trump suit is revealed during the Deal.

The Worm cards hold a combined value of minus One point to any player who possesses both Worm cards at the end of a Round. A penalty of One point is subtracted from that player’s point total at the end of the Round. If a player possesses both Worm cards at the end of a Round, but has Zero points tallied on the score board, no penalty is applied.

There are Two Gong cards in the Deck, and the Gong is ranked above the King.

The Gong cards hold a combined value of One point to any player who possesses both Gong cards at the end of a Round. An award of One additional point is added to that player’s point total at the end of the Round.

If a player possesses both Worm cards and both Gong cards at the end of a Round, no points are either penalized or awarded.

There are Two Big Bear cards in the Deck. The Big Bear is ranked above the Gong but holds no additional point value.

The Big Bear is a Wildcard which can only be used by the Leader to create Sets. The Big Bear cannot be used to create a Pair other than a Pair of Big Bear. When used as a Wildcard, the Big Bear assumes the same rank as the card it is representing.

The Big Bear is an unprotected Wildcard. Since the Big Bear can be used to create a set, it is required to be discarded by an opponent as outlined in the Rules of Play regarding Sets.

There are Two Little Wolf cards in the Deck and the Little Wolf is the highest ranked card in the Deck. The Little Wolf is ranked above the Big Bear but holds no additional point value.

The Little Wolf is a Wildcard which can only be used by the Leader to create Sets or Runs. The Little Wolf cannot be used to create a Pair other than a Pair of Little Wolf. When used as a Wildcard, the Little Wolf assumes the same rank and suit of the card it is representing.

The Little Wolf is a protected Wildcard and is not required to be discarded by an opponent as outlined in the Rules of Play regarding Sets, but is still required to be discarded by an opponent as outlined in the Rules of Play regarding Trump cards.

The Deal:

The initial Dealer is determined by each player cutting the cards, with the highest ranked card cut indicating the Dealer. But Two tie, all tie is in effect. If any Two players cut identically ranked cards, regardless of their rank, all players will re-cut to determine the Dealer. Once the initial Dealer has been determined, the Deal will then rotate clockwise after each Round.

In Two player format, each player is dealt 13 cards face down.

In Three player format, each player is dealt 11 cards face down.

In Four player format, each player is dealt 9 cards face down.

After the deal, an additional stack of Four cards is dealt face down. These are known as the Pups. The top card of the Pups is then revealed to determine the Trump suit. If a Den card is revealed, the Round is played with No Trump suit.

Each player must count their cards and verify out loud, the total amount of cards they hold in their hand before play can begin.

The Play:

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.

The Scoring:

A Trick is the accumulation of cards taken by the highest ranked Hand in play after the Lead.

A Pack is an accumulation of Tricks that contain a majority of the cards dealt in the Round.

Accumulating a Pack as the Declarer holds a value of One point to the Declarer at the end of the Round.

Accumulating the most cards when no player Declares holds a value of minus One point and is deducted from that player’s score at the end of the Round. If multiple players have accumulated the most cards, One point is deducted from each of those player’s score. If a player has Zero points tallied on the score board, no penalty is applied to that player.

Accumulating all of the Tricks when no player Declares holds a value of minus Two points and is deducted from that player’s score at the end of the Round. If that player has Zero points tallied on the score board, no penalty is applied.

If the Declarer does not complete a Pack, Two points are added to the point total of the player who has accumulated the most cards at the end of the Round, excluding the Declarer. If multiple players have accumulated the most cards, One point is added to the point total of each player who has accumulated the most cards at the end of the Round, excluding the Declarer.

If the Declarer does not complete a Pack, the Declarer is not entitled to add points to their total. As a result, any additional bonus points accumulated by the Declarer during the Round are subsequently subtracted from the penalty points awarded to other players.

If the Dealer Declares and accumulates all of the cards, Two points are awarded for the Round, One point for the Pack, and an additional point for winning all of the Tricks.

If any player other than the Dealer Declares, One point is awarded for a Pack, but no additional point is awarded if the Declarer wins all of the Tricks.

If the Declarer accumulates all of the cards, but fails to win the final Trick of the Round, a Pack holds a value of Zero points.

If the Dealer Declares, and any other player takes all of the Tricks, that player scores an additional bonus of One point, for a total of Three points.

The Hands:

There are Four types of Hands that the Leader can play. They are: a Single, a Pair, a Set or a Run.

When the Leader plays a Hand, the Opponent’s Hand must have a higher value in order to take the Trick. Hands that have the same value are always taken by the Leader.

Single:

A Single consists of only One card and can be either a suited card, or a Den card.

If a Single is a suited card, all other players must play a card of the same suit. The highest ranked card of that suit wins the Trick. If they do not hold a card of the same suit, they must play a card of the same rank if they hold one (this is known as Poaching.)

If they do not hold a card of the same suit or a card of the same rank, they may play any card they choose.

When a Trump suit has been established, the lowest ranked Trump card out-ranks the highest ranked suited card in the remaining suits.

If a Single is a Den card and a Trump suit has been established, the Den card is considered a Trump card and maintains its rank. All other players must first play a Den card of the same rank if they hold one. If they do not hold a Den card of the same rank, they must play a card of the same suit. If they do not hold a card of the same rank or a card of the same suit, they may play any card they choose. The highest ranked card of that suit wins the Trick.

If a Single is a Den card and No Trump suit has been established, all other players must first play a Den card of the same rank if they hold one. If they do not hold a Den card of the same rank, they must play a Den card if they hold one. If they do not hold a Den card, they may play any card they choose. The highest ranked Den card wins the Trick.

In No Trump, a Single Den card can only be beaten by a higher ranked Single Den card.

In No Trump, a Single suited card can only be beaten by a higher ranked Single card of the same suit.

Pair:

A Pair consists of Two cards of the same rank and can be suited cards or Den cards.

When the Leader plays a Pair in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, all other players must play a Pair if they hold one. When any player holds a Pair of the same rank as the Lead, they must play it first, before any other Pair. The highest ranked Pair wins the Trick.

When the Leader plays a Pair and any player does not hold a Pair, they must first play the same ranked card as the Leader’s Pair if they hold it, together with any other card they choose.

If any player does not hold a Pair or hold the same ranked card as the Leader’s Pair, they may play any Two cards they choose.

Any Two Trump cards out-rank any Pair of suited cards.

Den cards played as Pairs maintain their rank.

When the Leader plays a Pair in a Trump suit, all other players must play a Pair of the same suit if they hold one. The highest ranked Pair wins the Trick.

If a player does not hold a Pair in the Trump suit, they must follow suit and play the equivalent amount of Trump cards. If they do not hold the equivalent amount of Trump cards, they must play any remaining Trump cards that they hold together with the same ranked card as the Leader’s Pair if they hold it. If they do not hold the same ranked card as the Leader’s Pair, they may play any other card they choose.

If a player’s Trump cards have been exhausted, they must play according to the rule regarding Lead Pairs in a suit not designated as a Trump suit, and play a Pair if they hold one. If any player does not hold a Pair or the same ranked card as the Leader’s Pair, they may play any Two cards they choose.

The equivalent amount of Trump cards does not outrank a Pair in a Trump suit.

Set:

A Set consists of Three or more cards of the same rank and can be suited cards or Den cards.

Only the Leader can use the Little Wolf or the Big Bear as a Wild Card to create Sets.

When a Den card is used by the Leader to create a Set, it assumes the same rank as the other cards in the Set.

When the Leader plays a Set of Three in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, all other players must play a Set of Three if they hold one. When any player holds a Set of Three of the same rank as the Lead, they must play it first before any other Set of Three and it does not out-rank the Lead. The highest ranked Set wins the Trick.

When the Leader plays a Set of Three in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, and any player does not hold a Set of Three, they must play a Pair of the same rank as the Lead together with a Big Bear card. If they do not hold the same ranked Pair, they must play any Pair together with either a card of the same rank as the Lead, or with a Big Bear card if they hold one. If they do not hold either of these cards, they may play any third card they choose. If a player does not hold a Pair, they must play any Big Bear and/or any same ranked card as the Lead if they hold them, together with any other cards they choose to total the same amount of cards as used in the Set. If a player does not hold a Pair, or a Big Bear, or a card of the same rank, they may play any Three cards they choose.

Any Three Trump cards out-rank a suited Set of Three.

When the Leader plays a Set of Three in a Trump suit, all other players must follow suit and play the equivalent amount of Trump cards beginning with any Trump Pairs and Big Bear cards if they hold them. If they do not hold the equivalent amount of Trump cards, they must first play any remaining Trump cards that they hold, together with any cards of the same Rank as the Lead Set.

If a player’s Trump cards have been exhausted, they must play according to the rule regarding Lead Sets in a suit not designated as a Trump suit, and play Sets then Pairs if they hold them, together with any additional cards required to equal the total number of cards as used in the Lead Set.

The equivalent amount of Trump cards does not outrank a Set in a Trump suit.

When the Leader plays a Set of Four in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, all other players must play a Set of Four if they hold one. When any player holds a Set of Four of the same rank as the Lead, they must play it first before any other Set of Four and it does not out-rank the Lead. The highest ranked Set wins the Trick.

When the Leader plays a Set of Four in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, and any player does not hold a Set of Four, they must first play the same ranked Set of Three together with a Big Bear card. If they do not hold the same ranked Set of Three, they must play any Set of Three together with either a card of the same rank as the Lead Set or with a Big Bear card if they hold one. If they do not hold either of these cards, they may play any fourth card they choose. If a player does not hold a Set of Three, they must play Two Pairs. If they hold a Pair of the same rank as the Lead Set, they must play it first. If they do not hold Two Pairs, they must play a Pair together with a card of the same rank as the Lead Set or a Big Bear, or both if they hold them. If they do not hold either, they must play a Pair with any Two cards they choose. If they do not hold a Pair, a similar ranked card or a Big Bear, they may play any Four cards they choose.

Any Four Trump cards out-rank a suited Set of Four.

When the Leader plays a Set of Four in a Trump suit, all other players must follow suit and play the equivalent amount of Trump cards beginning with any Trump Pairs and Big Bear cards if they hold them. If they do not hold the equivalent amount of Trump cards, they must first play any remaining Trump cards that they hold, together with any cards of the same Rank as the Lead Set.

If a player’s Trump cards have been exhausted, they must play according to the rule regarding Lead Sets in a suit not designated as a Trump suit and play Sets then Pairs if they hold them together with any additional cards required to equal the total number of cards as used in the Lead Set.

The same system of play applies to all Sets regardless of the total number of cards used in the Lead Set:

A Set of Five requires first a Set of Four with a similar ranked card or Big Bear, then a Set of Three and a Pair, then a Set of Three with a similar ranked card and/or a Big Bear, then Two Pairs with a similar ranked card or a Big Bear, then a Pair with a similar ranked card and/or a Big Bear, then a similar ranked card and/or a Big Bear. If they do not hold a Pair or a similar ranked card or a Big Bear, they may play any Five cards they choose.

When the Leader plays a Set of Five in a Trump suit, all other players must follow suit and play the equivalent amount of Trump cards beginning with any Trump Pairs and Big Bear cards if they hold them. If they do not hold the equivalent amount of Trump cards, they must first play any remaining Trump cards that they hold, together with any cards of the same Rank as the Lead Set.

If a player’s Trump cards have been exhausted, they must play according to the rule regarding Lead Sets in a suit not designated as a Trump suit and play Sets then Pairs if they hold them together with any additional cards required to equal the total number of cards as used in the Lead Set.

Any Five Trump cards out-rank a suited Set of Five.

Run:

A Run consists of Three or more cards of the same suit in numerical sequence. Only the Leader can use the Little Wolf as a Wild Card to fill in gaps of a numerical sequence to assist in creating a Run.

When the Leader plays a Run in a suit that is not designated as the Trump suit, all other players must first play a Run of the same rank and the same amount of cards if they hold one.

When any player plays a Run of the same rank as the Lead, it does not out-rank the Lead.

If a player does not hold a Run of the same rank and the same amount of cards, they must play a Run of the same amount of cards if they hold one. The highest ranked Run wins the Trick.

If a player does not hold a Run, they must follow suit and play the same amount of cards in the same suit as the Run. If they do not hold the same amount of cards in the same suit as the Run, they must first play any remaining cards of that suit they hold, together with any other cards they choose to total the same amount of cards as used in the Run. If a player does not hold a Run or hold any cards in the same suit as the Run, they may play any cards they choose to total the same amount of cards as used in the Run.

The equivalent amount of Trump cards outranks any Run of a non Trump suit.

When the Leader plays a Run in a Trump suit, all other players must play a Run of the same suit and the same amount of cards if they hold one. The highest ranked Run wins the Trick.

If a player does not hold a Run in the Trump suit, they must follow suit and play the same amount of Trump cards as used in the Run. If they do not hold the same amount of Trump cards as used in the Run, they must play any remaining Trump cards that they hold, together with any other cards they choose to total the same amount of cards as used in the Run.

The equivalent amount of Trump cards does not outrank a Run in a Trump suit.

If a player does not hold a Run in the Trump suit, and does not hold any Trump cards, they must first play a Run of the same rank and the same amount of cards as the Lead Run. Then play a Run of the same amount of cards if they hold one. If a player does not have a Run, they may play any cards they choose to total the same amount of cards as used in the Run.

A Run in a Trump suit outranks any Run in a non Trump suit.

Miscellaneous:

When any player uses Trump cards to take a Trick that already contains Trump cards, each individual Trump card in the Trick must be outranked in order to win the Trick.

No player is permitted to look at cards once they have been discarded and turned face down. This includes looking at the Pups at the conclusion of a Round. A penalty of One point will be immediately subtracted from that player’s point total. If that player has Zero points tallied on the score board, One point is added to all other player’s point total. If the awarding of a point would result in any player or team winning the game, no points are awarded and the penalized player is required to forfeit their next deal.

All points must be pegged at the end of each round, prior to the completion of the following deal. Any points not pegged prior to the completion of the following deal are forfeited.

When a player or team accumulates a score of 11 points and any other player or team has not tallied a point, the game ends and is considered a Skunk win worth double.

If any player accumulates all Eight Den cards in a Round, Two additional points are added to that player’s point total at the end of the Round.

The Dealer is not entitled to claim a Misdeal.

If a Dealer Declares and neglects to discard Four cards prior to beginning play, they lose their turn and the Deal rotates clockwise to the next player.

If any player plays cards out of turn, a penalty of One point will be immediately subtracted from that player’s point total. If the penalized player has Zero points tallied on the score board, One point is added to all other player’s point total. If the awarding of a point would result in any player or team winning the game, no points are awarded and the penalized player is required to forfeit their next deal.

If multiple players or teams total identical scores of 15 points or higher at the end of a Round, play continues with all players or teams until a winner has been established.

To play Little Wolf with Five to Eight players, a second Deck is required and the Two Decks are then combined.

In Five or Six player format, each player is dealt 13 cards face down.

In Seven player format, each player is dealt 11 cards face down.

In Eight player format, each player is dealt 9 cards face down.

Partners Play:

When playing Little Wolf using partners, scores are tallied per team and not per player.

Partners Scoring:

Accumulating a Pack holds a value of One point to the Declarer’s Team at the end of the Round. The Pack must be accumulated by the Declarer. Any Tricks won by the Declarer’s partner are not counted as part of the Pack.

Accumulating the most cards when no player Declares holds a value of minus One point and is deducted from that player’s team score at the end of the Round. If multiple players have accumulated the most cards, each of those players is penalized One point from their team score. If a player’s team has Zero points tallied on the score board, no penalty is applied to that team.

A team accumulating all of the Tricks when no player Declares holds a value of minus Two points and is deducted from that team’s score at the end of the Round. If that team has Zero points tallied on the score board, no penalty is applied.

If the Declarer does not accumulate a Pack, Two points are added to the point total of the team that has accumulated the most cards at the end of the Round, excluding the Declarer’s team. If multiple teams have accumulated the most cards, One point is added to the point total of each team that has accumulated the most cards at the end of the Round, excluding the Declarer’s team.

If the Dealer Declares and accumulates a Pack, and the Declarer’s team accumulates all of the Tricks, Two points are awarded for the Round, One point for the Pack, and One additional point for winning all of the Tricks.

If any player other than the Dealer Declares, One point is awarded for a Pack, but no additional point is awarded if the Declarer’s team wins all of the Tricks.

If the Declarer accumulates a Pack and the Declarer’s team accumulates all of the cards, but fail to win the final Trick of the Round, a Pack holds a value of Zero points.

If a Dealer Declares, and any other team takes all of the Tricks, that team scores an additional bonus of One point, for a total of Three points.