If 2 people are playing, the players sit directly across from one another. If 3 people are playing, 2 players sit across from the dealer. This seating arrangement should rotate every time the dealer changes. If 4 people are playing, split them into teams of 2 with each partner sitting across from the other.

To cut the deck, pick up roughly half of the cards from the top of the deck. Then, place that section underneath the other section, basically swapping the top half of the deck with the bottom half of the deck.

There is only 1 dealer, even when playing in teams. The cards dealt to you are your hand, so you may look at them. Do not show your cards to any other player.

The dealer will always be the last person to receive cards.

This method of dealing, called the “2-by-2” method, is the traditional way to deal Casino. You may also deal 1 card at a time if you prefer.

For example, if you have an 8 in your hand, you can capture an 8 on the table. If you have a 5 in your hand, you can capture a 5 on the table, and so on. After a capture, the turn passes clockwise to the next player.

For example, if you have a 7 in your hand, you can capture a 3 and 4, 5 and 2, or 6 and 1. If you have an 8, you can capture 2 4’s, a 3 and 5, a 2 and 6, or a 1 and 7. You can capture more than 2 cards if they add up to the matching number. For instance, if you have a 9 in your hand, and a 2, 3, and 4 on the table, you may capture all 3 cards on the table. Aces are counted as the number 1.

For instance, if you have a Queen (Q) in your hand, and there are 2 Q’s on the table, you may capture 1 of the Q’s, but not both.

Place the capturing card face-up on top of the cards you captured and place them all in the pile of captured cards in front of you. The face-up card will indicate a sweep when you start to score your cards.

You may also trail if you can capture a card, but would rather save it for making a build later on. You are allowed to trail a card even if that card could be used to capture. Following a sweep, a player can only trail.

All players receive 4 more cards, even if they currently have cards in their hand.

For instance, if you have a 6 and 8 in your hand, and a 2 on the table, you can lay the 6 on top of the 2 to create a build because you have an 8 that can be used to capture it. You would then declare, “building 8”. You cannot capture the build in the same turn it is created. If an opposing player has an 8 as well, they could capture the build on their next turn before you. If you have more than 1 of the same card value in your hand, you may want to combine them in a build to capture them all. For instance, if you have 2 5’s in your hand and there is a single 5 on the table, you can create a 5-build and capture all 3 5’s on your next turn instead of directly capturing a single 5.

Builds must include a card you just played, as they cannot be made up entirely of cards on the table.

For instance, a multiple 5-build could be made of a 2 and 3 plus an Ace and 4. It could also be made of an Ace and 1 plus a 5, or multiple 5’s. When making the build, a player would say, “building 5”. All cards in a multiple build should be placed in the middle of the table on top of each other, with the value of each card visible. The value of a multiple build can never change. This makes multiple builds a safer play than single builds, because they are harder to steal.

On your turn, if the table contains a build which you created or added to yourself, you must make a capture of some sort, create a build, or add to a build. You cannot simply trail a card.

If you were the last player to add to a build, you must keep the capturing card in your hand to keep the play legal. You may not trail with the capturing card.

The capturing number for a multiple build can never be changed. It will always remain the same value as declared by the person who created the build. You cannot use cards on the table to add to the value of a single build.

This is why it’s important for the dealer to announce “last” when dealing the last round of cards. These cards are sometimes called the “residue”.

Pull out any cards that are facing a different direction. This indicates a sweep, and each sweep earns the player an additional 1 point.

The 10 of diamonds is sometimes known as the “Big Casino” or “Good 10”. The 2 of spades is sometimes known as the “Little Casino” or “Good 2”.

A player will usually reach 21 points in 2-4 rounds. After each round, the dealer passes the deck to the player on their left to deal the next hand.