Quick Start Guide

TWISTED TWENTY-ONE

A Twist on Classic Blackjack.

The Goal: Build a Hand Total as close to the Twist Target (21) as possible without going over! Every player starts with 10 points (or 6 for shorter games) —if your score hits 0, you are eliminated.

Setup (Before the Game Starts)

● Build the Deck: Use only the number of Playing Card suits needed for your player count:

2 Players = 1 suit 3–4 Players = 2 suits

5–6 Players = 3 suits 7–8 Players = 4 suits

● Playing Card Values: Aces = 1, number cards = face value, 11 card (Jacks) = 11.

● Game Length: Choose 3 rounds (Quick), 6 rounds (Standard), or 8+ rounds (Extended).

● Last Drawn Playing Card: The Last Drawn Playing Card is the most recent Playing Card in your hand.

● Discarded Playing Cards: Shuffle back into the Playing Card deck.

Start of Round One & Every Round Following

Before anyone takes a turn, complete this 3-step setup:

1. Reset the Twist Target: The Twist Target always resets back to 21 to start the new round (even if a Twist Card changed it in the previous round).

2. Draw 2 Twist Cards: Every player draws 2 new Twist Cards from the deck and can be viewed by the Player who drew them.

○ Keep any unused Twist Cards from previous rounds

3. Deal Starting Hand: Deal each player 1 face-down and 1 face-up Playing Card.

○ View any face-down Playing Cards in your hand 

On Your Turn (2 Quick Steps)

Play moves clockwise around the table. On your turn, complete these phases in order:

Step 1: The Twist Phase (Optional):

● Play any number of Twist Cards.

Step 2: Action Phase (Declare One):

● “Hit” – Draw 1 Playing Card, play it face-up to the right of your last card, this becomes your last drawn Playing Card. Your turn then ends for this rotation.

● “Stay” – Draw no card. You may Hit on a later rotation.

Ending & Scoring the Round

● Round End: The round ends when every player chooses Stay during the same rotation and no Twist Cards are played. It also ends if the Playing Card deck runs out.

● Winner: Reveal all Playing cards. Whoever is closest to the Twist Target without going over wins. If everyone goes over, the closest hand wins.

● Scoring: Every round raises the stakes (Round 1 = 1 point, Round 2 = 2 points, etc.). The winner adds the points to their score; everyone else subtracts them.

● Ties: If winners tie, they neither gain nor lose points, but the losers still lose points. 

● Before Next Round: Eliminate players with 0 or fewer points. Shuffle played Twist Cards back into the Twist deck. Keep unused Twist Cards. Shuffle used Playing Cards back into the Playing Card deck.

Winning the Game

The game ends immediately when only one player remains, or after the final round is scored. The player with the most points wins.