Macao

What is Macao?

Macao is the card game Romanian kids play under the desk and at break time: quick to learn, loud at the table, and decided as often by a well-timed joker as by luck. It belongs to the same family as Crazy Eights and the German Mau-Mau, with a Romanian set of special cards that turn every hand into a small fight.

Here you play against one, two or three rivals on your phone, at three levels. Everyone gets five cards, a plain card opens the pile, and the first player to empty their hand wins.

How to play

On your turn, play a card of the same suit or the same rank as the top of the pile. If nothing fits, or you would rather keep your cards, draw one; a drawn card that fits can go down at once.

• 2 and 3. The next player draws two or three cards, unless they answer with a 2, a 3 or a joker of their own. Penalties add up and travel round the table.
• Jokers. The black joker means five cards, the red one ten. They go on any card, and once their penalty is taken any card can follow.
• 4. Stops the penalty waiting on you, whatever its size.
• 7. Goes on anything and names the suit that must follow.
• Ace. The next player sits out a turn, unless they answer with an ace and pass the wait on.
• Macao! When you are down to one card, tap Macao. Stay silent and a rival may catch you: five cards. A rival who forgets can be caught by you, with the Catch button on their seat.

Strategy tips

1. Keep a 4 for emergencies. The two jokers alone add up to fifteen cards; one 4 makes the whole pile disappear.
2. Save your 7s. A 7 fits everything, so it is the card that finishes a hand. Play your awkward cards first.
3. Attack the player close to finishing. When the next player is down to one or two cards, that is the moment for a 2, a 3, a joker or an ace.
4. Change suit to one you hold. When you play a 7, name the suit you have most of, or one the next player could not follow.
5. Tap Macao early. You can call it as soon as you are down to two cards. On a hard table, nobody forgets to catch you.

FAQ

Is Macao free to play?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.

What happens if I forget to say Macao?

The rival who moves next may notice and you draw five cards. Easy rivals miss it about half the time, hard rivals never do.

Can a 4 stop a joker?

Yes. A 4 stops any penalty waiting on you, a single 2 or a pile of penalties worth twenty cards.

Can I end the game on a special card?

Yes. Any card that fits can be your last one, a 7 or a joker included.

Why do Macao rules differ between friends?

Macao is a folk game, so every school has its house rules. This version keeps the most common ones: penalties add up, 4 stops them, 7 names the suit, the ace makes the next player wait and the last card needs a Macao.