Shanghai

How to play

Contracts on the table. Lowest score wins.

Classic Shanghai is 7 rounds (Fast 4 / Bonus 12 available). Hosts can set house rules, partnership 2v2, and training mode (highlights legal table plays). Tap the Coach bubble for optional tips.

1. 1. Deal

   Each player gets 11 cards. The rest form the deck; one card starts the discard pile.

2. 2. Your turn

   Draw from the deck, or buy the top discard (take that face-up card into your hand). Optionally lay your round contract. Then discard one card. If the deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled into a new deck (top card stays).

3. 3. Buy out of turn

   On someone else’s turn (before they draw), tap Buy +1 on the top discard — including the deal’s starter flip, or the card just discarded (you can’t buy back your own discard). Once you’ve laid down, you can’t buy a card that already plays on the table (Call Shanghai instead — they pick it back up). They get first choice: take the card themselves, or let you buy it (you also draw one from the deck). After each discard there’s a short pause so buys aren’t missed — especially with 2 players. The host sets how many buys each player gets per round (classic is 3).

4. 4. Lay the contract

   After drawing, tap Auto lay or Lay to open the organizer — drag cards to set meld order on the table, then confirm. Use Suit / High→Low to start your hand organized. Once you’re down, tap a card then a highlighted table meld (or drag onto it). By default Ace can be low (A-2-3-4) or high (…Q-K-A); the host can lock Ace-high only and cap jokers per meld.

5. 5. Shanghai call

   If someone who’s already down discards a card that could play on the table, hit Call Shanghai — they pick that card back up and draw 2 from the deck. Call with nothing there and you draw 2 as a penalty.

6. 6. End the round

   Empty your hand after laying your contract, then discard your last card to go out. Exception — classic 7-round games only, on round 7 (3 runs): after you lay down you cannot discard; you must play your entire hand onto the table to end the game. Everyone else scores leftovers. Lowest total wins — or lowest team total in partnership (2v2). Host picks Fast (4), Classic (7), or Bonus (12) rounds.

7. 7. Leaving

   Leave asks “are you sure?” If you confirm mid-game, you’re out of that game for good — unless the host paused first. Pause freezes the table for everyone; Leave then only steps you away (seat saved). Rejoin with the same name; when everyone’s back the game resumes (host can also tap Resume). If the host leaves during an unpaused game, the table ends for everyone. In the lobby (and before a rematch), everyone must tap Ready up before the host can start.