TallynightHow to keep score in Kings Corner
Kings Corner, also called Kings in the Corner, is won hand by hand by the first player to play out every card. To keep score over a longer game, everyone else takes penalty points for the cards left in their hand, with kings costing the most. When someone reaches the target, the lowest total wins.
- Players
- 2 to 6, best with 4
- Who wins
- Lowest total when someone reaches the target
- Cards
- One deck, 7 each
- Target
- Usually 25 or 50
What the cards left in your hand cost
Scoring rules vary more in Kings Corner than in most card games, because many families play single hands without points. This is the most common way to keep score.
| Card left in your hand | Points |
|---|---|
| King | 10 |
| Any other card | 1 |
| Playing out every card | 0 |
Kings cost the most because they can only go in an empty corner. Hold on to one too long and you may be stuck with it when someone goes out.
Adding up a hand
A hand ends the moment someone plays their last card. Write 0 for them, and for everyone else, 10 for each king they hold and 1 for each other card. If the stock runs out and nobody can play, the hand ends there and everyone counts their cards the same way.
Keep a running total. When someone reaches or passes the target, usually 25 or 50, the game is over and the player with the lowest total wins. At some tables, a player who reaches the target is out and the rest play on until one is left.
Other ways tables score it
- Queens and jacks 2: kings stay at 10, queens and jacks cost 2, and every other card 1.
- Card values: aces 25, picture cards 10 and number cards their face value, with a higher target such as 100. Or play a set number of hands and the lowest total wins.
- Chips: everyone puts a chip in the pot, and pays one more each time they draw without playing. The first player out takes the pot, plus a chip for each card left in the other hands and 10 for a king.
- Points for the winner: the first player out scores a point for every card left in the other hands, and the first to 100 wins. Here the highest total wins.
- A king you could have played: some tables charge 3 points for holding a king when there was an empty corner for it.
Whichever way you score, agree on it before the first deal. It's the one thing families argue about most.
A scoring example
Four players, playing to 25. Whoever played out every card scored 0 for that hand.
| Hand | Ana | Ben | Cleo | Dev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
| 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 9 |
| Total | 9 | 22 | 19 | 31 |
Cleo's 12 in hand 1 is a king and two other cards. In hand 3, Ben's 11 is a king and one other card, and Dev's 14 is a king and four others. Dev passes 25 after hand 4, so the game ends, and Ana wins with 9.
Keep score for Kings Corner in Tallynight
Kings Corner isn't one of Tallynight's built-in games yet, but it takes a minute to set up. Choose Something else and call it Kings Corner. Under How you score, pick Rounds, where everyone scores each round, and under Who wins, pick Lowest. Turn on Play to a target and set it to 50.
Targets go up in tens, so for a game to 25, leave the target off and tap End game when someone gets there. Tap the star to Add to favourites so it's ready next time, then Start game. After each hand, type everyone's penalty points on one keypad, with 0 for whoever went out.
- Everyone's penalty points for the hand on one keypad
- The running totals, with the lowest in front
- Offers to end the game when someone reaches the target
- Tap any hand to fix a miscount
A Kings Corner score sheet to print
Playing on paper tonight? Print a free Kings Corner score sheet, or save it as a PDF.
Questions
How do you keep score in Kings Corner?
When someone plays out every card, everyone else takes penalty points for the cards left in their hand: 10 for a king and 1 for anything else. When someone reaches 25 or 50, the lowest total wins.
How many points is a king in Kings in the Corner?
10 if it's still in your hand when someone goes out. Every other card is 1 point, though some tables make queens and jacks 2.
What score do you play to in Kings Corner?
25 or 50 for penalty points. If you count cards at face value, with aces 25, play to 100 or more.
Do you want a high or low score in Kings Corner?
Low, when you score penalty points. The exception is the points-for-the-winner way, where the first player out scores the cards left in other hands and the first to 100 wins.
Is Kings Corner the same game as Kings in the Corner?
Yes. Kings Corner, Kings in the Corner and King's Corners are names for the same game, though the scoring varies from table to table.