A fast Russian favourite for building sequences: the nines open the four suits and neighbouring cards extend the rows. The first player to run out of cards wins — but beware, every card you play may help your opponents!
Goal: Be the first to play all the cards in your hand by adding them to the rows on the table.
Devyatka is played by 2 to 6 players with a 36-card deck (6 to ace in each of the four suits). The whole deck is dealt out, one card at a time, so there is nothing to draw from. With 5 players the first player at the table gets 8 cards and the others 7; otherwise all hands are equal.
Whoever holds the 9♦ starts and must play it to the middle of the table. Play then continues clockwise.
Each suit forms its own row on the table, built around its 9: 6 – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – J – Q – K – A. A row grows at both ends, but the ace never connects to the 6.
On your turn you play one card that is either the 9 of a suit that has no row yet (it opens the row), or the card next to either end of a row that is already open — one rank above its highest card or one rank below its lowest card. Example: with 8♦, 9♦ and 10♦ on the table, you may play the 7♦ or the jack of diamonds (J♦).
If you have at least one playable card you must play one, your choice among the playable ones. If you have none, you pass: this happens automatically and play moves on. Each player's passes are counted.
Once play has started, a 9 in your hand can always be played, so as long as you hold one you never have to pass.
The game ends the moment someone plays their last card: that player wins.
Everyone else is ranked by the number of cards left in hand: fewer is better. If the card counts are equal, the points of the remaining cards are compared (fewer is better): ace 11, king 4, queen 3, jack 2, ten 10, any other card its number. If the points are equal too, the place is shared.
With this option passes count in the ranking: among players with the same number of cards left, the one who passed less often places higher, and only if the passes are equal too are the card points compared. Without the option passes are still counted but do not affect the ranking.
Open a new suit only if you have cards to follow it up: playing a 9 lets everyone play the 8 and the 10 beside it.
If you hold the card your opponents are waiting for to continue a row, you block them: when you have other moves, think about not playing it yet. Aces and 6s open nothing for anyone, so they are safe moves when you need time.
Watch who passes: at that moment they had neither a 9 nor any card next to the ends of the rows.