How to Play Payback

Be the first to get rid of all your cards. Swap smart at the start, play equal or higher, and know when to pick up or chance it.

Setup

Deal the cards

Each player gets 3 face-down cards (hidden), 3 face-up cards (on top), and 3 in hand. Swap hand cards with face-up cards before the game starts. Put your best cards face-up — you'll need them later.

Special Cards

Playable anytime.

BURN

Destroys the pile. Play again. Playable anytime.

GHOST

Passes your turn without changing the pile value.

SKIP

Skips the next player.

RESET

Resets the pile value to 0.

MIRROR

Sends the pile back to whoever acted last (played or picked up). Cannot be yourself.

Three Phases

1. Hand

2. Face-up

3. Blind Luck

Three Phases

1. Hand

2. Face-up

3. Blind Luck

Hand

Play from your hand. Draw back up to 3 while the deck lasts. "Chance it" instead of playing a card anytime. Once the deck is gone and your hand is empty → Phase 2.

Face-up

Play your face-up cards. Can't play? Take the pile + your losing card(s) back into your hand → back to Phase 1. Clear all face-up cards → Phase 3.

Blind Luck

Flip your face-down cards one at a time. Pure luck. Fail? Pick up the pile → back to Phase 1. Clear all face-down cards and you're done!

Playing Duel?

Head-to-head variant with faster hand phase and tweaked special cards.

What is Duel mode?

Same game, head to head — but with 6 face-up and 6 face-down cards instead of 3, so the hand phase stays shorter.

Skip in Duel

In Duel, Skip makes you play again.

Ghost & Mirror in Duel

In Duel, Ghost and Mirror send the pile straight to your opponent.

Watch the rules

Best way to learn is to play!

Jump into the online version and learn by doing — one round is all it takes.

Try online version