Papayoo

About this board game

Papayoo is a card game for 3–8 players that takes about 30 minutes to play. Its goal is simple: score the fewest points possible while playing a hand with no trumps.

This unusual game replaces familiar face cards with a distinctive card setup. There are no jacks, queens, or kings, but there is a fifth suit called Payoo. An unusual die also features prominently, while the suit of the Papayoo—the troublesome 7—changes with each new hand.

• Try to avoid collecting the dreaded Payoos.
• Take special care to avoid the Papayoo.
• Play without trumps and aim for the lowest score.
• Pass your hand before each hand begins when you want a change of cards.

Before starting, an unhappy player can give their hand to the player on their left. The choice comes with a catch: they will receive the hand belonging to the player on their right. This makes the hand-passing decision an important part of the game, since a better-looking hand may be heading in one direction while an unknown one arrives from the other.

Once the exchange is complete, players play their hands with no trumps. The central challenge is to manage what you collect while watching out for the Payoos and the ever-changing Papayoo. In Papayoo, the best player does not always win; careful avoidance and a little luck can matter just as much.

Released in 2010, Papayoo offers a distinctive, easy-to-grasp scoring objective with surprising decisions packed into every hand.