Koi-Koi

Koi-Koi こいこい ▶ “come on!” is the most popular 2-player hanafuda game. The goal is to match and capture cards to form yaku 役 ▶ set.

With Junior Hanafuda, it’s possible to play with three or four players.

Cards

Hanafuda § Cards

This game uses a 48-card hanafuda deck.

If you’re using a Junior Hanafuda deck, be sure to set aside its extra cards.

Setup

Two Players

Shuffle the deck and deal eight cards to your opponent, eight cards to yourself, and eight cards (face-up) to the field. Place the remaining deck adjacent to the field.

If all four cards of a single month are dealt into the field, shuffle and start over.

If all four cards of a single month are dealt into a player’s hand, they instantly win the round, scoring 5 points!

Choose a player to begin.

Gameplay

Goal

The goal of Koi-Koi is to match and capture cards from your hand with cards in the field to form one or more yaku.

Your Turn

When your turn begins, try to match a card from your hand with a card from the same month in the field.

If you find a match, you capture these cards. Place both cards face-up in front of you.

If you find two matches, you may only capture one of them with the card you introduced to the field. However, if the card matches three cards in the field, you may capture all four.

If you cannot make a match, you must surrender a card from your hand into the field.

Your captured cards are displayed face-up in front of you, away from the field. It’s best to organize them by rank (Hikari, Tane, Tanzaku, Kasu) rather than by month.

Next, draw a card from the deck into the field, following the same pattern as above.

After playing from your hand and playing from the deck, your turn is over. Now it’s the next player’s turn.

Continue until either player forms a yaku.

Ending

When either player forms a yaku, they may choose to continue (“koi-koi!”) or end the round (“shōbu!”). Continuing the round awards 1 point to whoever later ends the round.

A player may want to continue the round for the chance to form another yaku. However, choosing to continue is a risk. Only the player who ends the round scores any points.

Scoring

The player who ends the round after forming a yaku scores points.

If the round ends without either player ending after forming a yaku, 0 points are scored for the round.

If a player ends the round after any player chose to continue, they score 1 bonus point for each time the game was continued.

Yaku

Hikari
			Sankō Any three Hikari, excluding Rainman		5
			With a fourth Hikari, excluding Rainman		+3
			With Rainman		+2
Viewing
			Hanami Curtain, Sake		5
			Tsukimi Moon, Sake		5
Tane (choose one)
			Ino-shika-chō Boar, Deer, Butterflies		5
			Any 5 Tane		1
			With another Tane		+1
Tanzaku (choose one)
			Akatan + Aotan 3 Poetry, 3 Blue Tanzaku		10
			Akatan 3 Poetry Tanzaku		5
			Aotan 3 Blue Tanzaku		5
			Any 5 Tanzaku		1
			With another Tanzaku		+1
Kasu
			Any 10 Kasu		1
			With another Kasu		+1

If your cards qualify for multiple yaku, you score points for each of those yaku, unless otherwise specified.

Bonus

Every time a round is continued, 1 point is added to the bonus.

Series

Games are best played in a series of 3, 6, or 12 rounds. The player with the highest total score at the end of the series wins!

If the players have identical scores, rejoice in the shared victory!

Strategy

Some yaku are worth more than others, but they’re much more difficult to form. Consider not just which cards are the most valuable, but also which yaku you’re able to form from the cards you have available.

Initially, you might prioritize capturing the most valuable cards, but as the round progresses, you may want to shift priorities to match cards that form a yaku to win. It might leave a valuable card in the field, but a valuable card that doesn’t help you form a yaku is only valuable in defense.

Variations

For a more casual approach to Koi-Koi, the player who forms a yaku first wins!

Three Players

If you’re playing with Junior Hanafuda: Phoenix, add the following four cards to the deck: Mt. Fuji, Sparrows, Fujin, and Kasu.

Shuffle the deck and deal seven cards to your opponent, seven cards to yourself, and eight cards (face-up) to the field. Place the remaining deck adjacent to the field.

Consider adding these yaku to your game.

Special
		Yukimi Mt. Fuji, Sake		5
		Golden Flowers		2
		Fujin + Raijin		2

Three to Four Players

If you’re playing with Junior Hanafuda: Dragon & Tiger, add Bamboo and Lotus months to the deck.

For three players, deal eight cards to each player and eight cards to the field. For four players, deal seven cards to each player and eight cards to the field.

Consider adding these yaku to your game.

Special
			Three Friends of Winter Crane, Tiger, Warbler		5
			Golden Flowers		2
			Fujin + Raijin		2

Related

See also

• Hanafuda
• Junior Hanafuda
• Junior

Purchase