Ish - Card Game

The Game of Ish

Ish is a very straight forward game, you play with a standard deck of 40 cards and a game of Ish can consists of upto 20 players. The goal of the game is to select and flip over cards to achieve the highest number, in which case you must loudly shout out "Paoy" (pronounced Pow-e, meaning Luck).  

Standard Deck of Cards

A standard deck of cards consists of a total of 40 cards, there are 3 suits of 13 cards, 12 of the cards have a sun on them with sunrays dictating the value of the cards, from 1-12. The 13th card is known as the Moon and counts as a 0. The card suits are dictated by colour, from top down they are Rising, Risen and Setting. E.g. I play a 3 of Rising. The final card in the deck is known as the Crown, this card counts as a wildcard and games can dictate the value.  

Rules of Ish

There are few rules to Ish

1. Once play has started bets cannot be made until the next round.
2. You may not look at your cards until all are ready and the dealer shouts "Ish".
3. If "Paoy" (pronounced Pow-e, meaning Luck) is not called out the round is voided.
4. In the event two players have the same highest number, who ever calls "Paoy" fastest wins. Who ever is acting as dealer judges who said it faster.
5. If a player flips the Crown card they instantly win, they must instead shout "Kath" (pronounced Ka-th, meaning Crown)

 

Order of Play

1. A round of Ish starts with a round of betting, players will make bets on if they will win. Once bets have been established the deck of cards is shuffled on the table mixing all of the cards around.
2. Each player will select two cards from the pile and keep them faced down.
3. Once all players have their cards, whoever is acting as dealer will call out "Ish" (pronounced E-sh, meaning Turn) all the players will turn over their cards face up on the table.
4. The goal of the game is to achieve the highest number by adding their two cards together, if their number surpasses 12, then it rolls over and starts from 1. E.g a 12 and 4 would result in a result of 4. A 8 and a 6 would result in a 2. If a Crown card is flipped it is an automatic win.
5. Once a player determines their result they must call out "Paoy" or else the hand is voided. In the result of a tie breaker who ever calls out "Paoy" fastest wins.
6. Once the round is over all cards are returned to the dealer who will reshuffle and start from step 1.