BASICS

REQUIREMENTS

• 2 players. Supports 3 or 4 players (see Player Variations).
• A normal deck of 52 playing cards with 1 joker.
• A glorious hat (if playing the Magic Hat extension).

BASIC IDEA

Sleazy is a rummy game where two sleazy neighbours try to prove their mastery in alchemy.

• The players try to collect cards of the same number in order to form sets (4 cards) or smaller pairs (2 cards).
• Each player has 3 table and 3 hand card slots, and on their turn they can either run idle (pick a card and cycle one away) or perform alchemical recipees.
• After the deck runs out, the last recipees are completed, and the results compared. The game is traditionally played for 4 rounds (full game) or 2 rounds (short game) - the neighbour in whose favour the cumulative point difference is wins.

LAYOUT & STARTUP

One player starts as the dealer, in the next round the other deals. The non-dealer always starts the round.

• JOKER: First, the joker is separated from the deck and put face up behind it.
• HAND & TABLE CARDS: Both players are dealt 3 table cards (face up) and 3 hand cards (face down).
• COLOUR CARD: One more card is drawn from the deck and placed face up and sideways underneath the deck on the non-dealer's side.
  • This is the colour card and it's excluded from being used in the recipees (without extensions). Its relative position implies the players' colours: red vs. black.

Other parts of the layout are not dealt, but space is left for them:

• DUMP: Between the players' table cards is the shared dump pile: Its cards are always face up and tiled so that only the 2 topmost cards are visible.
• COLLECTIONS: The collected pairs and sets are kept next to the play area. The sets are kept on each player's side, while the pairs are shared and all in the middle - they reward the player whose colour they are (or none if 2-coloured).

PLAYING

ON YOUR TURN

On their turn the player must either run idle (= pick and recycle cards) or perform alchemical recipees and clean up (= replace used card slots) afterwards.

RUNNING IDLE

Running idle is done in 3 simple steps:

• PICK: First taking a new hand card from the deck or the dump pile.
• DUMP: Then putting one of the table cards onto the dump pile.
• REPLACE: And finally replacing the empty table card slot with a hand card - so that there are 3 table and 3 hand cards again.
• SHORTCUT: If you are going to pick the dump card and place it as a table card, you can just swap the two cards.

EXTRA TABLE CARDS

When performing alchemical recipees, the players can use their own table (and hand) cards, but they may also have a few additional table cards:

• DUMP CARD: The player may always use the topmost card of the dump pile as an extra table card.
• 'BORROWING' A CARD: The player may also 'borrow' the other player's table cards on the following conditions:
  • There is a table card of the same number and same colour on both sides. The player whose colour it is, can borrow - the other can't.
  • Both cards are used in the same alchemical recipee, eg. to form a pair of them or a bigger set.
  • You can also use a recycled joker to 'borrow' a card. However, jokers must always be combined into a set, they cannot live in a pair.

CLEANING UP - AFTER ALCHEMY

After performing alchemical recipees, the player must clean up before the turn is over by replacing the used table & hand cards:

• 'BORROWED': First any table cards 'borrowed' from the opponent are replaced. You can decide for each whether it comes from the deck or your hand.
• YOUR TABLE: Then your own table card slots are filled up to 3 - similarly choosing for each whether to draw from the deck or use a hand card.
• YOUR HAND: Finally fill your hand cards up to 3 by drawing new cards from the deck.

RECIPEES: CREATION

When creating a pair or creating a set from scratch, at least half of the cards must be table cards (the rest can be hand cards).

recipee #1: PAIRING (2 cards)

Combine 2 table cards (or 1 table and 1 hand card) of the same number into a pair.

• The pair is put face up on the middle of the collection area - on no one's side. To whom it belongs to depends on the colour of the cards.
• It is not allowed to create a new pair, if a pair of the same number already exists. (You should transform the existing pair instead.)

recipee #2: JOKER'S TRICK (3 cards)

Combine 3 table cards (or 2 table and 1 hand card) of the same number and the joker into a full set (with joker). The set is kept on the owner's side.

• The card of the lonely colour is put face down, while the other 2 cards and joker face up. (Having a card face down card indicates a full set vs. basic set.)

The joker is taken into the new set from wherever it was. If the joker was already in a set, the old set explodes:

• The 2 cards of the same colour are reduced to a pair (and are thus moved to the shared middle part of the collection area).
• The card of the lonely colour goes to the dump and the joker to the new set. (The joker only resides in a set or free behind the deck - never in a pair.)

recipee #3: MASTER'S TRICK (4 cards)

Combine 4 cards (at least 2 on the table) of the same number and into a full set.

• Like with Joker's trick, the result is a full set (but without joker) and thus marked with one card turned face down (any card is fine).
• Note. When using a recycled joker as one of the 4 cards, the end result is the same as in Joker's trick except not exploding anything with the joker.

RECIPEES: TRANSFORMING

When transforming existing sets, all cards must table cards - hand cards are not allowed at all.

recipee #4: PURIFY A PAIR (pair + 1 table card)

Replace one of the cards in a mixed pair (= 2-colour-pair) with a table card of the same number. (This move is also known as Li'l Sleazy.)

• The pair turns into a pure pair (= 1-colour-pair), while the leftover card of the lonely colour goes to the dump.

recipee #5: STEAL A PAIR (pair + 2 table cards)

You can use 2 table cards to steal a mixed pair or a pair of your opponent's colour (but never pairs of your own colour).

• The result is a basic set for you: the 4 cards are stacked together and kept face up and collected on your side of the collection area.

recipee #6: RECYCLE JOKER (set with joker + missing card)

You can recycle the joker from an existing set by replacing it with the missing table card of that number.

• The original set is then safe from joker explosions, while you gain a table card joker for that turn.
• The recycled joker can be used to form a new basic or full set (not a pair). If not used during the turn, it goes back behind the deck (before clean up).
• Note that you can also use the recycled joker to 'borrow' a table card from your opponent (to combine it into a set).
  • However, the joker must always be the 1 missing card of a set. So if you 'borrow' a table card of your colour with the recycled joker, the other 2 cards of the set must be the other colour - otherwise the set would be impossible (= 4 same number must have 2 red + 2 black).

ENDING & SCORING

DECK RUNS OUT

After the deck has run out, the players are no longer allowed to run idle:

• Instead they must simply skip their turn if wishing to do nothing. When both players skip their turn in succession, the round ends.
• When cleaning up, the players must now replace the table card slots with their remaining hand cards - until they run out of them, too.
  • If you are unable to replace the 'borrowed' table cards, your opponent must then replace them instead (with their hand cards).

COUNTING POINTS

After the players' last moves, the table is cleared of all the cards (except optionally the colour card) and the collected pairs and sets.

• Traditionally, equally worthy compounds on opposite sides (and worthless mixed pairs) are cancelled out before counting.
  • This is because they would amount to 0 p. anyway. For example, 2 pairs of your colour (= 50 p.) is equal to your opponent's basic set (= 50 p.).
• The point difference is then counted from the remaining pairs and sets and added to the cumulative point difference between the players.
  • For example, if you were winning by 175 p. but now lost by 250 p. the difference is (175 - 250 =) 75 p. in your opponent's favour.

SCORING TABLE

Pairs (2 same number)

• Mixed pair0 p.1 card of each colour face up
• Pure pair25 p.2 cards of your colour face up

Sets (4 same number)

• Basic set50 p.4 cards face up
• Full set100 p.3 cards face up, 1 face down

Special

• Higher classx 2Any pair or set made with J, Q, K or A

THE END

After the (2 or) 4 rounds the game ends, and the sleazy winner is the one in whose favour the cumulative point difference is.

• Traditionally, there's a small half time in the midway, and the players switch sides (and often music or other environmental settings).

EXTENSION: Magic Hat

IDEA

There is one major change to the game: The player with the Magic Hat can steal the opponent's colour (= swap the colours).

GAINING THE MAGIC HAT

The Magic Hat is obtained by performing a Master's trick (= 4 cards of the same number):

• As a reward, the player receives the hat. If the other player had it, it's stolen from him/her.
  • Traditionally, the other player should bow down to the player when receiving the hat. Upon taking the hat off, the master bows down instead.
• Note that you can also use a recycled joker as one of the 4 cards to gain the hat (= Master's trick). But Joker's trick will not bring you the hat.

recipee: SWAP THE COLOURS

Once obtained, the hat can be used at any time while doing alchemy (= not while running idle) to swap the colours.

• The player bows down and puts the hat aside and the colours are swapped: The colour card is shifted to the other player's side of the deck - or the face up card in a colour set changed (in Colour Set extension).
• Note that using the hat is a recipee in itself, and so you cannot use it and then run idle.

EXTENSION: Colour Set

IDEA

There is one major addition to the game: Even the colour card can be stolen - to make a colour set.

USING COLOUR NUMBER

This extension changes how the colour card and other cards of that number can be used:

• It is not allowed create a normal full set with the colour number (only colour set) - not even if you wouldn't include the colour card (but joker).
• Instead, the colour card functions as an extra table card when taken into the colour set, which is achieved by a Joker's or Master's trick.
  • As normally with table cards, it's allowed to use the colour card to 'borrow' opponent's card of the same number (if both your colour) to form the colour set.
• It is allowed to create a pair from the other cards of the colour number, which then functions as any pair (= can be stolen into a basic set with joker).
  • However this seals the fate of the number (-> no colour set), and accordingly the colour card is traditionally shifted to point away from the dump.

COLOUR SET

The colour set functions like a full set (with or without joker) and so is worth 100 points. However it has some differences:

• The set has only 1 card face up (usually on the bottom) and the other 3 cards are face down. If the set contains the joker, it's kept face up as well.
• The face up card is the current colour card and it's always the colour of the player to whom the set belongs to.
• Exceptionally, the colour set is kept near the deck (not on the opposite side) on the owner's side so that it's easy to see which side has which colour.

BROKEN COLOUR SET

If the colour set includes the joker and it explodes, only the joker leaves - the remaining 3 cards are kept together as a broken colour set:

• The broken set is moved behind the deck, and rotated towards its previous owner so that the colour card again indicates the colours.
• The broken set does not belong to anyone - so it's worth 0 points. But it can be repaired by adding the missing card to it (including the recycled joker).
  • The set becomes whole again and is moved to the owner's side, and the face up card is swapped accordingly if needed.

PLAYER VARIATIONS

Sleazy Double (for 4 players)

The players are grouped into two teams - the teammates sitting next to each other on their side of the table.

• Each player gets 2 personal hand cards and each team 3 communal table cards.
  • The teammates may show their hand cards to each other and communicate freely.
• The turn is passed from team to team, and the team can always choose which player should play the turn.
• Cleaning up is done normally: each player replaces the used cards with new ones.
  • However, if the deck has run out and the player has not enough hand cards left, the teammate must replace the used table cards with his/her hand cards.

Sleazy Triple (for 3 players)

This variation works like Sleazy Double, but the players are grouped into one team against one player (the teammates sit next to each other).

• The teammates get 2 personal hand cards and 3 communal table cards (and can communicate freely) - the solo player gets 3 hand and 3 table cards.
  • Note. The team has in total 4 hand card slots, while the solo player only has 3. However, the team's cards are separated into two sets of 2 hand cards.
• The turn is passed from side to side, and the team can always choose which player should play the turn.
• Cleaning up is done like in the Double: Normally each replaces their own, but after the deck runs out if the player didn't have enough hand cards, the teammate must help replace the remaining table card slots.

Burying Bastards (for 4 players)

The variation is played just like Sleazy Double except:

• The turns move counter-clockwise, so that the teammates have successive turns from left to right.
  • As the teams always get 2 successive turns (one for each player), there is a strong tendency to bury dangerous cards in the dump.
• The round ends when all the 4 players skip their turn in succession. (When the deck has run out, each teammember can skip their turn separately.)

STRATEGICAL ADVICE

About colours

In the end of the round, the only difference between the colours is regarding the pure pairs (= 1-coloured pairs): to whom they belong to.

• However, during the round having cards of your colour mean they are safe from your opponent's 'borrowing' - which sometimes can make all the difference. In addition, you can only steal a pair if one or both of the table cards are your colour.
• Because of these, it's preferable to waste cards of the other colour - all other things being equal. However, when playing the Magic Hat extension, this kind of strategy might eventually turn against you - as the colours may get swapped.

Managing resources

Because the players' resources for storing cards are quite limited, managing these resources is crucial.

• Each player can store at max. 6 different cards in his/her hand and table card slots (or in practice 5 cards). Only the 3 hand card slots are 'private', while the 3 table card slots are 'public' - and with cards of your opponent's colour subject to 'borrowing'.
• Sometimes (for example, near the end of the round) you might be able to store a card on the dump pile - without worrying about it being buried away.
• At other times your opponent might do the storing for you - by holding a card of your colour as a table card (without knowing about your malicious intents). Also when cleaning up after 'borrowing' a card, you can sometimes temporarily store a card as one of your opponent's table cards.
• If playing the Colour Set extension, the cards of the colour number are of high value, because the colour set can be made with one card fewer.

Composition of 13 threads

The changing situations of the game can be analyzed by thinking of the 13 numbers as 13 separate threads being entwined together.

• This way, you can focus on each thread separately from the others, and then think about how it 'wants' to entwine into the others.
• By adding each separate thread together (= whether it's + or - for you, and how much), you can calculate which player is currently winning.
  • So you could try to win most of the threads lightly, or only a few important highly and minimise the damage of the others, and so on.
  • Sometimes it's best to give up on certain threads completely in exchange of gaining with the other threads.

Other useful implications:

• The 4 high threads (J, Q, K, A) are doubly worthy: They can yield 800p., where as the other 9 threads can (only) yield 900p.
• You can count how many Joker's or Master's tricks can still happen by checking how many of the threads (numbers) have not yet been combined.
  • If you are very afraid of the Magic hat or the explosion of a Joker's trick, you can try to create pairs of all the yet uncombined numbers. By doing this, you 'collapse the possibilities' of the thread into a more limited scope - so it cannot hurt (nor gain) you that much.
  • Because of how the 'numbers work' (mathematically), if there happens one Master's trick, it's likely that there will be another (or even a few).

Mini-strategies:

Stabilizer's strategy

One school of strategy is to maximize the stability of your combinations.

• This means you are mostly after sets, because pairs can be so unstable (especially if the colours get swapped).
• You are also more eager to, say, waste a recycled joker just for the sake of having a set stabilised - and thus, not necessarily actually use the joker.

Borer's strategy

Some may also choose to start to play as boringly as possible, once they've got a slight advantage.

• For example, just create pairs and try to 'collapse the possibilities', so that the game would end like it is at the moment.
• This might be a good partial strategy for the (end part of the) last round, if you only have a slight advantage. (However, it's always more or less ugly.)

Rhythm Listener's strategy

Another way to get a feel of the situations is to listen to the rhythms & waves of the game and orientate your activities accordingly:

• So when it's bad times, try to minimize the damages and create good grounds for new things to arise in your favour.
• When it's good times, try to get the most out of it, while making sure that you never get too exposed to vulnerabilities.
• More fortunate times will come, if you wait for them and nourish the ground. Or you can choose to ruin things by just panicking around.

DEV. HISTORY

Only player variations (2023-02-19)

Introduced Sleazy Double and Sleazy Triple player variations.

v2.1 - Sleazy (2016-05-16)

This version refined a few things:

• Joker's trick brings full 100 points (like it did originally),
• When using a recycled joker it must be the 1 missing card (see the special case related to 'borrowing'), and
• Using recycled joker won't bring you Magic Hat but instead the right for instant swap of the colours (with the Magic Hat extension). However this had been forgotten later, and better so.

v1 - Sleazy Thieves (from 2011 to 2013)

In the first version each side had their own pairs, and many smaller gameplay details were still finding their optimal state.

THANKS

FOR IDEAS, HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT & PLAYING

Tomi Laine, Ville Viitala, Johannes Aho, Antti Mannila, Akseli Leinonen, Piia Tamminen, Emmi Viitala, Mika Mathlin, Matias Saresvuo, Matti Lehtinen, Jaakko Kuusela, Emilia Granroth and Sampo (?).

Special thanks to Ville Viitala, Johannes Aho and Tomi Laine for an extensive amount of playing and help with development.

This game was inspired by the game Canasta. (The goal was to create a Canasta-like-game that unfolds progressively instead of a sudden dramatic end.)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

2024

New world champion: Johannes "Daddy Sleazy" Aho

Participants: Iivu Saarinen, Leo Hintsanen, Rosanna Viitala, Emmi Viitala, Ville Viitala, Mikael Saurén, Johannes Aho

pdf: Sleazy World Championships 2024

2023

Still world champion: Ville "Uncle Sleazy" Viitala

Participants: Emilia Granroth, Sampo Jaakkola, Emmi Viitala, Rosanna Viitala, Johannes Aho, Mikael Saurén, Ville Viitala

pdf: Sleazy World Championships 2023

2022

Still world champion: Ville "Uncle Sleazy" Viitala

Runner up: Rosanna "Baby Sleazy" Viitala

Participants: Mika Mathlin, Emilia Granroth, Johannes Aho, Mikael Saurén, Rosanna Viitala, Ville Viitala

pdf: Sleazy World Championships 2022

2021

First world champion: Ville "Uncle Sleazy" Viitala

Participants: Johannes Aho, Mikael Saurén, Ville Viitala

pdf: Sleazy World Championships 2021