How to play Declare
Declare is a quick low-hand card game for 2 to 20 players. On your turn you throw and pick up, or you declare. The lowest total at the end of the match wins.
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Prefer to watch? A short video plays through a whole hand.
The idea
Lowest hand wins. You are trying to get your hand under the table’s declare number and say so before anyone else does.
Card values
Ace is worth 1 point. 2 through 10 are worth their face value. Jack, Queen and King are worth 10 points each. Any card of the joker rank is worth 0 points, in all four suits.
The joker
The dealer — the player sitting just before whoever starts the round; the deal moves on one seat every round — picks one of two face-up cards, blind: before looking at their own hand. That card's rank is worth 0 for the whole round, in all four suits. Whoever starts then plays first.
The picked card is then set aside, face up, and is out of play for the round — never in a hand, on a pile, or reshuffled back in. The other face-up card starts the discard pile.
Your turn
On your turn, either declare, or throw and then pick up — never both, never neither.
You always take back exactly one card, so hands get smaller as the round goes on. A hand never grows.
Throwing pairs and sets
Choose one card from your hand to throw — every card in your hand of that same rank goes with it, as one group. If you throw a 5 while holding three 5s, all three 5s go together. You cannot throw a subset: the whole rank goes.
Picking up
After throwing, take exactly one card: the top of the face-down draw pile, or any one card from the newest pile — the group the player before you threw (on the round's first turn, the single face-up card that was not made joker).
Only the newest pile can be picked from; everything underneath it is dead. You can never pick back a card you just threw.
Declaring
You may declare only if your hand total is strictly below the table's declare threshold. Declaring replaces your throw and pick for the turn, and ends the round immediately: everyone's cards are turned over, with their totals, before the result.
Declaring is also locked until every player has had a few full turns: the table agrees a number of go-arounds first (3 unless the host changes it), and the Declare button stays greyed out until then.
If any other player ties your total or is lower, you lose — and take everyone’s points.
Scoring
A good declare: your total is strictly lower than everyone else's, alone. You score 0; everyone else adds their own hand total to their running score.
A bad declare: anyone else's total is lower than or equal to yours — including an exact tie. You add up everyone's hand total, including your own, to your running score; everyone else adds 0.
Worked example: Alex holds 6, Blake declares on 7, Casey holds 19. Blake is not strictly lowest — Alex's 6 beats them — so this is a bad declare. Blake adds 6 + 7 + 19 = 32 to their score; Alex and Casey add 0.
Winning the match
Fixed rounds: the table agrees a number of rounds up front; after the last one, the match ends. Unlimited: rounds continue until every player still at the table agrees to stop.
In both modes, the lowest cumulative score wins. Two or more players tied on the lowest total are joint winners — there is no tie-break round.
Table options
The rules above are the defaults. Whoever sets up the table can change them:
- Players: 2 to 20.
- Starting hand: 4 to 10 cards (4 by default), and up to 10 decks for big tables.
- Declare limit: under 5, under 7 or under 10.
- Turns everyone must play before anyone may declare: 0 to 20.
- A fixed number of rounds, or play on until everyone agrees to stop.
- Online, the host can also set how long each turn lasts.
Quick answers
How many people can play Declare?
Two to twenty. You can play a head-to-head game, or sit at a bigger table with friends or bots.
Is Declare free?
Yes. Declare is free to download and play, on Android and in your browser. Crowns, the in-game currency used for online rounds, are earned in the game and cannot be bought or cashed out.
Can I play Declare offline?
Yes. Practice matches against Easy, Medium and Hard bots work without an internet connection. Online tables need a connection.
Do I need an account?
No. You play as a guest. Signing in with Google is optional and lets you restore your progress on a new phone.
What does it mean to declare?
Instead of throwing and picking up, you end the round when your hand total is under the table’s limit. If your total is strictly the lowest you score 0 and everyone else adds their hand. If anyone ties or beats you, you add up everyone’s hands.
Is Declare the same as Rummy?
No. Declare is its own game: there are no melds or runs. You throw cards of the same rank together, pick up one card, and try to get the lowest hand and declare at the right moment.
Is Declare a gambling game?
No. There is no real-money play and no betting, and Crowns have no cash value.
How old do you need to be?
Online play asks you to confirm you are at least 13 and agree to the Terms of Service.
The game also has a 90-second tutorial that plays one hand with you.