How to win at Cabo, Cambio and Rafiki: strategy and tips

Cabo, Cambio, Pablo and Rafiki are all the same game underneath: four hidden cards, a few peeks, and a call when you think you're lowest. Luck deals the cards, but the players who win most do a handful of things differently. Here they are.

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1. Memory first: fix your two cards before anything happens

You see two of your four cards once, at the start. Say them to yourself with their positions ("bottom left 3, bottom right King") and don't move your hands around. Most lost rounds come from forgetting a card you once knew, not from bad luck.

2. Swap high cards out, not low cards in

Any card you draw that's lower than one you know about is worth swapping in. A 4 replacing a known Queen saves you 6 points; that's a bigger swing than almost anything else in the game. Never swap into an unknown card unless the drawn card is very low (an Ace, 2 or a minus card): you might be throwing away the best card in your hand.

3. Use peeks on your own unknown cards, spies on the leader

A peek (7 or 8 in Cambio and Rafiki) is almost always best used on one of your own unseen cards: turning an unknown into a known card is what lets you swap well and call safely. A spy (9 or 10) is best on whoever looks closest to calling, so you can plan a swap or a slam against them.

4. Blind swaps are a weapon late, not early

A blind swap (Jack, Queen or black King in Rafiki) trades one of your cards for someone else's without looking. Early on it's a coin flip. Late on, when you know your own card is high and you've seen that an opponent's is low, it's the best move in the game. Watch where people put the cards they peek at.

5. Slam everything you're sure about

In Rafiki (and in most house rules of Cambio), when a card hits the discard pile you can throw a matching card from any hand onto it. Each successful slam is a card gone from your hand, which is a point-saving and a step towards calling. Only slam what you know: a wrong slam costs a penalty card.

6. Call early, not perfectly

The biggest mistake new players make is waiting for a "perfect" hand. The caller gets a bonus (in Rafiki, your cards are safe and you can't be swapped once you call) and everyone else gets only one more turn. If you have two or three known low cards and nobody has shown they're lower, calling on 6 to 8 points usually wins. Waiting lets the table catch up.

7. Count what's gone

If three Kings have been discarded, the fourth is unlikely to be in your unknown card. If most of the low cards are still out, be wary of swapping blind. You don't need to count the whole deck: just the extremes (Kings, Aces, Jokers) tell you a lot.

8. Read the table

Someone who stops swapping is happy with their hand and about to call. Someone who keeps drawing and discarding without swapping has a hand full of unknowns. Someone who spies you is planning a swap against you: move the card they looked at if you get a swap of your own.

Practise for free

Rafiki has three computer difficulty levels that play these strategies, so you can learn against them before you take on friends. The rules of each game differ a little: see the Cabo rules, Cambio rules and how to play Rafiki.

Questions

What is the best strategy in Cabo?

Fix your two known cards in memory, swap high cards out whenever you draw a lower one, use peeks on your own unknown cards, and call early rather than waiting for a perfect hand.

When should you call Cabo or Cambio?

When you know most of your cards and your total is around 6 to 8 points or lower, and nobody has signalled they're lower by refusing to swap. Waiting usually lets the table catch up.

Is it better to peek at your own card or an opponent's?

Your own, most of the time. Knowing your own cards lets you swap well and call safely. Spy on an opponent when they look about to call, so you can swap with them or slam.

Can you practise Cabo online?

Yes. Rafiki is a free game in the same family that you can play in your browser against computer opponents at three difficulty levels, or with friends.