Card games like Cabo

Cabo belongs to a big family of games where you can't fully see your own hand, you try to remember everything, and the lowest score wins. If you like it, here are the others worth knowing.

Same game, different names

Many of these are the same game played with a normal deck and house rules. They're mostly passed on by word of mouth, so the name depends on who taught you:

Cambio: widely played in South America and Israel. Many groups count a red King as -1. Cambio rules.
Kaboo and Kabo: different spellings of Cabo.
Pablo and Cactus: other names for the same game with a standard deck, usually 4 cards each.
Tamalou: the French name, also played in the Middle East. Règles en français.

Close relatives

Game	What's different
Golf	The ancestor. Usually 6 cards in two rows, pairs in a column cancel, and there are no powers.
Rat-a-Tat Cat	A family boxed game. 4 cards, cards numbered 0 to 9, and special Peek, Swap and Draw 2 cards. Great with kids.
Skyjo	A boxed game with 12 cards in a grid and values from -2 to 12. Three matching cards in a column are removed.
Yaniv	Your hand is in your hand, not face down. Discard sets and runs, and call "Yaniv" at 7 points or fewer.
Rafiki	Our game. 4 hidden cards, peek, spy and blind-swap powers, slams from any hand, a protected caller, and Red Kings and Jokers at -1. Free online.

Which should you play?

With kids: Rat-a-Tat Cat.
Relaxed, at a table: 6-card Golf or Skyjo.
Fast and chaotic, with friends: Cabo, Cambio or Rafiki.
Online, with friends somewhere else: Rafiki, which is free in your browser with no download.

Questions

Is Kaboo the same as Cabo?

Yes. Kaboo is another spelling of Cabo. Pablo, Cactus, Cambio and Tamalou are closely related versions played with a normal deck.

What is the difference between Cabo and Golf?

Golf usually uses 6 cards with no powers and pairs that cancel. Cabo uses 4 cards and adds powers to peek, spy and swap.

Can I play a game like Cabo online for free?

Yes. Rafiki is free at playrafiki.com, with friends in a private room or against computer players.

Ready to play?
Rafiki is free in your browser, with no download. Press Quick Play and you're at the table against two computer players, or create a room for your friends.
Play Rafiki now