Least Count card game: how it works, and a free online game like it
Least Count is the card game where everyone tries to finish with the lowest total in their hand, then calls "show". It's hugely popular at family gatherings and with friends in India, and in Nepal a close cousin is called Dhumbal or Jhyap.
Play Rafiki free: a lowest-count card game online, no sign-up
If you love Least Count, you'll feel at home in Rafiki, our free online card game where the lowest count wins too. The difference is memory: your cards are face down, so you have to remember them. Here's how Least Count is usually played, and how Rafiki compares.
On this page: How Least Count works · Least Count vs Rafiki · Rafiki in 30 seconds · Play online · Questions
How Least Count usually works
House rules vary a lot from family to family, so agree them before you start. The common pattern:
- Each player is dealt a small hand of cards (often seven, sometimes five), and the rest of the deck is the draw pile with one card turned up.
- Many groups pick a joker rank for the round; those cards count as zero.
- On your turn you throw away a card, or a set of cards of the same rank, and then pick up from the draw pile or the open pile.
- When you think your hand has the lowest total, you call "show" (some groups only allow this below a set number of points).
- If anyone has a lower total than the player who showed, the shower takes a big penalty; otherwise everyone else scores their hand. Players who pass an agreed total are out, and the last player standing wins.
Least Count vs Rafiki
| Least Count / Dhumbal / Jhyap | Rafiki | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Lowest total in hand | Lowest total in hand |
| Your cards | Held in your hand (usually 5 to 7) | 4 cards face down in front of you; you peek at two once |
| Getting rid of cards | Throw singles or sets of the same rank on your turn | Slam a matching card the moment it hits the pile, from anyone's hand, even out of turn |
| Special cards | A joker rank worth zero | 7/8 peek, 9/10 spy, Jack/Queen blind swap, black King swap |
| Ending a round | Call "show" | Call "Rafiki"; everyone else has one last turn |
| Players | Often 3 to 8 at a table | 2 to 6, online with friends or against the computer |
Rafiki in 30 seconds
- Everyone gets 4 cards face down and looks at 2 of them once.
- On your turn, draw a card and swap it for one of yours or discard it.
- Discarding a 7 or 8, 9 or 10, or Jack or Queen lets you peek, spy or swap blind.
- Slam any matching card onto the pile, from your hand or anyone's.
- Call "Rafiki" when you think you're lowest. Red Kings and Jokers count -1, so they're the cards to keep.
Play a Least Count-style game online
Rafiki is free in your browser on phone or computer, with no download and no sign-up. Play straight away against computer players, or make a private room and send your friends the code to play together from different cities. If your family is in another country, it's an easy way to keep the card nights going.
Questions
What is Least Count?
A card game where each player tries to have the lowest total in their hand. You throw cards or sets of the same rank and pick up new ones, and call "show" when you think you're lowest. House rules vary.
Are Dhumbal and Jhyap the same as Least Count?
They're close relatives from Nepal and India with the same idea: get the lowest total, then call. The number of cards and the penalty rules differ between families.
Is there a free online game like Least Count?
Yes. Rafiki at playrafiki.com is a free online card game where the lowest count wins, with hidden cards, peek and swap powers and slamming. Play friends in a private room or against the computer.
Can I play with family in other countries?
Yes. Create a private room on playrafiki.com and send the code; everyone plays in their browser, on phone or computer.
Rafiki is free in your browser, with no download. Tap Quick Play and you're at a table against two computer players in seconds, or make a room for your family and friends.
Play Rafiki now