Zetema is an exciting, rummy style card game for two to six players.
Try to score more points than your opponents by making melds and zetemas to win this game!
Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play Zetema below. Be sure to check out the quick guide to help you learn as you play.
Zetema Tutorial
Needed
65 card deck (A standard 52 card deck plus 13 cards from another deck, all the same suit); two to six players; pen and paper for scorekeeping.
Deal
Each player is dealt 6 cards when 2 to 5 players are playing, 5 cards when 6 are playing. The remaining deck is placed down as a draw deck.
Objective
The object of the game is to be the first to score 300 points when playing with two or three players, or 200 points when playing with four to six players. Points are scored when a meld is played. (Scoring detailed below)
Game Play
The player left of the dealer gets the first turn. A turn consists of three steps. First, a player will draw a card from the deck. Second, a player will score a meld if possible and wanted. Third, the player will discard a card.
The cards are discarded into 13 piles, one pile for each rank of card. If you are the player to discard the fifth card in a rank, you score for the zetema.
When a marriage is melded, the cards in the marriage are both discarded to a separate discard pile. Zetemas cannot be scored for queens and kings if a marriage is melded. Since all cards from melding a marriage(s) are discarded, the player will draw multiple cards to start their next turn. A player should start each turn with seven cards after drawing.
When melding, a player will show all the cards for the meld being scored, the score is recorded, and the player will discard one card from the meld shown.
Players continue taking turns until the deck runs out. Players will then continue to take turns by just discarding and trying to score zetemas until all cards have been discarded.
Scoring
All players’ scores are recorded as soon as they are earned during game play.
Melds:
Straight (six cards in sequence) = 10 points
Flush (six cards in the same suit) = 30 points
Straight Flush (six cards in sequence and the same suit) = 50 points
Assembly (five cards of the same rank)
Kings or Queens = 130 points
Jacks = 120 points
Aces or 5s = 110 points
All other ranks = 100 points
Marriages (King and Queen in same suit)
Five at the same time = 150 points
Four at the same time = 100 points
Three at the same time = 60 points
Two at the same time = 30 points
One marriage = 10 points
Zetema (discard fifth card in rank)
Kings or Queens = 50 points
Jacks = 20 points
Aces or 5s = 15 points
All other ranks = 5 points
The game ends immediately once a player reaches 300 points in a 2 or 3 player game, or 200 points in a 4 to 6 player game.
Rules
A player can use kings or queens from the card rank discards to score for marriages. For example, a player could pick up a queen from the discard pile and meld it with a king of the same suit that is in their hand to meld a marriage.
In a two player game, once the draw deck is out, a player that scores a zetema will play again. Play moves to the other player if a zetema is not scored with the discard.