How to play Cambio
Cambio is a card game of memory and nerve: you start with four face-down cards, see only two of them, and try to end the round with the lowest total. It's also known as Cabo, Pablo, Cactus and Dutch. Here's everything you need, in the order you'll need it.
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What you need
A standard 52-card deck plus two Jokers, and 2 to 6 players (it's best with 3 or 4). A pen and paper keep the score — or play ¡Cambio! online and it's all counted for you.
The aim
Have the lowest total in your hand when the round ends. Round scores add up, and when someone reaches the score limit (usually 100), the player with the lowest total wins the game.
Card values
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| K♥ K♦ Red King | −1 (the best card in the deck) |
| 🃏 Joker | 0 |
| A♠ Ace | 1 |
| 2♣ to 10♥ | The number on the card |
| J♦ Q♠ Jack, Queen | 10 |
| K♠ K♣ Black King | 10 |
Dealing and the peek
- Deal everyone four cards face down, in a 2 × 2 square in front of them.
- Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile. The rest is the deck.
- Everyone secretly looks at their two nearest cards — once. Memorise them! From now on you only have your memory.
Your turn
On your turn, do one of these:
- Draw from the deck. Look at it, then either swap it for one of your cards (the card you swap out goes face up on the discard pile), or throw it straight onto the discard pile.
- Take the top card of the discard pile. You must swap it into your hand.
- Call “Cambio!” if you think you have the lowest hand (see below).
You can swap into any of your four cards — including ones you've never seen. That's the gamble.
Power cards
If you draw a power card from the deck, discard it straight away to use its power. (A power card you swap out of your hand, or take from the discard pile, does nothing.)
| Card | Power |
|---|---|
| 7♣8♥ | Peek: look at one of your own cards. |
| 9♦10♠ | Spy: look at one card in someone else's hand. |
| J♥Q♣ | Blind swap: swap any two cards on the table without looking. |
| K♠ | Look and swap: look at any card, then choose whether to swap it with another. |
Snap!
At any time — even on someone else's turn — if a card in any hand matches the rank of the top card on the discard pile, you can snap it:
- Your own card, and you're right: it goes on the pile. One card fewer for you.
- Someone else's card, and you're right: it goes on the pile, and you give them one of your cards to fill the gap.
- Wrong: the card goes back, and you take a forfeit card from the deck.
- Fastest finger first: only the first snap on each discard counts.
Calling Cambio
At the start of your turn, instead of drawing, call “Cambio!”. Everyone else gets one last turn, then all the cards are turned over and scored.
- Everyone scores their hand's total.
- The caller gets −10 if they have the lowest hand on their own — or +10 if they don't (a tie counts as not lowest).
- Snap your hand empty and it's an automatic Cambio.
Winning
Play rounds until someone is on or over the score limit (we play to 100). The lowest total wins.
Three tips for your first game
- Swap out high cards early. Any Jack, Queen, black King or 9+ you know about should go.
- Keep the Red Kings and Jokers. −1 and 0 are gold.
- Don't call too soon. The +10 for a wrong call hurts. Wait until you're fairly sure — more in our strategy guide.
Houses play Cambio in different ways — some score a wrong call at +25, or count all Kings as 10. See the complete rules for the common variations.
Questions
How many cards do you get in Cambio?
Four, dealt face down in a 2 × 2 square. You look at your two nearest cards once at the start, and must remember them.
What is the best card in Cambio?
A Red King (King of Hearts or Diamonds), worth −1. Jokers, worth 0, are next.
What happens if you snap the wrong card?
The card goes back where it was, and you take a forfeit card from the deck — one more card in your hand.
When should you call Cambio?
When you're confident your total is lower than everyone else's. Calling and being lowest scores −10; calling and being wrong scores +10.
Is Cambio the same as Cabo?
Very nearly. Cabo is a boxed game with its own deck; Cambio is the same idea played with a standard deck. See Cabo vs Cambio.