AHOY!! V2: The Pirate Card Game of Deception and Treachery

🏴☠️ AHOY!! V2

The pirate card game

A game of deception, risk, negotiation, and betrayal.

2–4 players: 1 English deck + 1 Joker
5–8 players: 2 English decks + 2 Jokers

You only need one or two English decks of playing cards.

⸻

🏴☠️ THE OBJECTIVE

Each pirate tries to find and complete a secret treasure.

Your treasure is a sequence of 4 consecutive cards of the same suit.

For example:

  • 3♠ 4♠ 5♠ 6♠
  • 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥
  • 9♣ 10♣ J♣ Q♣
  • 10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦
  • J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠

The treasure is secret. You do not have to say which sequence you are looking for.

You can even lie about it.

When you complete a valid sequence of four cards, shout:

AHOY!

Reveal your four cards and immediately win the hand.

⸻

🃏 SETUP

  1. Shuffle the deck or decks.
  2. Each player receives 5 cards.
  3. Place the remaining cards face down in the center of the table.

This is the draw pile.

  1. Leave space next to the draw pile for the discard pile.
  2. The player chosen by the table goes first.
  3. Play continues counterclockwise.

The cards in your hand are secret.

⸻

⚠️ INITIAL TREASURE

A player may receive a complete treasure among their 5 initial cards.

In that case, they cannot shout AHOY! immediately.

They must wait until all players have taken their first turn and drawn a card.

Once everyone has drawn for the first time, the player who already had the treasure may shout:

AHOY!

⸻

🃏 THE JOKER — HANDS UP!

The Joker is not a wild card and cannot be used to complete a treasure.

It is a special action.

After drawing a card, you can use a Joker instead of making an offer.

Choose any player and shout:

HANDS UP!

The targeted player takes 3 cards from their own hand and places them face down on the table.

You choose one of those three cards without looking at them and keep it.

The Joker is immediately placed in the discard pile.

You cannot use the Joker and make an offer in the same turn.

If you have two Jokers, you may keep them and use them whenever you want.

There is no limit to the number of Jokers a player can have.

⸻

🔄 YOUR TURN

On your turn, you always do this:

DRAW → OFFER or HANDS UP! → DISCARD

1. DRAW

Draw 1 card from the draw pile.

⸻

2. MAKE AN OFFER

If you do not use a Joker, you must make an offer.

The offer is made to the next player counterclockwise.

You must state:

  • which card you want to receive;
  • which card you are offering in exchange.

For example:

“Paula, I want your 6♥. I’ll give you my 5♦.”

The card you say you want does not have to be the card you actually need.

You may be lying.

One offer only

You can make only one offer per turn.

There are no counteroffers or second proposals.

⸻

👀 WHAT IF ANOTHER PLAYER HAS THE CARD?

If the player you made the offer to does not have the requested card, but another player does, that player may step in and accept the offer.

If several players have the requested card, the player who made the offer decides who to trade with.

There is no duel.

There is no randomness.

The decision belongs to the person making the offer.

⸻

☠️ DIRTY DEAL

This is where the real piracy begins.

The cards in the exchange are handed over face down.

Suppose you say:

“I’ll give you my 5♦ for your 6♥.”

You may be telling the truth.

Or you may be lying.

The exchange works like this:

  1. Each player chooses a card from their hand.
  2. Both place their card face down.
  3. Each player takes the other player's card.
  4. Each player looks at the received card in their own hand.

You cannot change the card after seeing it.

You can say you are giving a 5♦ and give another card.

The other player can do exactly the same.

That is not cheating. It is part of the game.

They are pirates.

⸻

🗑️ 3. DISCARD

After making your offer, whether or not there is an exchange, you must discard 1 card.

Place the card face up in the discard pile.

If you used a Joker, you must also discard a card after using it.

The discard pile is public: everyone can see which cards have been discarded.

⸻

🔄 WHEN THE DRAW PILE RUNS OUT

When the draw pile is empty:

  1. Leave the top card of the discard pile in place.
  2. Collect the rest of the discard pile.
  3. Shuffle it.
  4. It becomes the new draw pile.

This way, one visible card always remains so players can remember the last discarded card.

⸻

🤥 LYING IS ALLOWED

In AHOY!! you can lie.

You can lie about:

  • which card you need;
  • which treasure you are looking for;
  • why you want a card;
  • which card you are giving away;
  • whether you are actually close to completing your treasure.

You can also tell the truth.

And you can tell the truth while hoping everyone thinks you are lying.

Trust is a resource.

If everyone believes you always lie, telling the truth can become your best deception.

⸻

🏆 AHOY!

At any moment, if you have four consecutive cards of the same suit, you can shout:

AHOY!

You do not have to wait for your turn.

Reveal the four cards.

If they correctly form a sequence of four consecutive cards of the same suit:

you immediately win the hand.

The other players keep the cards they had in their hands and score them.

⸻

💰 SCORING

The player who wins the hand gets:

0 points.

The other players add up the value of all the cards still in their hands.

Values

Card

Points

2–10

Face value

J

10

Q

10

K

10

A

20

Joker

30

Points accumulate across hands.

⸻

☠️ HOW MANY POINTS DO WE PLAY TO?

Before starting, the players agree how many points they will play to.

For example:

50 points → quick game
100 points → normal game
150 points → long game
200 points or more → for a night of piracy

When a player reaches or exceeds the agreed limit, the game ends.

The player with the fewest accumulated points is the winner.

The player who reached the limit receives the glorious title of:

🏴☠️ BIGGEST LOSER OF THE NIGHT

⸻

⚓ THE TURN IN ONE SENTENCE

If someone asks you how to play, just say:

“On your turn, draw a card from the draw pile, make an offer, and discard a card.”

Or, if you have a Joker:

“Draw, say HANDS UP! instead of making an offer, and then discard.”

⸻

🏴☠️ AHOY!!

You draw.

You make offers.

You lie.

You trade cards blindly.

You discard.

You try to discover whom you can trust.

And when you finally find your treasure…

AHOY!! 🏴☠️

Frequently Asked Questions About AHOY!! V2

What is AHOY!! V2?

AHOY!! V2 is a pirate card game built around bluffing, negotiation, risk, and betrayal. Each player tries to complete a secret treasure made of four consecutive cards of the same suit.

How many people can play AHOY!! V2?

AHOY!! V2 supports 2 to 8 players. With 2–4 players, use one standard deck of playing cards and one Joker; with 5–8 players, use two decks and two Jokers.

How do you win AHOY!! V2?

You win a hand when you complete four consecutive cards of the same suit and shout “AHOY!”. The full game ends when a player reaches or exceeds the agreed point limit; the player with the fewest accumulated points wins.

Are you allowed to lie in AHOY!! V2?

Yes. Lying is central to the game. You can bluff about the card you need, the treasure you are seeking, or the card you are giving away in a trade.

What does the Joker do in AHOY!! V2?

The Joker is not a wild card. After drawing, it lets you replace the offer with “HANDS UP!”, forcing another player to place three cards face down so you can choose one without looking.

What cards do you need to play?

You only need one or two standard decks of playing cards, depending on the number of players, plus one or two Jokers.

What Deck Can I Use to Play AHOY!! V2?

AHOY!! V2 can be played with any standard English deck of playing cards. You do not need a special deck to play.

But if you want to play with an illustrated deck and also have another card game to enjoy, you can use Artifacts & Trolls by Proyecto Ensamble. Its cards have suits and values like a traditional English deck, so you can also use them to play AHOY!! V2.

Discover Artifacts & Trolls →

Some of our products