East-West
- 👤 Players:
- 2-2 (Best at 2)
- ⏱ Time to play:
- 30 minutes
- ♟ Equipment:
- A standard deck of cards.
- 🧠 Designer(s):
- Reiner Knizia
QR Code
Player Aid
| Poker Hand (descending) | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A K Q J 10 (same suit) |
| Straight Flush | 8 7 6 5 4 (same suit) |
| Four of a Kind | 9 9 9 9 Q |
| Full House | 7 7 7 3 3 |
| Flush | A K 8 5 2 (same suit) |
| Straight | 5 6 7 8 9 |
| Three of a Kind | 6 6 6 Q J |
| Two Pair | J J 8 8 9 |
| One Pair | 10 10 A 8 5 |
| High Card | A J 9 6 2 |
East-West is a cumulative poker game with a twist from Knizia's 1995 book: Blazing Aces! A Fistful of Family Card Games. It would go on to be the precursor to Schotten Totten and Battle Line.
Setup #
Deal 5 cards face-up between each player, 3 cards to each player for their hand, and set the rest in a draw pile.
Objective #
Using the shared cards in the middle, build the highest poker hand in 3 of the 5 rows to win.
Gameplay #
On a players turn, they place a card from their hand on their side of the shared center cards in an attempt to form the best poker hand. Once they place a card, they draw a card from the draw pile, ending their turn.
| Poker Hand (descending) | Example |
|---|---|
| Royal Flush | A K Q J 10 (same suit) |
| Straight Flush | 8 7 6 5 4 (same suit) |
| Four of a Kind | 9 9 9 9 Q |
| Full House | 7 7 7 3 3 |
| Flush | A K 8 5 2 (same suit) |
| Straight | 5 6 7 8 9 |
| Three of a Kind | 6 6 6 Q J |
| Two Pair | J J 8 8 9 |
| One Pair | 10 10 A 8 5 |
| High Card | A J 9 6 2 |
Game End #
After each player has added four cards to each column, compare the five-card Poker combinations made on each side, with the original card in the middle of each column shared between the two sides. The highest hand wins that column. The player who wins 3 or more columns is the winner.
Nathan's Notes
For such a simple game there's a nice amount of decision space. Do you hold out for a straight or just go for the pairs? The only downside is you need to know Poker Hands and their rank to accurately gauge your standing and what to shoot for.
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Standard Cards