Banishing boredom has never been easier. The ‘Canadian salad’ card game is a very popular way to do that, especially amongst teens. Why? Well, it’s easy to learn and play, and it does not take lots of materials or people to get it started, so you can have fun anywhere.
This game originated in North America, but it became more popular in Canada. You might have heard of it under different names:
- The ‘Canadian fruit salad’ card game
- The ‘Fruit salad’ card game
There is also an American version of it, and it is called the ‘Wisconsin Scramble’ card game.
Materials and equipment
- Luckily, for the ‘Canadian salad’ card game you will only need a deck of cards.
*Note: Make sure that your deck is complete and all your 52 cards are in there.
- The cards are ranked like this: A is the highest, followed by K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.
This is what turns the ‘Fruit salad’ card game into a great activity for some indoor fun, outdoor team buildings, campings, or when you are with a few friends in your backyard. It is also appropriate for any age, from children and teenagers to adults and elder people.
Skills and abilities
Many people would think that if cards are involved, it all has to do with chance. Well, not really. The ‘Canadian salad’ card game is also about:
- Strategic thinking. Each hand comes with a new rule, so you will need to come up with a different strategy for every one of them. hand. There will be 6 in total;
- Focus. You have to pay attention to the other players as well;
- Mathematical thinking and quickness. You need to calculate your points fast when taking a trick. This way, you will be aware of how many points you have got, and how to avoid being the loser.
Players and purpose
Ideally, the ‘Canadian salad card’ game requires 4 people and a 52-card deck. All the cards are dealt out to the players, 13 to each.
However, we help you figure it out even if there are fewer or more players involved in your game! Some cards can be removed from the deck so that they can be dealt evenly.
- For 3 players, remove the 2 of clubs and deal 17 cards each.
- For 5 players, remove the 2 of clubs and the 2 of diamonds and deal 10 cards each.
- For 6 players, remove the 2 and 3 of clubs, and 2 and 3 of diamonds, and deal 8 cards each.
The purpose of the ‘Salad card’ game is to avoid taking certain cards from the trick that collect penalty points.
The rules for the ‘Fruit Salad’ card game
In the ‘Canadian fruit salad’ card game, there are 6 hands played in a particular order. You must shuffle and redeal the cards after each hand.
Hand 1 = In this hand, players should not take any tricks. They will be given 10 penalty points for each trick won. The first hand has a total of 130 points.
Hand 2 = In this hand, players should not take any Hearts. There will be 10 penalty points for each trick won. The second hand also has 130 points.
Hand 3 = In this hand, players should not take any Queens. There will be 25 penalty points for each trick won. The third hand has 100 points.
Hand 4 = In this hand, players should not take Kings of Spades. Those who take Kings of Spades get 100 penalty points in a trick.
Hand 5 = In this hand, players should not take the last trick. The penalty equals 100 points.
6. Hand 6 = The last one is the toughest because all rules from the above hands’ count. Therefore, players should not take any tricks at all, especially the last one, Hearts, Queens, or Kings of Spades. The sixth hand has a total of 560 possible points.
Instructions for the ‘Fruit salad’ card game
- Deal and play are clockwise.
- The first dealer is chosen by cutting cards. The one with the highest card deals first. The dealer shuffles and deals the cards evenly.
- A trick consists of each player playing a single card. They must follow the suit of the first card played.
*Note: If they don’t have a card from the suit led with, they may play any card in hand.
- The highest ranking card from the suit led with wins, and they lead in the next trick.
*Note: There are no trumps.
- The players have to keep track of their penalty points after each hand.
- After all 6 hands have been played, the player with the highest scoring is declared the loser, while the one who collects the fewest penalty points wins the ‘Fruit salad’ card game.
If card games aren’t really your thing, check out our website, and find something that suits you!
2 thoughts on “How To Play The “Fruit Salad” Card Game?”
Are the cards reshuffled after each hand? Wanted to play this game but couldn’t remember if we played the cards dealt for all 6 hands or redealt every hand. Thank you
Hi, Teri! Yes, you must shuffle and redeal the cards after each hand. Thanks for the catch! We’ll make sure to add it in the article as well. Also, here’s an explanatory video that shows you exactly how it works – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycJLySPkUX4.