About Dingus
What Dingus is
Dingus is a climbing card game for a full table, in the family usually called President. One 52-card deck is dealt until it is gone. Ranks run from the 3 up through the ace, and the 2s sit above everything else. The player who empties a hand last wears the title Dingus.
Objective
Each round pays you for the title you earn by the order you go out. Before the first deal, pick the sitting: race to 15, 25, or 40 points, play 7, 11, or 15 rounds, or keep dealing with no set finish. The match never ends on the President's last card. Everyone receives that round's points first.
How a round works
Lead one to four cards of the same rank. Each player after you must play the same number of cards of an equal or higher rank, or pass. Matching the pile exactly skips the next player. When everyone else has passed, you sweep the pile and lead again. Matching 2s wipe the pile and you lead again: a single 2 on a single card, a pair of 2s on a pair, a triple on a triple. A lone 2 cannot erase doubles or triples. In the first game, the player holding the 3 of clubs must open with it. After that, the table sits in title order and the President leads. The Dingus deals every round, starting with themselves, so leftover cards reach the Dingus first and the President last.
How scoring works
First out is President. Second is Vice President. Last is the Dingus, and second-to-last is Vice Dingus. Everyone in between is a Citizen. When the last title locks, the round pays President +4, Vice President +2, Citizens 0, Vice Dingus −2, and Dingus −4. If the match ends in a tie, the most Presidencies wins, then the better title from the last round. Between rounds the tax is collected in order. The Dingus gives their two highest cards to the President, and the Vice Dingus gives their highest card to the Vice President. Those seats hand junk back. If you owe the high cards, you choose them yourself, so you can see exactly what left your hand.
Number of players
Dingus seats four to eight players.
Strategy
Do not spend a 2 on a pile ordinary cards can beat. Save a matching set of 2s for a pile that would otherwise stick you. Passing can be right when a sweep would hand the next lead back to you. The cards you give away in the tax often decide the next deal.
Local and online play
Play on this device with house players in the other seats. That mode works offline. Online, host or join a room with a 6-character code and share it with the table. No account is required.
Where to play
Play in the browser at dingus.tamakitech.com, or install Dingus on Google Play.