Pig's Tail: Rules and How to Play
Pig's Tail is a card game for 2 to 8 players that takes about 5 minutes. Flip cards one by one — match the suit or rank and race for the pile. Free. In-browser. No account.
Setup
- Two to eight players with a 52-card deck. No jokers.
- Shuffle the deck and lay it face down in a ring. On your turn, pick any card from the ring and flip it.
- A party can choose whether a match is taken by the player who flipped it, or by whoever is slowest to react.
How to play
- Flip one card at a time onto the center pile.
- A flip matches when it shares a suit or a rank with the card just placed below it.
- On a "flipper takes it" table, the player who flipped the matching card immediately takes the whole center pile.
- On a "slowest takes it" table, a match opens a race: everyone taps the big button. Whoever taps last (or never taps in time) takes the center pile. Tapping before a match happens is a false start and takes the pile on the spot.
Winning and scoring
- The game ends once the ring is empty.
- Whoever is holding the fewest cards wins. Ties share the same place.
Defaults on this site
| Item | Default on this site |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–8 players (set automatically by the party size) |
| Turn time limit | None by default (the host can set 30 or 60 seconds) |
| If someone drops mid-game | Reopening on the same device returns you to your seat. If you do not return, the CPU plays in your place. |
| Draws | In ranked play, a draw counts as halfway between a win and a loss for your rating. |
| Source of the rules | Based on the standard reference rules |
Rules supervised by Qdan, Inc. (based on the standard reference rules)
House rules
Defaults follow the standard reference rules. The party can change these.
| Name | Description | Default | Changeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who takes itWho takes itWith the flipper, whoever turns up the matching card takes the whole centre pile, so it is pure luck. With the slowest tapper, everyone races to hit the button the moment a match appears, and the last to tap takes the pile. Tap when there is no match and you take the pile on the spot. | Who takes the center pile when a match happens. | The flipper | Yes |
Terms
- Match
- The flipped card shares a suit or a rank with the card just below it.
- False start
- Tapping the button before an actual match. Takes the pile on the spot.
FAQ
What counts as a match?
The flipped card shares either its suit or its rank with the card just placed below it.
Which take rule is the default?
This table defaults to "the flipper takes it". A setting switches to "slowest takes it" for a faster-paced race.
What happens on a false start?
Tapping the button when there's no match takes the center pile on the spot.
What about ties for last place?
Players holding the same number of cards share the same place.
Play now with these rules
Last updated 2026-09-23 · Run by Qdan, Inc.