How to play Manni
The goal
You play against Lundi the puffin and Tófa the arctic fox. Take more than four of the twelve tricks in a hand to score, and finish with the best score once someone reaches the target (5, 10, or 15 points).
The deal and the manni
- Each player gets 12 cards. The rest go face down in the middle: that pile is the manni. The deal moves one seat clockwise every hand.
- Classic: starting on the dealer’s left, each player in turn may take the manni, swapping their whole hand for it without looking first. The first player to take it ends the exchange; their old hand is set aside face down. If nobody takes it, it stays face down for the hand.
- Hornafjörður: the dealer’s left may set aside up to 7 cards and draw as many from the top of the manni. Then the dealer’s right may swap up to 5, and then the dealer up to as many as are left. Cards set aside are out of play.
Trumps
- Classic uses 48 cards, without the twos. Trumps take turns, hand by hand: hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs, then hearts again. The two of the trump suit lies face up beside the manni as a reminder.
- Hornafjörður uses all 52 cards. Before each deal a card is cut and turned face up, and it goes to the dealer. A ten or higher means no trumps. A six to nine makes its suit trumps. A five or lower means nóló: no trumps, and everyone tries to take as few tricks as they can.
Playing the tricks
- The player on the dealer’s left leads the first trick. Play goes clockwise, and the winner of each trick leads the next.
- You must play a card of the suit that was led if you have one. If you don’t, play any card. You never have to play a trump.
- The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. Aces are high, except in nóló, where they rank below the twos.
Scoring
| Hand | Each trick over four | Each trick under four |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Plus 1 | Nothing |
| Hornafjörður, trumps or no trumps | Plus 1 | Minus 1 |
| Hornafjörður, nóló | Minus 1 | Plus 1 |
The game ends after the hand in which someone’s points reach the target. In Classic the highest score wins. In Hornafjörður the target counts the points you have won, and your final score is points won minus points lost, so the player who reached the target doesn’t always win. A tie for first place is shared.
Playing a card
Tap a card to play it. Cards you can’t play this turn are shaded, and the ones you can play have a gold edge. With Tap twice to play on (the default on touch screens), the first tap lifts a card and the second plays it. In a Hornafjörður exchange, tap cards to mark them, then press Swap.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab | Move to your hand or the exchange buttons |
| Left / Right arrows | Move between cards |
| Enter or Space | Play the card, or mark it for a swap |
| L | Show the last trick |
| S | Show the score sheet |
Tips
- In Classic, the manni is a free gamble: points never go below zero, so a weak hand loses little by swapping.
- Count the trumps as they fall. Once the others are out of them, your low trumps and long suits win.
- In nóló, keep your aces: they are the lowest cards. Swap away kings and queens, especially in short suits.
- When you can’t follow suit and can’t win, throw a low card from your shortest suit.
Questions
Do the computer players see my cards, or the manni? No. Each one plays from its own hand, the cards it set aside, and the cards already played.
Where does the name come from? Manni is a traditional Icelandic card game with many local versions. Hornafjörður’s version is played in the south-east of Iceland.
Do I need an account? No. Your game saves on this device automatically, between every trick. An optional account adds cloud saves across devices.
