How to Play Comet

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Comet is a shedding card game for two to five players in which everyone races to empty their hand before anyone else does. The game centres on a single shared sequence built card by card around the table, with players adding to it in ascending order within each suit. When you cannot play, you draw, and the tension builds quickly as hands thin out.

Players love Comet because it is fast, genuinely tactical, and simple enough to explain in two minutes yet interesting enough to hold a table of adults. It works equally well as a family kitchen-table game and as a filler between longer sessions.

A little history

Comet's origins are unclear. It is traditionally associated with eighteenth-century France, where a broadly similar game called Comète was popular, and the name is widely believed to commemorate the appearance of a notable comet. Beyond that general association the precise lineage of the rules as commonly played today is not well documented, and the game has absorbed local variations across different countries over the years.

Setting up

1. Remove the eight of diamonds from the deck and set it aside; it plays no part in the game.
2. Designate the nine of diamonds as the Comet card. It remains in the deck and is dealt normally.
3. Deal all remaining cards as evenly as possible to all players. With an uneven deal, the players with fewer cards have a slight advantage, so keep this in mind when choosing who deals.
4. Players hold their cards in hand without showing them to opponents.
5. Determine the starting player by any agreed method, such as lowest card showing or a cut of the deck.

How to play

1. The starting player places any one card face up in the centre of the table to begin the sequence.
2. Play passes clockwise. On your turn you must play the next card in the sequence: the same suit as the last card played, one rank higher.
3. Suits are considered separate sequences. If the last card played was the seven of hearts, only the eight of hearts continues that line.
4. If you cannot play the next card in sequence, you pass your turn. You do not draw a card for failing to play.
5. If no player at the table can continue the sequence (it is blocked), the player who played the last card starts a fresh sequence by laying any card from their hand.
6. The Comet card (nine of diamonds) is a wild. When you play it you may immediately play any single card from your hand on top of it, regardless of suit or rank, starting a new sequence from that card. You may not play the Comet and then pass; you must follow it with one card.
7. If you hold the Comet card and play it as your final card, you win immediately without needing to play a follow-up card.
8. A player who empties their hand wins the round immediately and scores points equal to the total pip value of cards remaining in all other players' hands.
9. Court cards count as follows for scoring: Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13, Ace 1. Number cards count at face value. The nine of diamonds (Comet) counts as 18 if it is still in an opponent's hand when you win.
10. Play as many rounds as agreed in advance, or to a target score. The player with the highest cumulative score when the target is reached wins the match.

Winning and scoring

A round ends the moment one player plays their last card. That player scores points equal to the sum of all cards left in opponents' hands, using pip values (Ace 1, number cards face value, Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13). The Comet card still held in a losing hand scores 18 points for the winner. A match is typically played to an agreed target such as 200 points, and the first player to reach or exceed it wins. If two players cross the target in the same round, the higher total wins.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns what happens when the Comet is played as the last card without a follow-up. The standard ruling is that playing the Comet alone as your final card is a legal win; the requirement to follow it with another card only applies when you still have cards remaining in hand. A second common dispute involves a blocked sequence: the correct ruling is that the block must be genuine, meaning no player at the table holds the next card, before a new sequence can be started. A player who claims a block must give the rest of the table a moment to confirm before playing.

With two players, a sequence can block even though the next card is technically in the discard from a previous round. Because Comet is typically played without a discard pile (all played cards stay visible in a single face-up stack), players should agree before the game whether the played stack is checked or simply accepted as gone. The cleaner ruling, and the more widely used, is that once a card is played it is gone and cannot unblock a future sequence.

How to win more often

• Hold back high-value cards, especially court cards, for as long as possible. If an opponent goes out while you hold several courts your score penalty is severe.
• Save the Comet card for a moment when it lets you shed multiple cards in one chain or, better still, play it as your final card for an outright win.
• Track which suits are running short in the sequence. If you hold consecutive cards in a suit that other players have largely used, you may be able to chain several plays in a single turn.
• When you must start a fresh sequence after a block, choose a suit where you hold the most consecutive cards so you can play again quickly on your next turn.
• In a two-player game, passing is effectively handing your opponent the initiative. Build your hand around having at least one playable card at most times, even if it is not your strongest option.

Variations

Scoring Target Adjustment

Some groups lower the target score to 100 points for a shorter session, or raise it to 500 for a longer evening game. The card values remain the same; only the match length changes. This is the most common informal adjustment to the standard game.

Comet as a Penalty Card

In this variant, if a player holds the Comet card when an opponent goes out, the Comet counts double against them, scoring 36 rather than 18 for the winner. This makes holding the Comet far more dangerous and encourages players to play it aggressively rather than saving it.

Multiple Sequences

For four or five players, some groups allow the table to maintain two simultaneous sequences, each started independently. On your turn you may add to either sequence. This reduces blocking and keeps the game moving at larger player counts, though it also reduces the strategic weight of the Comet card.

Draw on Pass

A stricter variant requires a player who cannot play to draw one card from a face-down stock before passing. This lengthens hands and rounds considerably and is better suited to players who prefer a more forgiving, luck-influenced game. The stock is formed by setting aside a portion of the deck before the deal.

Comet: frequently asked questions