How to Play Loo
Loo is a trick-taking card game for three to eight players using a standard 52-card deck. Players compete each round to win at least one trick, paying a penalty into a central pool whenever they fail. The pool grows and shrinks with each hand, and the swings in fortune make every deal feel consequential.
It is a game built on fast decisions and genuine jeopardy. The threat of being "looed" keeps players sharp, and the pooling mechanism rewards the bold without letting recklessness go unpunished. It plays well at a kitchen table and scales comfortably across a wide range of player counts.
A little history
Loo was one of the most widely played gambling card games in Britain during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, attracting players across social classes and featuring in contemporary literature and diaries of the period. Its origins are unclear, though it is often associated with the French game Lanterloo, from which the name is thought to derive. By the nineteenth century its popularity had declined in favour of other trick-taking games, but it persisted as a domestic pastime and is still played in traditional card-game circles today.
Setting up
- Seat all players around a table and agree on a staking unit before play begins.
- Choose a dealer by any agreed method. The dealer role passes clockwise after each hand.
- Each player receives a starting stock of chips or counters of equal value.
- The dealer antes three chips into the pool to start the first hand.
- The dealer shuffles the deck and the player to their right cuts it.
How to play
- The dealer deals three cards face down to each player, one at a time, and places three cards face down in the centre as a spare hand called the miss.
- Turn the next card face up to establish the trump suit for the round.
- Starting with the player to the dealer's left, each player in turn decides to: fold (throw in their hand and sit out the round), play with their current hand, or exchange their entire hand for the miss. Only one player may take the miss; if two players want it, the first in turn order takes priority.
- A player who folds cannot win the pool but also cannot be looed. A player who chooses to play is committed.
- Once all declarations are made, the player to the dealer's left leads any card to the first trick.
- Each other active player must follow suit if able. If unable to follow suit, they must play a trump if able. If unable to do either, they may play any card.
- The highest card of the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump has been played, in which case the highest trump wins.
- Cards rank in standard order: Ace (high), King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
- The winner of each trick leads to the next trick.
- After all three tricks have been played, the pool is divided equally among the players who won one or more tricks.
- Any player who committed to play but won no tricks is looed: they must pay three chips (or one chip per trick played, depending on the agreed variant) into a new pool for the next hand.
- If only one player chose to play or took the miss unopposed, they win the pool without play unless the dealer chooses to defend. The dealer may optionally pick up the miss and contest the lone player. If the dealer wins all three tricks they take the pool; if not, the pool is split normally.
- The deal passes clockwise and a new hand begins.
Winning and scoring
There is no single winner declared at a fixed point in the standard game. Players accumulate chips over successive hands and the game ends at a pre-agreed time or number of rounds, with the player holding the most chips declared the winner. In each individual hand, the pool is split equally among all players who took at least one trick: if three players each take one trick, each receives one third of the pool. A player who is looed must contribute chips equal to the full pool value to the next round's pool, which can cause the pot to escalate sharply. Managing your chip stack across hands is therefore as important as winning any single round.
The fine points
The most frequent dispute concerns the obligation to trump. The rule is strict: a player who cannot follow suit must play a trump if they hold one, even if doing so is strategically harmful. Failure to trump when able is a revoke. A revoke discovered before the hand ends requires the offending player to be looed automatically and the hand to be replayed from the point of the error. If discovered after the hand, the standard ruling is that the offender is looed and pays the full penalty, but tricks already won stand.
A second common question involves the miss. If no player wishes to exchange for the miss during declarations, it is simply set aside unused for that round. The miss is always offered as a complete exchange of all three cards; partial exchanges are not permitted. Where a player takes the miss and then folds, this is not allowed: committing to take the miss is committing to play. Any player who takes the miss and is then looed pays the full penalty regardless.
How to win more often
- Count your trumps before deciding to play. A single high trump gives you a reasonable chance of winning one trick; two trumps make it likely. Folding with no trumps and weak cards is almost always correct.
- Pay attention to which suits are void around the table as tricks are played. Leading a suit that a known void player must ruff is useful only if your trump holding can beat theirs.
- Use the miss tactically. If you hold two poor cards and one strong trump, exchanging for the miss is a gamble worth taking only if the pool is large enough to justify the risk of ending up with a worse hand.
- When the pool is unusually large, other players are more likely to take risks to win it. Factor this into your decision to play or fold; a crowded table means tricks are split more ways and the reward per trick falls.
- As dealer, consider carefully before exercising the option to defend against a lone player. You are not obliged to do so, and contesting a lone player who holds the miss and a strong hand is likely to leave you looed.
Variations
Five-Card Loo
Each player is dealt five cards instead of three, and five tricks are played per hand. The penalty for being looed is five chips rather than three. The miss also contains five cards. This version extends the hand and increases the information available, making it somewhat more strategic than the standard three-card game. Five-Card Loo was historically the more common form in parts of Ireland.
Unlimited Loo
In Unlimited Loo, a looed player must match the entire current pool rather than paying a fixed number of chips. Because a large loo can generate an equally large pool for the following hand, the stakes can escalate very quickly. This variant is best suited to experienced players using low-denomination chips; it is not recommended for children or casual players.
Club Law
Under Club Law, the Jack of Clubs (or in some accounts the Jack of the trump suit) is designated the highest card in the game, outranking the Ace of trumps. A hand containing this card is an almost guaranteed trick winner and changes the strategic calculus significantly. Where Club Law applies, both players and dealer should factor the missing Jack into their decision to play or fold.
No-Miss Loo
In this simplified variant, the spare miss hand is removed entirely. Players receive their three cards and must decide to play or fold on the basis of what they hold, with no exchange option. The game moves faster and suits players who find the miss mechanic confusing. It is a good introductory format for younger or less experienced players before adding the full rules.
Loo: frequently asked questions
What happens if every player folds?
If all players fold before the dealer, the dealer wins the pool by default without any cards being played. The dealer is the last to declare and does not have the option to fold unless at least one other player has chosen to play.
Can I look at the miss before deciding whether to take it?
No. Players must declare whether they wish to exchange for the miss without seeing its contents. Viewing the miss before committing would give an unfair advantage and is not permitted under standard rules.
What is a loo and how much does it cost?
A loo is the penalty paid by a player who committed to play but failed to win any tricks. In the standard three-card game, a looed player pays three chips into the pool for the following hand. Some schools play one chip per trick played rather than a flat three.
Is Loo suitable for children?
The mechanics are straightforward enough for children aged eight and up who already understand the concept of following suit. The gambling element with chips can be played for fun with non-monetary counters and is not inherently problematic in a family setting.
How many players does Loo work best with?
Loo plays well across its full range of three to eight players, but most experienced players consider five or six to be the sweet spot. With three players the pool tends to be won too easily; with eight the game slows down at the declaration stage.
What if two players tie for the highest card in a trick?
Ties cannot occur in standard play because all 52 cards are distinct. However, if a house rule involves wild cards or stripped decks, the standard ruling is that the first of the tied cards played in turn order wins the trick.
Does the trump card turned up form part of the dealer's hand?
No. The turned-up card establishes the trump suit only and is then set aside. It does not belong to any player unless a specific house rule or variant states otherwise.
Can a player pass their turn rather than lead to a trick?
No. Once a player is active in a round they must play a card to each trick in turn. Passing or holding back cards is not permitted. The only way to avoid playing in a hand is to fold during the declaration stage before play begins.