How to Play Muggins

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

Muggins is a fast, sociable card game for two to four players that rewards sharp arithmetic and sharper eyes. The heart of the game is a simple rule: lay cards that make multiples of five and score points for them, but miss a score and any eagle-eyed opponent can steal it by calling your name. That single mechanic keeps everyone at the table focused every single turn.

It is a natural choice for family kitchens and pub tables alike. The rules are light enough for children who are confident with addition, yet the scoring opportunities are varied enough to keep adults genuinely engaged. Games are brisk, scoring disputes are settled in seconds, and a losing player can turn a round around with one well-timed shout of "Muggins!"

A little history

The precise origins of Muggins are unclear. The word "muggins" appears in nineteenth-century British slang as a term for a fool or a person easily tricked, and a scoring rule under the same name, penalising a player who misses their own score, is documented in the older domino game of the same name as well as in Cribbage. Whether the card game descended directly from one of these or developed independently as a parlour game is not firmly recorded. It has been played traditionally in Britain and North America, and its rules have been passed down largely by word of mouth.

Setting up

1. Agree on a points target before play begins; 100 is the standard game, 50 suits a shorter session.
2. Shuffle the full 52-card deck thoroughly.
3. Deal five cards face down to each player. With two players some groups deal seven cards each; agree beforehand.
4. Place the remaining cards face down in the centre as the draw pile.
5. Turn the top card of the draw pile face up beside it to start the discard or layout pile.
6. Decide the first dealer by any agreed method; play then proceeds clockwise.

How to play

1. On your turn, draw one card from the top of the draw pile or take the top card from the face-up discard pile.
2. You must then play exactly one card from your hand face up onto the discard pile.
3. When you play a card, add its pip value to the running total of the face-up discard pile. Aces count as 1; Jack, Queen and King each count as 10.
4. If the running total is an exact multiple of five (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and so on), you score that total divided by five as points. For example, a total of 15 scores 3 points.
5. Announce your score aloud and note it down before the next player acts.
6. If you fail to announce a score you are entitled to, any opponent may shout "Muggins!" They claim the points you missed. Only the first opponent to call takes the points.
7. If the running total exceeds 31 (or another agreed limit; 31 is most common), the pile is considered bust. Start a fresh pile: the player who caused the bust draws a replacement card and places a fresh starting card from their hand to begin a new running total.
8. If the draw pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile (leaving the top card in place) to form a new draw pile.
9. Play continues clockwise until one player reaches or passes the agreed points target.

Winning and scoring

The first player whose cumulative score reaches or exceeds the agreed target (commonly 100 points) wins the game outright. There is no requirement to hit the target exactly. Points scored through a successful "Muggins!" call count in full toward the caller's total. In a competitive session, players may agree to play a set number of rounds and declare the highest scorer overall the winner instead.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns the timing of a "Muggins!" call. The standard ruling is that the window closes the moment the next player draws a card. If the next player has already picked up, the missed score is simply lost rather than awarded to anyone. It is worth agreeing this explicitly before play to avoid arguments. A related edge case arises when two opponents call simultaneously: most groups award the points to whichever caller was audibly first, with the dealer arbitrating if genuinely simultaneous.

A second dispute involves the bust rule. If a card played takes the total to exactly 31 (or the agreed limit), that is not a bust; it is a valid scoring play if 31 is a multiple of five, which it is not, so no points are scored but neither is the pile reset. The pile resets only when the total exceeds the limit. Some groups play that going to exactly the limit scores a bonus point; if you want this rule, agree it at the start rather than invoking it mid-game.

How to win more often

• Track the running total continuously, even on other players' turns. Spotted scores are claimed in a split second; you cannot afford to recalculate from scratch when it matters.
• When you have a choice of which card to play, prefer the card that sets the total to a multiple of five plus one, such as 16 or 21. This makes it very difficult for the next player to score unless they hold a nine or four respectively.
• Hold cards that complete multiples of five from common totals. Fives, tens, and face cards are especially flexible because they add or close gaps to multiples quickly.
• Watch opponents' hands indirectly. If a player has drawn several times without playing a card that scores, they are probably holding low cards and struggling with high totals. Adjust your plays to keep the total in a range where your hand is comfortable.
• Do not fixate solely on scoring your own plays. Calling "Muggins!" on a missed score can be just as valuable as scoring yourself, and keeping opponents under pressure forces errors.

Variations

Muggins with a Points Cap

Some groups impose a cap on the score that can be taken from a single play, typically 5 points (a total of 25). Any multiple of five above 25 is not scored. This prevents very high totals from being disproportionately powerful and is a useful adjustment when playing with younger children.

Team Muggins

With four players, partners sit opposite each other and combine their scores. A "Muggins!" call by one partner awards the points to the team rather than the individual. Strategy shifts noticeably because partners can deliberately set up scoring totals for each other, though they may not communicate their intentions verbally during a turn.

Reverse Muggins

In this variant, reaching a multiple of five costs you points rather than awarding them: the player scores the total divided by five as a penalty. The winner is the player with the lowest score when someone reaches an agreed penalty ceiling. The "Muggins!" call works in reverse too: if you fail to penalise yourself and an opponent spots it, the penalty transfers to you doubled.

Short Muggins

Designed for a 15-minute game, Short Muggins uses a target of 31 points and deals only four cards per player. The bust limit is lowered to 21, which forces more frequent resets and keeps totals manageable. The rules are otherwise identical and the game is particularly well suited to younger players or to filling a short gap between longer games.

Muggins: frequently asked questions