Rules for the Newmarket card game

Newmarket (also called Michigan or Stops) is a game where players try to get rid of the cards in their hand by laying down cards in ascending numeric order. This can be challenging because some cards aren't used in the game. Players place and pay out betting stakes in the game.

The dealer lays out four cards--ace of hearts, king of clubs, queen of diamonds and jack of spades--from a deck that won't be played. These make up the layout of the game's "boodle cards." Before a deal, the dealer places two chips on each card and the other players place one.

The dealer deals out all cards to the players, alternatively dealing one card for each player's regular hand, then one for their spare hand. The players can look at all of their cards, but the spare cards are left face down and not played.

The player to the dealer's left plays a card of any suit, but it must be the lowest card of that suit in the player's hand. The person with the next-highest card in that suit must then play that card. This continues until the ace is played or no one can play the next-highest card.

When one play stops, another begins. The player who played the last card of the previous play starts the next one. This continues until one player runs out of cards (from that player's regular hand).

When a player runs out of cards, all others pay one chip for each card remaining in their hand, which the winning player collects. If any player plays one of the "boodle cards" during a game, that player gets all of the chips on that card in the layout.