How to play Sabotango

A fast, mean card game. Empty your hand to win the round. Penalty points stack across rounds — first to reach the table's max score loses.

The goal

1

Empty your hand to end the round. Everyone else scores penalty points equal to the value of cards left in their hand.

2

Across rounds, the first player to reach (or pass) the table's Max Score loses. The player with the fewest points wins the game.

On your turn

1

Play a card from your hand that matches the top card by color, number, or is a wild.

2

If you can't or won't play, tap Your turn to draw a card. If the drawn card is legal, you may play it right away.

3

Some special cards open a follow-up choice — pick a target, wish a color, or assign a gift recipient.

Numeral cards

Numeral card

Match the top card by color or number. Numerals come in four colors (red, yellow, green, blue), values 1–9. The number on the card equals the penalty points it adds to your score if you still hold it when the round ends.

Black numeral

Wild numeral with no color. Plays on any number that matches its value, regardless of color. Black cards trigger event cards when discarded (Normal difficulty only).

Colored special cards

Each special exists in all four colors. Play them on matching color, or on the same special symbol.

Skip

Skip the next player's turn. Plays on matching color or another Skip.

Gift

Give one or two cards from your hand to any opponent(s) of your choice.

Exchange

Swap your entire hand with another player. Hope they have fewer cards than you.

Replay

Play another card on top of this one immediately, if it matches color or number.

Power Up

Power Up — return your most recently played colored special from the discard pile back into your hand for reuse. Cannot recover a card you played on this same turn. If nothing is eligible, has no effect. Not counterable.

Thief

Target an opponent and steal 2 random cards from their hand. Counterable — a Rebound reflects the theft back at you.

Trouble

Immediately draws and resolves an event card. Not counterable. Normal difficulty only.

Wild cards

Wilds play on anything. They are the strongest cards in the deck.

Sabo Tango

Wild card. Plays on anything, then you wish either a color or a number that the next player must match.

Sabo Tango Ole!

Like Sabotango, but the chosen target also draws four extra cards.

Rebound

Played in response to a Skip, Gift, Exchange or Sabo Tango Ole! aimed at you — bounces the effect back to the attacker.

Same Same

Play on any card. The played-on card's value becomes the new value to match.

Inequality

Wish for a colour, then pick an opponent with fewer or equal cards. They blindly draw cards from your hand until they hold more than you.

Nice Try

Block an opponent who is about to win the round. They must keep playing.

Lucky Bastard

Toss in immediately after an event triggers to protect yourself from its effect. Doesn't count as a turn — still wish for a colour. Can't block ongoing events; on Doomsday you take 0 points. If the event chains into another event, you're not protected from that one.

+1

Every other player draws 1 card from the draw pile. You don't draw. Then wish for a colour.

+2

Every other player draws 2 cards from the draw pile. You don't draw. Then wish for a colour.

F*** You

The cruelest card. Worth 42 penalty points if you're stuck with it at round end — get rid of it fast.

Event cards (Normal difficulty)

Whenever a black numeral hits the discard pile, the top event card flips. Each event is announced, applied to everyone, then play continues — unless the event itself ends the round. Each event card appears only once per game; once the event deck runs out, the discards are reshuffled. Easy mode removes event cards from the game entirely.

Tornado

All hands pooled, shuffled, and re-dealt.

Tornado

All hands pooled, shuffled, and re-dealt.

Every player's hand is collected, shuffled together, and dealt back out evenly. Resets who is ahead and who is drowning in cards.

Earthquake

Pass your entire hand to the player on your right.

Earthquake

Pass your entire hand to the player on your right.

Every player passes their entire hand to the neighbour on their right. Great for offloading a bad hand, painful if you were about to win.

Finish Line

Round ends now — score your hand.

Finish Line

Round ends now — score your hand.

The round ends immediately. Score whatever you're still holding — no more turns, no comebacks.

Vandalism

Discard every card of the last played color.

Vandalism

Discard every card of the last played color.

Every card matching the colour of the last played card is discarded from all hands. Can wipe out big stacks in one go.

Doomsday

Round ends. Every player takes 50 points.

Doomsday

Round ends. Every player takes 50 points.

The round ends and every player takes a flat 50 penalty points. A guaranteed bad day for everyone.

Mating Season

Discard every numeral set you can form.

Mating Season

Discard every numeral set you can form.

Every player must discard every numeral set (same number) they can form from their hand. Hoarders lose the most.

Robin Hood

Smallest hand swaps with the largest hand.

Robin Hood

Smallest hand swaps with the largest hand.

The player with the smallest hand swaps it with the player holding the largest hand. Punishes whoever is closest to winning.

Surprise Party

Every player gives one card to someone.

Surprise Party

Every player gives one card to someone.

Every player picks one card from their hand and gives it to another player of their choice.

Gambling Man

Secret bid in the last color — highest wins all.

Gambling Man

Secret bid in the last color — highest wins all.

Each player secretly bids a card in the last played colour. Highest bid wins the whole pile — losers keep their bids.

Time Bomb

Three turns left. Empty your hand or pay double.

Time Bomb

Three turns left. Empty your hand or pay double.

A 3-turn countdown begins. If nobody empties their hand before it runs out, everyone's hand points are doubled.

Friday the 13th

Nothing happens. Play on.

Friday the 13th

Nothing happens. Play on.

Nothing happens. The card is announced, then play continues as if it never flipped.

Expansion

Players draw 1, 2, 3 cards in order.

Expansion

Players draw 1, 2, 3 cards in order.

Players draw extra cards in turn order — 1 card, then 2, then 3, and so on. Hands grow fast.

Recession

Players discard 1, 2, 3 cards in order.

Recession

Players discard 1, 2, 3 cards in order.

Players discard cards in turn order — 1, 2, 3, and so on. Hands shrink fast.

The All-Seeing Eye

Every hand is revealed to all players.

The All-Seeing Eye

Every hand is revealed to all players.

Every player's hand is revealed face-up to everyone for 5 seconds. Use the intel for what comes next.

Mexican Standoff

Everyone discards their hand and draws 3.

Mexican Standoff

Everyone discards their hand and draws 3.

Every player discards their entire hand and draws 3 fresh cards. A full reset.

Market

Cards face up — players take turns picking one.

Market

Cards face up — players take turns picking one.

A row of cards is laid face-up. Players take turns picking one to add to their hand.

Third Time Lucky

Every player draws 3 cards.

Third Time Lucky

Every player draws 3 cards.

Every player draws 3 cards. Bigger hands, more options, more penalty risk.

Merry Christmas

Give away your entire hand.

Merry Christmas

Give away your entire hand.

The player who triggered the event gives their entire hand away, distributed among the other players.

Communism

Everyone draws up to the largest hand.

Communism

Everyone draws up to the largest hand.

Every player draws up to the size of the largest current hand. Everyone is now equally miserable.

Charity

Take one card from the player with the most.

Charity

Take one card from the player with the most.

Take one card of your choice from the player holding the most cards.

Round ends when…

  • A player plays their last card (and no opponent counters with Nice Try).
  • An event card ends the round (e.g. Finish Line, Doomsday, Time Bomb running out).

Everyone else scores the total value of the cards still in their hand. Sabotango wilds count 7 each, F*** You counts 42. The round winner scores 0.

Difficulty

  • Easy — black numerals and event cards are removed. Non-playable cards are greyed out on Replay to help you learn.
  • Normal — full deck, all events live. No grey-outs; illegal taps show a blocked icon.