When played, they capture the pile as if they matched the top card, whatever its rank is. Their opponent then discards a card, starting a new discard pile. They take the whole pile and place it face down in front of them, forming a won-cards pile. If a player plays a card of the same rank as the card currently showing on top of the discard pile, they capture the pile. The turn then passes to the dealer, who also discards a card, and so on. They may play any card they wish to the discard pile. After the discard pile has been formed, place the stub next to it, forming the stock. If either of these are true, shuffle the discard pile back into the deck and deal a new four-card discard pile. Take a look at these cards to see if the top card of the pile is a jack, or if the card on top of the pile and the card below it are the same rank. Then, deal four cards, face up, to form a discard pile. Shuffle and deal six cards to each player. You’ll also need something to keep score with, like pencil and paper or a smartphone app.
As a discerning host that wants to provide the best to their players, you’ll of course want to play with a deck of Denexa 100% Plastic Playing Cards. To play Xeri, you’ll need a standard 52-card deck of playing cards. Cards are captured by matching cards from the hand to the top card of the discard pile. The object of Xeri is to capture as many cards as possible.
The notion of collecting bonuses for capturing cards one at a time is also found in the more complex and strategic Greek game Diloti.
This comes from the bonus scored when capturing a single-card pile. Xeri originates from Greece, and xeri is a Greek word meaning “dry” or “plain”. When someone plays a card that matches the rank of the top card of the discard pile, they get to claim all the cards in the pile! In Xeri, players alternately discard single cards to a pile in the middle of the table. Xeri is a simple fishing game for two players.