Utsuke

Utsuke うつけ

Utsuke is a trick-taking game for 2 to 5 players - but where cards are dealt out for 1 more than the number of players. The extra hand is dealt face up and is for a non-player character, referred to as The Lord. Before the hand begins, the players bid on how many tricks the The Lord will win. The rules specify how The Lord's hand will be played, determines the trump suit, etc. The player with the most accurate bid will earn points, but players who win more tricks than The Lord are penalized. The end of the game is determined when either a player reaches a certain number of victory points or a player has been eliminated.