Rules

Setup

• Each player begins with a personal 10-card starter deck.
• For a 2-player game, put away all cards marked "3+P" or "4+P".
• For a 3-player game, put away all cards marked "4+P".
• For each Act, build a face-down solitaire pyramid with all cards for that Act (see the cowboy hat number at bottom-right = Act 1/2/3). Flip the bottom row face-up to start.

Sequence of Play

1. Draw Phase

• All players draw cards from the top of their personal deck, one at a time. (Players may draw simultaneously.)
• Players must draw at least one card, then may stop at any time.
• If a player draws 3 or more Bandits, they bust immediately — their turn is over and all drawn cards go to the discard pile.
• When your draw pile is empty, shuffle your discard pile to form a new draw pile. Cut one card from top to bottom after shuffling.

2. Buy Phase

• Players who did not bust add any Cows they drew this round to their Herd.
• Each non-busted player may buy one card from the Store using the total coins drawn this round. Place the purchased card and all drawn cards into your discard pile.
• When a card is purchased or burned, reveal any cards underneath that are no longer covered.
• Instead of buying, a player may burn one card — removing it from the game and revealing card(s) underneath.

Buy Order

1. The player with the most $ chooses who buys first.
2. If tied: most Cows this round.
3. If still tied: most drawn cards.
4. If still tied: compare sell value of drawn cards in order.
5. If still tied: a random draw decides.

Buying proceeds clockwise from the first player.

• Once all eligible players have bought/passed, discard all drawn cards and begin a new round.
• When the last card is bought or burned from the Store, the round ends immediately. All non-busted players still score Cows, even if they didn't get to buy.
• Set up Acts 2 & 3 the same way. Shuffle all discarded cards back into your draw deck.

3. The Showdown

After Act 3's buy phase, instead of the game ending immediately, all players face The Showdown.

• Every card in each player's collection — deck, hand, and discard — is laid face-up on the table.
• Count all positive Cows across every card in your collection. These are added to your Herd. Negative Cow values do not count.
• Everyone participates in the Showdown, even players who busted in the final round.

The player with the most Cows in their Herd after the Showdown wins!

Symbols on Cards

$ — Value that can be spent to purchase other cards.

Cow — Add the number of Cows shown to your Herd (if you don't bust).

Bandit — Caution! Draw your 3rd Bandit and bust immediately.

Double Bandit — Counts as 2 Bandits. Caution! Draw your 3rd Bandit and bust immediately.

Jail — Negates 1 Bandit.

Lose Cow — Subtract 1 Cow from your Herd (if you don't bust).

Burn If Used — This card does nothing when drawn. During your draw phase you may activate it — its effect applies immediately and the card is permanently removed from your deck.

or Burn for $2 — This card gives $1 when drawn. During your draw phase you may also burn it to gain $2 instead — burning replaces the $1, it does not add to it. ($1 if kept, $2 if burned.)

If Drawn 1st — If this is the very first card you draw this round, you gain an extra Cow.

& $1 for Other Players — When drawn, each other player also gains $1 this round.

Card Backs & Suits

Every card belongs to one of three suits, visible on both the front and back. The suit tells you roughly how risky the card is to draw.

River — Generally safe; fewer or no Bandits.

Cactus — Moderate risk; may contain 1 Bandit.

Rattlesnake — High risk, high reward; may contain 1–2 Bandits.

Errata

• You may freely check the card backs in your draw pile.
• You may not look through your discard pile.
• Burn = Return card to the game box (removed from game).
• Draw = Draw from the top of your personal deck.
• Jail cards (Burn If Used with −1 Bandit) must be activated before busting.
• "Peek at Top 3 Cards" — view and re-order the top 3 cards of your draw pile. Peeking does not draw them automatically; you may then choose to keep drawing or stop.
• If you run out of cards in both your draw and discard pile, stop drawing for the round.

Strategy Tips

• Pay attention to card back suits:
  • River — safe.
  • Cactus — moderate risk.
  • Rattlesnake — high risk, high reward.
• Tracking which cards you haven't drawn gives you a big edge. Start by remembering whether you've drawn your double-Bandit card yet.
• Balance the risk of busting against the reward of gaining more $ and Cows.
• It's not always best to draw as many cards as possible. If you have enough $ for this round, consider stopping to set up a strong hand next round.