Loo
Also called Lanterloo — England's most popular card game by the early 18th century, where players may fold for free or commit to winning a trick or pay a forfeit into the pool.
Coming soon — not yet playable
Rules
Loo (short for Lanterloo, which arrived in England from France around 1660) is a trick-taking game rather than a pure hand-comparison game, but it earns its place here through its distinctive forfeit-based betting structure.
Each player is dealt cards (commonly three, in the more popular "three-card loo" variant) and, before play, may choose to fold for free rather than commit to the hand. Players who stay in must try to win at least one trick; any player who commits and fails to win a single trick is "looed" — required to pay a forfeit into the pool, which then carries over and grows the stakes for the next hand.
Historical note: Loo was England's most popular card game through much of the 18th and early 19th centuries, and is referenced repeatedly in the novels of Jane Austen and her contemporaries as a staple of social card-gambling gatherings.
Strategy notes: The "fold for free, or commit and risk a forfeit" decision at the start of each hand is conceptually similar to the ante/fold decisions in modern poker's forced-bet structures — the growing pool across looed hands also parallels how pots can escalate in games like Guts (also in this library).
Common house rules
Three-card Loo is the common entry point
Loo has several historical variants (some using five cards); three-card Loo is the simplest and most commonly reconstructed version for a modern table wanting to try it.
Trick-taking, not hand-comparison
Worth stating clearly at a mixed dealer's-choice table: unlike most other games in this library, Loo is won by taking tricks during play, not by having the best hand at a single showdown.
The pool grows across looed hands
Standard rule: forfeits from players who fail to win a trick stay in the pool and carry forward to the next hand rather than being paid out immediately, letting stakes escalate the way Guts's pot does.
Related games
Based on shared category, origin, and rules that reference each other.
Guts
A fast, high-variance dealer's-choice staple: everyone gets a few cards, then privately decides in or out — those who stay and lose match the pot.
Learn the rules →Post and Pair
A 16th-17th century English vying game (also called 'Pink'), referenced by Shakespeare, built around three-of-a-kind combinations and considered a direct ancestor of Brag.
Learn the rules →Put
A 16th-19th century English vying and trick-playing game for two players, documented in Charles Cotton's 1674 gaming compendium and closely related to Truco.
Learn the rules →Ambigu
A French vying game first recorded in 1659 under Louis XIV, blending elements of Whist, Bouillotte, and Piquet, with hand categories that closely parallel modern poker rankings.
Learn the rules →