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Jaipur
A two-player card game where you become a merchant in Jaipur, India, trading silk, goods, and camels in the market to earn the Maharaja's seal and become the greatest trader. The appeal is a fast battle of wits that requires managing both the 7-card hand limit and your camel herd.
Rules
A fast two-player card game where, on your turn, you either take cards or sell cards — never both. The tension comes from deciding how many goods to stockpile before one big sale, and when to let camels fill your hand instead.
Components
| Component | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Goods cards | 55 | 6 diamonds, 6 gold, 6 silver, 8 cloth, 8 spice, 10 leather, 11 camels |
| Goods tokens | 38 | Six goods types, each with its own values — small type on the front, large type on the back |
| Camel token | 1 | Awarded at round end to whoever holds the most camels, worth 5 rupees |
| Bonus tokens | 18 | Six each for 3-, 4-, and 5-card sales. Values appear only on the back, unknown until drawn |
| Seals of Excellence | 3 | Awarded to each round's winner. Collecting 2 wins the game |
A bonus token is worth 1, 2, or 3 rupees for a 3-card sale, 4, 5, or 6 for a 4-card sale, and 8, 9, or 10 for a 5-or-more-card sale — the exact value is unknown until you draw it from its shuffled pile.
Setup
- 1Place 3 camel cards faceup between the two players.
- 2Shuffle the remaining cards well and deal 5 to each player.
- 3The rest form a facedown draw pile (deck). Flip 2 more cards beside the camels to fill the market to 5.
- 4Each player moves any camels from their hand faceup into their own herd.
- 5Sort the goods tokens by type in descending order of value, spread so both players can see the values. Sort bonus tokens into 3-, 4-, and 5-card piles, shuffle each separately, and stack them facedown.
- 6Place the camel token beside the bonus tokens, and keep the 3 Seals of Excellence within reach of both players. Pick a starting player.
The market always holds exactly 5 cards. Whenever a card is taken, immediately refill that spot from the deck.
Turn structure
- 1On your turn, choose either taking cards or selling cards — never both.
- 2After your action, play passes to your opponent.
Hand limit: 7 cards
At the end of your turn, you may never hold more than 7 cards. Camels do not count toward this limit.
Taking cards — one of three options
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| A. Take 1 single good | Take any single goods card from the market and refill that spot from the top of the deck |
| B. Take several goods (exchange) | Take as many goods as you want (2 or more) from the market, then return the same number of cards from your hand |
| C. Take all the camels | Take every camel in the market into your herd, then refill the taken spots from the deck |
When exchanging (B), the returned cards may be camels, goods, or a mixture, but the same goods type cannot be both taken from and returned to the market, and you may never exchange just 1 card (2 or more are required).
Selling cards and bonus tokens
- 1Choose one type of goods from your hand and discard as many as you like faceup.
- 2Take that many goods tokens, starting with the highest value remaining.
- 3If you sold 3 or more cards, also take the matching bonus token (3-, 4-, or 5-card pile).
| Cards sold | Tokens received | Bonus token value |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | That many goods tokens | None |
| 3 | That many goods tokens | 1, 2, or 3 |
| 4 | That many goods tokens | 4, 5, or 6 |
| 5+ | That many goods tokens | 8, 9, or 10 |
The 3 expensive goods need at least 2 cards
Diamonds, gold, and silver must be sold at least 2 cards at a time — even if only one token of that type remains. You may also only sell one goods type per turn.
End of a round and scoring
- 1A round ends immediately if either: ① 3 types of goods tokens are depleted, or ② the deck cannot refill the market back to 5 cards.
- 2Whoever has more camels in their herd this round takes the camel token (5 rupees). A tie means neither player takes it.
- 3Each player flips over their goods and bonus tokens (including the camel token, if held) and totals the value.
- 4The richer player takes a Seal of Excellence. Ties go first to whoever has more bonus tokens, then to whoever has more goods tokens.
End of the game
If neither player has 2 Seals of Excellence yet, set up and play another round, with the loser of the previous round starting. The first player to collect 2 Seals of Excellence wins the game and is appointed the Maharaja's personal trader.
Strategy tips
- There are three main sources of income — the 3 expensive goods, the first (highest) token in each stack, and the big sale bonuses. Move early so your opponent doesn't take the lion's share of any of them.
- Holding no camels makes it hard to refill your hand after a sale, but grabbing a large group at once can leave a very profitable market for your opponent.
- The best time to take a large group of camels is when your opponent already holds 7 cards — even valuable new market cards will force them to exchange first.
- If you expect valuable cards to appear soon, an exchange that fills the market with camels can work in your favor: if your opponent takes those camels, you get first access to the new cards.
Editions
| Edition | Notes |
|---|---|
| 2009 GameWorks original | Designed by Sébastien Pauchon, first published edition |
| 2019 SPACE Cowboys reprint (2nd edition) | This guide's reference edition. Same rules, new art by Vincent Dutrait |
| Official digital version | iOS and Android apps use the same rules (noted on the back of the rulebook) |
No public official Korean rulebook obtained
Korea Boardgames released an official Korean edition, but no public official Korean rulebook text was found as of this guide. Korean edition terminology may differ.
Frequently confused rules
Q. Do camels count toward the 7-card hand limit?
No. Camels are unrelated to the hand limit and are kept in a separate herd.
Q. Can I return only camels during an exchange?
Yes. Returned cards may be camels, goods, or a mixture. However, the same goods type cannot be both taken from and returned to the market, and you can never exchange just 1 card (2 or more are required).
Q. Can I sell just 1 diamond, gold, or silver card?
No. These three goods must be sold at least 2 cards at a time, even if only one token of that type remains.
Q. Can I know a bonus token's value before taking it?
No. Bonus token values appear only on the back and are unknown until you actually take and flip one.
Q. What if fewer goods tokens remain than the cards I sold?
You simply receive whatever remains. The sale-size bonus token (for 3, 4, or 5+ cards) is still awarded regardless of token shortage.
Q. If both players have the same number of camels, who gets the 5-rupee camel token?
Neither player does. A tie in camel count means the camel token is not awarded that round.
Q. Does a round end only when goods tokens run out?
No. A round also ends immediately if the deck cannot refill the market back to 5 cards.
History and reception
Designed by Sébastien Pauchon and first published in 2009 by GameWorks SàRL, Jaipur won the 2010 International Gamers Award in the two-player strategy game category. It was also a 2010 Golden Geek two-player board game nominee and a Spiel des Jahres recommendation that year, followed by a 2011 Games Magazine Best New Family Card Game award and Spain's 2014 Juego del Año.
SPACE Cowboys released a 2nd edition in 2019 with new art by Vincent Dutrait, which this guide follows. Korea Boardgames released an official Korean edition. Namuwiki carries a dedicated article but does not cover detailed domestic release history or awards, so this guide relies on English Wikipedia for that history.
Sources
SPACE Cowboys — official English Jaipur rulebook (2019 2nd edition)BoardGameGeek: Jaipur (54043)Wiki cross-check — English Wikipedia: Jaipur (card game)Wiki cross-check — Namuwiki: Jaipur (Korean)Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.
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Last updated 2026-10-10
💡 Master tip
If you take all the camel cards from the market at once, you open up a flood of new goods cards for your opponent, so time it carefully. The 5-point camel bonus is also too large to ignore, so factor in when to sweep the camels as well.
Ready for something heavier
If this one has gotten too easy, try these — same feel, one step up in weight.
Tools you can request
Not built yet. Let us know if you want one — it goes on the list.
Automatic bonus token and goods score calculator
Settles 3/4/5-card bonuses and the maximum-camel-herd score
7-card hand limit tracker
A guide for the hand size limit
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