Introducing Rochi
Rochi is a novel gambling game for 2-8 players, played with a Tarot-style deck called the Roche deck. This is a unique deck with six suits of different sizes, ranging from 4 to 14 cards. Rochi was developed by James Ernest and Sonia Lyris in 2017, for her fantasy novel The Stranger.
The final version of Rochi , featuring the art of Mark Ferrari, will be our Coconut Crab reward for the month of May. The game will be available for sale here in June. This page still has the open beta version, which will remain in place until the new version ships.
More about Rochi: Rochi is an unusual gambling game, having no betting, very little bluffing, and six tiny pots that continue from hand to hand. Below are the 2021 beta rules for Rochi, along with graphics for making your own suit tokens. (All of these will be updated or replaced when the 2026 version ships!)
Rochi Beta Rules 2021, including new variant games Roche and Rugen!
The Rochi Deck is easy to make: you can combine the appropriate ranks from two Pairs decks or four Poker decks. You can use the print-and-play files above, and check out James’ “how to make cards” video for help in putting them together. Or, if you prefer to have the hard work done for you, you can still buy our beta test deck from Drive Thru Cards.
Along with the cards and tokens above, you’ll also need chips for keeping score, about 50 per player; and any object that can serve as a dealer button, to remind you who goes first.
We hope you have enjoyed the long-running open beta version of Rochi, and we can’t wait to show you the real deal this summer!
Rochi Links:
The Stranger Trilogy, by Sonia Lyris
The original book of the series, The Seer
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Extra Wager: The Day Bet
The “Day Bet” is short for the “Night and Day Bet,” a side bet for Rochi. Essentially this is a bet on whether the final card of the game will be a Day or Night card, and it is awarded to the winner of the hand, if they were correct about the final card.
Players should agree beforehand whether they will play with the Day Bet. The bet is mandatory for all players (when in use) and has its own side pot. You will need tokens to track this bet, one black and one white for each player.
Note: In the beta decks, “Day” and “Night” cards are distinguished by their borders: the thin double-lines are Day, and the thick single lines are Night. Each suit has an equal number of each.
Details:
In the Day Bet, players must bet on whether the winning card will be Day or Night. This bet is made after the initial deal, including the seed cards.
Starting with the button, each player in turn must declare for Night or Day, and take the matching token (black or white). They also must put one coin into a side pot. If they wish, they may fold out of the hand instead of placing this bet.
The Day or Night pot will be awarded to the winner of the hand, but only if their choice was correct. The final card of the hand (that is, the card that cuts the winning suit) must be Day or Night, as predicted. If it is, then the winner of the hand takes the side pot. If not, then the pot carries forward to the next hand.
Day Bet with “Last Hand”: If this is the Last Hand, and the Day Bet pot would carry forward, then it is combined with the other leftover pots.
Day Bet in Captain’s Rochi: In the two-player game, the Day Bet pot is awarded, and a new Day Bet is placed, each time a suit cuts.
Opting Out: Players cannot opt out of the Day Bet, except by folding. If this bet is being used, all players must participate.
Strategy: The Day Bet is mostly a matter of chance, invented by inveterate gamblers to spice up the game. But since you do see your starting cards before you bet, you do have a tiny amount of information. If you’re hoping to win with a particular suit, especially a small one, you can see the ratio of Day and Night cards which are already exposed, and choose the opposite as your more likely outcome.
This is a new side bet as of 6/8/23, so it does not yet appear in the beta rules above. All will be corrected this summer.
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