Jaipur rules: how to play and how to score
Reviewed on 16 October 2026 against the publisher’s rulebook. How we check
Jaipur is a 2-player game played over two or three rounds: each player collects and sells goods to become the richest trader. Here are the essential rules, setup and scoring, based on the official rulebook.
- Players
- 2
- Play time
- About 30 minutes
- Winner
- The first to two Seals of Excellence
Jaipur quick rules
- The goal
- Two traders compete to become the Maharaja’s personal trader. You collect goods at the market, then sell them for tokens worth rupees. The richer trader at the end of a round takes a Seal of Excellence, and the first to two Seals wins the game.
- A game turn
- On your turn, you either take cards or sell cards, never both. At the end of your turn, you may not have more than seven cards in hand; camels in your herd don’t count.
- Take cards
- The market always holds five cards. Take a single good, replaced from the deck; or exchange several goods for as many cards from your hand or herd, two for two at least, without returning a type you take; or take all the camels in the market. Never goods and camels together.
- Sell cards
- Sell as many cards of one single type as you like, and take as many tokens of that good, highest values first. Diamonds, gold and silver are sold two cards at a time at least. From three cards sold, you also take a bonus token, bigger for bigger sales.
- End of a round
- The round ends as soon as three piles of goods tokens are empty, or the deck can no longer refill the market. The player with the most camels receives the camel token, worth five rupees. The richer trader takes a Seal of Excellence.
- Winning the game
- If nobody has two Seals yet, set up again and play another round, started by the loser. Rupees start again from zero. The first to two Seals of Excellence wins.
- Beginner pitfalls
- Taking many camels at once often opens a great market to your opponent, but with no camels you can’t exchange. Don’t leave expensive goods lying around, sell quickly at times to get the first tokens, and try one or two big sales for the bonuses.
How to score Jaipur
- Rupees for the round
- At the end of a round, each player turns over their goods and bonus tokens and adds up their rupees. The player with the most camels adds the camel token, 5 rupees; if camels are tied, nobody takes it.
- Seal of Excellence
- The richer trader of the round takes a Seal. Tied on rupees: the most bonus tokens, then the most goods tokens.
- Victory
- The first to two Seals of Excellence wins. Rupees start again from zero each round: only Seals carry over.
Worked example
End of the first round: Emma has 60 rupees in tokens, and 8 camels to Jake’s 5, so 60 + 5 = 65 rupees. Jake has 68 rupees: he wins the round and takes a Seal of Excellence. Emma wins the next two rounds: 2 Seals to 1, she wins the game.
Common mistakes
- Adding up rupees across rounds: only the Seal counts, you start again from zero.
- Giving the camel token on a camel tie: nobody takes it.
- Forgetting the round tiebreaker: most bonus tokens, then most goods tokens.
How to set up Jaipur
Setup takes about 2 minutes, and is done again every round.
The cards
- Place 3 camel cards face up between the players: this is the start of the market.
- Shuffle all the remaining cards.
- Deal 5 cards to each player.
- Leave the rest face down as the deck. Place its first two cards face up next to the 3 camels.The market now holds 5 cards, sometimes with 1 or 2 more camels.
- Each player removes any camels from their hand and stacks them in front of them: this is their herd.Camels in the herd are not part of the hand.
The tokens
- Sort the goods tokens by type and make a pile for each good, highest value on top.
- Spread out each pile so that all the values can be seen.
- Sort the bonus tokens into three types, for 3, 4 and 5 cards sold, shuffle each type and form 3 piles without spreading them out.Their value is only printed on the back.
- Put the camel token next to the bonus tokens, and the 3 Seals of Excellence within reach.Pick the starting player at random; after that, the loser of the previous round starts.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you start with in Jaipur?
5 cards each. Any camels go straight into your herd, outside your hand, and the market holds 5 cards, at least 3 of them camels.
Can you sell a single diamond in Jaipur?
No. Diamonds, gold and silver are always sold at least two cards at a time, even if only one token is left.
How do you win Jaipur?
The richer trader of each round takes a Seal of Excellence; the first to two Seals wins the game.
Ludingo’s Jaipur sheet was last reviewed on 16 October 2026, based on: rulebook 1 (PDF), rulebook 2 (PDF), BoardGameGeek.