OBJECTIVE OF JHYAP: Have the lowest value hand.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2-5 players

NUMBER OF CARDS: 54 card deck


TYPE OF GAME: Draw and Discard



Jhyap is an atypical draw and discard card game from Nepal. It is also referred to as Dhumbai and goes by the name Yaniv in Israel. The game is similar to Rummy in that players get rid of cards from their hand by forming them into sets and/or sequences. However, runs are discarded and not melded, so the next player can pick them up.

The goal of the game is to have the lowest total value of cards in hand. Once you believe you have achieved this, declare “Jhyap” or “Yaniv.” At this point, play stops and players will examine their hands. The word Jhyap is a slang term which means to be intoxicated or high while Yaniv is a Hebrew name. If a player other than the declarer has the lowest value hand, the declarer receives a penalty.

The game is composed of rounds and a player’s running score is updated between them. The objective is to keep your score as low as possible. Once a player reaches the maximum, which is typically around 200 points, they must drop out. The game continues until all but one player has dropped out of the game.


The game uses a 54 card deck, that is a standard 52 card deck with the 2 jokers. In games with more than four players, it is often preferred to use two decks shuffled together.

All the cards in the deck have a numerical value attached to them.

Joker: 0 points

Ace: 1 point

2-10: face value

J, Q, K: 10 points each


Both the deal and the play move clockwise.

The first dealer may be chosen at random, they will shuffle and deal the cards. Each player receives five cards from the dealer, one at a time and face-down. Players examine their hands.

The cards that remain after the deal are placed face-down in a stack at the center of the table, this forms the drawing pile or stockpile. The top card from the stock pile is turned over beside it and forms the Discard or Dump pile.


The first player in the first round should be chosen randomly since they will have an advantage. In the following rounds the winner of the previous round starts. Turn then moves clockwise or to the left.

During your turn you can do one of the two following things:

  1. Toss 1 or more cards into the discard and pick up one card from the stockpile;
  2. Declare Jhyap or Yaniv

Discarding & Picking Up

Players can discard or toss either:

  • any single card
  • a set of two or more cards of equal rank (two 6s, four Kings, etc),
  • A sequence of 3+ cards within the same suit (i.e. spade4-spade5-spade6). Aces are always low so Q-K-A is not a valid sequence 

No matter how many cards you discard, you can only pick up one card. Cards can be picked up from the top of the draw pile or a card in the discard. Players can only take either the first or the last card of a sequence that was discarded.

Always discard your sequences in numerical order.


If when you start your turn and your hand totals to 5 or less points, and you believe your hand is the lowest total, you can call Jhyap or Yaniv. This ends gameplay, everyone’s hands are examined.

However, you are not required to call Jhyap if your hand totals 5 or less points. You can continue to throw cards and pick up if you choose. But, you can only call Jhyap at the start of your own turn. Call it wisely.


The goal of the game is to accrue as few points as possible from the cards in hand. Specifically, to keep your running score under 200 points. Once someone calls Jhyap, players reveal their cards.

  • If the caller succeeded in having the lowest scoring hand, they score 0 points. All other players score the total amount of points their cards in hand add up to (using the numerical values outlined above)
  • If another player has fewer points than the caller, the caller earns 30 penalty points PLUS the score of their hand. Other players score the total value of their hands.

The player who had the lowest card total starts play in the next round. If two players tie for lowest total, the player sitting nearest to the dealer’s left starts.

Total scores are kept from round to round. Players with more than 200 points are eliminated from the game. If a player has exactly 200 points at the end of a round it is cut in half to 100 points. This follows with players who score exactly 100 points, which is reduced to 50 points.

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