Rules
Setup
Each player starts with one card in their hand (you may only look at your cards). Place six face-up cards in a row to form the sushi conveyor belt. Put the remaining cards in a face-down pile (deck) at one end of the conveyor belt.
Now, you are all set to start playing.
- Deck: A stack of cards to draw from
- Conveyor Belt: Six face-up cards
- Trash: Pile of used cards
- Player hands: Only visible to that player (max.8)
Handsize
Your maximum hand size is 8 cards. If you have more than 8 cards at the end of your turn, you must discard down to 8.
The only way to increase your maximum hand size is by playing a Matcha card, which raises the limit by one. If you have multiple Matcha cards, your maximum hand size increases for every Matcha card.
Gameplay
1. Draw a Card
Draw one card from the deck.
2. Play an Action Card
If you have one, you can play it by putting it into the trash. There are a few exceptions such as Shoyu.
3. Exchange a Card
Exchange one card from your hand with any card on the conveyor belt. BUT: You can’t exchange two identical cards.
The only card you can’t exchange this way is the Ginger.
4. Play an Action Card
After swapping a card, you have another
opportunity to play an action card. For example, one you just picked up from the conveyor belt. However, you can’t play more than one action card a turn, so choose carefully when to play it.
5. Move the Conveyor Belt
Add a new card to the conveyor belt. Move all cards on the belt one spot to the right. Put the card that falls off the end into the trash.
Your turn is now over and the next person starts their turn.
Sushi Cards
There are 45 sushi cards in Omakase, each priced between 200 yen and 1500 yen. The higher the price, the rarer the card. Sushi cards can be combined into four different sets listed on the menu. While most cards belong to one or two sets, some of the rarest and most expensive sushi cards don’t belong to any set.
- Set Indicators: The labels in the top right corner of each card indicate which set the sushi belongs to. If a sushi is part of two sets, it has two colored labels.
- Price in Japanese yen
- Name in English and Japanese
Action Cards
There is a total of 17 action cards in the game. The way to play the cards differs from one to the other. Most of the cards you play from your hand into the trash, others remain in your hand or have an effect when drawn.While the majority of action cards are good for you, there are some that you want to avoid. You can play action cards either before or after swapping a card with the conveyor belt, but you can only play one action card during your turn.
When you play Chopsticks, choose an opponent and draw one card from their hand at random.
To play Chopsticks, discard it from your hand into the trash.
When you play Sake, choose an opponent and draw one card at random from their hand (without looking). Then, choose a card from your own hand. Your opponent must draw that card. Finally, discard the Sake card into the trash.
When you play Umeshu, choose an opponent. Combine both hands into a single pile and shuffle it. Starting with you, you and your opponent alternate drawing from the pile until it is empty. Discard Umeshu to the trash.
When you play Fork, all other players must discard their most expensive sushi card. These cards are placed in the trash pile.
To play Fork, discard it from your hand into the trash.
When you play Matcha, draw one card and place the Matcha card in front of you. It increases your maximum hand size by one. Every Matcha card increases your maximum hand size further.
Draw three cards from the deck. Then choose any two cards from your hand (including the ones you just drew) and place them back into the deck in any position.
Discard Chef’s Choice to the trash.
Keep Shoyu in your hand until the end of the game. At that point, double the value of your most expensive sushi card. You may only apply one Shoyu per card. If you have multiple Shoyu cards, each must be applied to a different sushi card.
When you draw Wasabi, you must skip your next turn. This effect applies if you draw Wasabi from the deck, another player’s hand, or receive it via the Sake or Umeshu action card. However, it does not apply if you pick it up from the
conveyor belt. The effect stacks if you acquire multiple Wasabi in a single turn.
Ginger doesn’t give you any special ability;
it simply occupies precious space in your hand.
Restrictions: You can’t exchange Ginger for any cards on the conveyor belt, nor can you discard it. That is also the case if it’s your only card.
The only way to get rid of Ginger is by using other action cards.
Ending the Game
Option 1: Out of cards
The game ends when the deck is empty. The current player finishes their turn.
Option 2: Sushi Set
When a player completes a sushi set, that player can then call the check. After the check is called, each other player gets one final turn.
Check Protection
Once a player calls the check, they cannot be affected by action cards from other players.
Extended Play
For longer games or with more than two players, shuffle the trash pile to form a new deck once the original deck is exhausted. For four players, you can reuse the trash pile twice.
Scoring
Scoring example (1/4)
In this example, there are no completed sets, which makes counting straightforward. Simply add up the value of all sushi cards. It doesn’t matter if you have the same card multiple times—each instance counts, as shown with the Tuna card.
Like most action cards, Umeshu doesn’t count toward the total since it has no price.
| Quantity | Name | Price (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Octopus | ¥1,100 |
| 1 | Eel | ¥700 |
| 1 | Crab | ¥600 |
| 2 | Tuna | ¥400 |
| 1 | Salmon Roll | ¥300 |
| 1 | Karaage | ¥500 |
| 1 | Umeshu | ¥0 |
| Total | ¥4,000 |
Scoring example (2/4)
In this example, there is a completed sushi set. When you have a sushi set, you don’t add up the prices of the individual sushi cards in that set. Instead, you count only the value of the set as a whole. Any sushi cards not in the set are added to your total at their individual prices.
Shoyu is the only action card that affects your hand’s value. It doubles the price of your most expensive sushi that isn’t part of a set. In this case, it doubles the value of Karaage.
| Quantity | Name | Price (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Omakase Set | ¥6,000 |
| 1 | Karaage | ¥500 |
| 1 | Shoyu (doubling Karaage) | ¥500 |
| 1 | Ginger | ¥0 |
| Total | ¥7,000 |
Scoring example (3/4)
If you have two Shoyu cards, you can’t double the value of the same sushi card twice. Instead, you must apply each Shoyu to a different sushi card. In this case, with no sets, you can simply double the value of your two most expensive sushi cards.
| Quantity | Name | Price (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assorted Sashimi | ¥1,500 |
| 1 | Shoyu (doubling Assorted Sashimi) | ¥1,500 |
| 1 | Eel | ¥700 |
| 1 | Shoyu (doubling Eel) | ¥700 |
| 1 | Salmon | ¥400 |
| 1 | Shrimp | ¥400 |
| 1 | Tuna Roll | ¥300 |
| Total | ¥5,500 |
Scoring example (4/4)
In this case, you only have 5 cards. It’s uncommon to finish the game with so few cards, but it can happen. Here, you have the Kids set and a Shoyu card. Since all your sushi cards are part of a set, Shoyu has no extra sushi cards to affect. As a result, you’re left with just the Kids Set, and Shoyu doesn’t improve your collection.
| Quantity | Name | Price (¥) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kids Set | ¥2,000 |
| 1 | Shoyu (can't double anything) | ¥0 |
| Total | ¥2,000 |
