How to Play Sleep
Collect four of a kind, then call it — the last one awake loses.
Also known as Pig · Spoons · Donkey
Learn Sleep for 2–6 players: four cards each, one passed on every turn, four of a kind to call Sleep and the race not to be last awake. Follow one round, then play in your browser.
Four Kings and the race to call
In a 4-player game you hold K♠ K♥ K♦ 7♣, and the player before you passes you the K♣. You now hold five cards with four Kings, so tap Sleep before you pass. Passing stops and the other 3 players race to call. The first 2 to call are safe; the last one still awake is caught, and that catch counts toward the limit of 3.
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| You hold four of a kind | Call Sleep at once, on your turn or not |
| You call without four of a kind before anyone else | The call is refused, with no penalty |
| Someone else calls Sleep | Passing stops: call it too, whatever you hold |
| You are the last one still awake | You are caught: one catch against you |
| A player reaches 3 catches | The match ends; the fewest catches win |
Only rank matters, never suit. The match ends when someone has been caught 3 times, unless you change the caught limit at setup (1 to 10).
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Collect four cards of the same rank and call Sleep, or, once someone else has, call it before you are the last one awake. The match ends when a player has been caught three times (1 to 10 at setup), and whoever was caught least wins.
🃏 Sleep Setup & Rules
- 2 to 6 players and one 52-card deck. Only rank matters; suits never do.
- Everyone is dealt four cards. The rest is a face-down stock beside the lead player, left of the dealer, who draws from it at once and so holds five.
- The deal moves one seat to the left each round.
▶ How to Play Sleep
- The player holding five passes one card face down to the next player, keeping four. Any card may be passed.
- That player now holds five and passes one on in turn, and so on round the table.
- The last player's pass goes to a face-down discard pile, and the lead draws again from the stock. When the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled into a new one.
- The moment you hold four of a kind, call Sleep, on your turn or not. A call without four of a kind is refused, with no penalty.
- Once anyone has called, passing stops and everyone still awake must call Sleep too, four of a kind or not. The last player still awake is caught.
- If 200 passes go by without a call, the race opens anyway, so every round catches someone.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Sleep
Filmed under the name Pig, which is what this game is usually called away from the app — same deal of four cards, same passing to the next player, same race once someone has four of a kind. Vanikar simply calls it Sleep.
This video is embedded from YouTube and remains the intellectual property of its respective creator and/or rights holder. Vanikar LLC claims no ownership of, or rights in, the video content, and no affiliation with or endorsement by its creator is implied. The video is displayed via YouTube’s public embed feature in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service and the agreements between YouTube and the content uploader.
📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Sleep, then pick 2 to 6 seats and fill the empty ones with AI players at Easy, Medium or Hard, or with friends.
- Set the caught limit: 3 by default, from 1 to 10. The match ends when any player has been caught that many times.
- One 52-card deck. Everyone gets four cards, and the rest becomes a face-down stock beside the lead player, left of the dealer.
- The lead draws from the stock straight away, so whoever is passing always holds five. The deal moves one seat to the left each round.
Passing cards
- On your turn, raise a card and tap Pass, or swipe it up, to hand it face down to the next player.
- Any card may be passed. Between turns every hand holds four; only the player passing holds five.
- The last player passes onto a face-down discard pile instead, and the lead draws again from the stock.
- When the stock runs out, the discard pile is shuffled into a new stock, so the cards keep moving until someone calls.
Calling Sleep
- The moment you hold four cards of one rank, tap Sleep. You do not have to wait for your turn.
- A call without four of a kind is not accepted, and nothing happens to you: you simply play on.
- Once anyone has called, passing stops. Everyone still awake must now call Sleep, four of a kind or not.
- AI players call too, after a delay set by their level: about 0.8 seconds at Hard, 1.3 at Medium and 2 at Easy.
Getting caught
- The last player still awake is caught, and the round ends. With 2 players, the first call catches the other at once.
- If 200 passes go by without four of a kind, the race opens on its own: everyone must call, and the slowest is caught.
- The match ends when someone reaches the caught limit. Whoever has been caught least wins, and a tie shares the win.
- Rounds are short, so keeping an eye on the table matters as much as the cards in your hand.
📊 Sleep Scoring
Each round catches exactly one player: the last one still awake. The match ends as soon as someone has been caught three times, or the number set at setup (1 to 10). Whoever has been caught the fewest times wins, and a tie shares the win. The cards themselves score nothing.
❓ Sleep — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Sleep?
Sleep is played with 2–6 players. On Vanikar, empty seats can be filled with AI opponents so you can always start a game.
Do you need 4 of a kind to call Sleep?
Only for the first call. Before anyone has called, a call needs 4 cards of one rank and is refused otherwise, with no penalty. Once someone has called, everyone still awake must call too, whatever they hold.
How does a match of Sleep end?
When a player has been caught 3 times, or the number set at setup, from 1 to 10. Whoever has been caught the fewest times wins, and players tied for the fewest share the win.
What if nobody gets 4 of a kind?
After 200 passes without a call, the race opens anyway: everyone must call Sleep, and the last one awake is caught. So every round ends with someone caught.
Can 2 players play Sleep?
Yes. The app seats 2 to 6 players. With 2, the first call of Sleep ends the round at once and catches the other player.
