Lost Cities: The Card Game
Launch expeditions in ascending card order, invest carefully, and race the draw pile. Clear scoring examples for the 20-point expedition cost, wager multipliers and eight-card bonus.
Lost Cities: The Card Game is Reiner Knizia’s two-player expedition duel. Each color represents an expedition. Playing a card moves you closer to scoring, but every started expedition costs 20 points before its numbered cards and any wagers are assessed.
This guide explains the original five-color game, the newer six-expedition edition, investment cards, scoring bonuses and the differences from other games in the Lost Cities family.
The most important decision
Starting an expedition does not guarantee points; the first 20 total card points only offset its cost. A speculative investment can multiply the value of a successful journey—or multiply a disastrous negative total.
Game at a Glance
Play
Add a card to an expedition or discard by color.
Draw
Refill from the deck or a visible discard pile.
Invest
Wagers multiply both gains and losses.
Score
Sum expeditions and bonuses over the agreed rounds.
Setup: the classic five-expedition game
Place the board between two players with the five colored discard spaces visible. Shuffle the 60-card classic deck: for each of five colors there are numbered cards 2–10 and three wager (investment) cards. Deal eight cards to each player and leave the remainder face down as the central draw deck.
In the newer six-expedition edition, the deck has 72 cards—12 cards in each of six colors—and the reverse of the board supports the added sixth color. Play with five or six expeditions according to the side and card selection indicated by that edition’s rulebook. In both versions, the basic decisions are the same.
How to play a Lost Cities turn
Players alternate turns. On each turn, first play exactly one card from your hand: either add it to one of your expedition columns, or discard it face up onto the discard pile matching that card’s color. After playing, draw exactly one card either from the face-down deck or from the top of any color’s face-up discard pile.
You may not pick up the very card you discarded that turn. When you draw, your hand returns to eight cards until the draw deck is exhausted. You can see opponents’ expedition columns and the top discard cards, but not their hands.
Expedition cards must increase
Each color has its own expedition. You may place a numbered expedition card only if its value is higher than the last numbered card already in that column. Values need not be consecutive.
Example: a red 3 followed by a red 6 and red 9 is legal. After laying red 9, you can never play a red 8 to that expedition. Your choice of starting card permanently affects how many later cards can still fit.
You can begin different colors in any order and do not have to start every expedition. An expedition with no played cards scores exactly zero and incurs no opening cost.
Wager cards: when can you play them?
Wager cards, sometimes called investment or handshake cards, must be played before any number card of the same color. You may play one, two or all three wager cards at the start of an expedition.
Each wager raises the expedition’s eventual result multiplier: one wager doubles the outcome, two wagers triple it and three wagers quadruple it. Crucially, they multiply a negative result as well as a positive one.
If you play wagers but never add enough numbered cards to cover the expedition’s 20-point starting cost, your wagers make that loss larger rather than rescuing it.
Lost Cities scoring formula and worked examples
Calculate each started expedition separately:
(Sum of numbered cards − 20) × (number of wagers + 1), then add a 20-point bonus if that expedition has eight or more cards in total, including wager cards. The eight-card bonus is added after multiplication, so it is never multiplied.
| Expedition | Calculation | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Blue 4, 7, 8, 10 | 29 − 20 | 9 |
| Green wager, 5, 6, 8, 9 | (28 − 20) × 2 | 16 |
| Yellow wager, 4, 5 | (9 − 20) × 2 | −22 |
| Red with 2 wagers and six number cards totaling 39 | (39 − 20) × 3 + 20 bonus | 77 |
| No cards played | No expedition started | 0 |
Each player sums the results of all their expeditions, including negative ones. Cards remaining in hand at the end do not score. A single strong expedition may outweigh several weak or failed efforts, but a badly timed wager can undo that advantage.
The eight-card expedition bonus explained
An expedition earns an extra 20 points when its column contains at least eight cards. Wagers count toward the eight-card requirement. The bonus is not subject to the wager multiplier.
Example: three wagers and five numbered cards make eight total cards. If the numbered cards sum to 30, the result is (30 − 20) × 4 + 20 = 60 points. Without the bonus, it would be 40.
This can reward playing additional low numbered cards before committing to higher cards, but the opportunity cost matters because you have only eight cards in hand and the draw pile sets the game’s length.
How does a round end?
The round ends immediately when the final card is drawn from the central face-down deck. Complete no additional turns after that draw. Players calculate scores for each expedition.
The standard publisher rules suggest playing three rounds and adding round totals to decide the overall winner. For a shorter game, compare totals after one round if both players agree in advance. The winner has the most points; negative totals are entirely possible.
Drawing a face-up discard card rather than a deck card can extend the round. In the final stretch, choosing where to draw is therefore a tactical way to change how many turns remain.
Nine Lost Cities strategy ideas
- Start low when practical. Opening with a 2, 3 or 4 keeps more possibilities for later ascending plays.
- Do not open too many expeditions. Each started color begins 20 points behind, so scattered mediocre columns may end negative.
- Calculate before wagering. An investment increases both profit and loss.
- Use discards as information. A card an opponent rejects may tell you which colors they cannot place efficiently.
- Protect valuable connecting cards. Discarding a useful high number might gift the other player a profitable expedition.
- Watch the draw pile. Your chance of completing a long wagered expedition shrinks as deck cards disappear.
- Recognize the eight-card incentive. Reaching that threshold can be valuable, but not if it forces you to open an even worse expedition.
- Consider picking from discards. Doing so delays the end and can make a previously blocked hand playable.
- Optimize total score, not expedition count. Leaving a color untouched is often better than opening it for a loss.
These recommendations are editorial deductions from the published rules, not statements about a personal playtest.
Lost Cities card game vs board game vs Rivals
| Product | Main difference | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Lost Cities: The Original Card Game | Two-player ascending expeditions with wagering and a 20-point cost per started color | Direct tactical duel |
| Card Game with Sixth Expedition | Adds an optional sixth expedition and alternate board side | More variety with the same basic mechanisms |
| Lost Cities: The Board Game | Two to four players move explorer pieces on paths, encountering events and artifacts | Those wanting a physical movement game |
| Lost Cities: Rivals | Multi-player auction-style expedition collection | Groups interested in bidding rather than the classic duel |
Do not mix the card game’s wager scoring with the board game’s movement points or Rivals’ auction scoring. Newer card-game publisher pages also list supplemental solitaire and four-player variant rules; check your specific edition for those extras rather than treating them as standard original rules.
Lost Cities card game FAQ
How many players can play the original card game?
Two. Some newer editions offer separately documented variants.
How many cards do you start with?
Eight.
Do you have to play cards consecutively?
No. Expedition numbers must increase, but gaps are allowed.
Can you add an investment after a numbered card?
No. Wagers must be played before numbered expedition cards of that color.
Do wagers double a negative score?
Yes; this is a central risk of the game.
What happens when you begin an expedition?
It starts with a 20-point cost before numbered cards and wager multipliers are applied.
Does an unstarted expedition lose 20 points?
No, it scores zero.
How many cards trigger the 20-point bonus?
Eight or more cards in one expedition, counting wagers.
Is the bonus multiplied by wagers?
No, it is added after multiplication.
When does the round end?
When the last card is drawn from the face-down deck.
Is the board game the same product?
No. It uses explorer movement and supports more players.
Official sources and editorial scope
- Thames & Kosmos official card-game rulebook, six-expedition edition
- Thames & Kosmos classic five-expedition rulebook
- Thames & Kosmos current game listing and variant information
- Separate Lost Cities board-game rulebook for comparison
Source checked October 11, 2026. Examples and strategy are original analysis rather than claimed playtesting. Follow the rulebook that came with your edition for optional variants. Editorial policy and corrections.