Card rules · 2026-10-29
Three Cards of One Rank Can Still Repeat a Suit
When a set rule requires different suits, counting matching ranks is only the first check. The suit condition still has to be satisfied.
When a set rule requires different suits, counting matching ranks is only the first check. The suit condition still has to be satisfied.
Compare two three-card groups
The group 9♣, 9♦, 9♥ contains three nines in three suits. In a two-pack example, 9♣-A, 9♣-B, 9♥ also contains three physical nines, but only two suits. Under the stated different-suit requirement, the second group fails that condition.
This is not a claim that the second club nine is an impossible card. Two packs can supply it. Deck validity and group validity are different questions. A card may legitimately exist in the hand while being unsuitable for a particular proposed group.
Do not silently convert a natural duplicate into a joker
The extra club nine does not become a diamond nine merely because that would complete the arrangement. Substitution requires an actual applicable wild-card rule, not a need created by the example.
Under the different-suit definition used here, the group fails because a suit repeats. It has enough physical cards and all three ranks match; neither of those facts repairs the repeated suit. A variant that permits duplicate suits would need a different judgement.
A fourth card must pass the suit test too
Under a definition allowing four-card sets with distinct suits, 9♣, 9♦, 9♥, 9♠ qualifies. Replacing 9♠ with a second 9♣ does not preserve that result. The count and rank checks still pass; the suit check fails. Naming the exact failed check makes the explanation more useful than simply saying that four cards are too many.