Rules of Note
Some rules apply to crafting a Dividha hand, whilst others apply to how those hands are ranked. Many are regional variants and optional during gameplay, but some are intrinsic to the game of Dividha.
Syncretic Rule - Cards in the Heaven and Hell suits cannot be played in the same hand, except for the deuces of each suit, which may be played with cards from the opposing immortal suit (e.g. - the two of Heaven may be played in the same hand as any other card in the Hell suit); the opposing deuce may not count towards creating any kind of Pure hand. One notable power of the deuces, however, is that they are more powerful when played alongside cards from the opposing immortal suit, functioning as an Ace. (e.g. - the 2 of Hell may be played with the Ace of Heaven, giving the player a Pair of Aces, or even used to complete a Straight of otherwise all Heavenly cards)
Immortal Majority - Otherwise equal hands are ranked by which hand possesses a greater quantity of immortal cards. Immortal cards not used in crafting the hand are not counted. This rule supersedes the Majority Sum and High Card determinations in otherwise equally ranked hands. (e.g. - A player with a 6-high Straight with two immortal cards will beat a player with a King-high Straight with only one immortal card. A player with Three-of-a-Kind with one immortal will beat a player with an equal-value, all mortal Three-of-a-Kind who has two immortal cards outside the Three-of-a-Kind.)
Majority Sum - Equal hands with no clear winner based on the Immortal Majority rule are next ranked by the sum of the value of their cards (Ace=1, Jack=8, Queen=9, King=10). Equally summed hands will then turn to a High Card determination. Note: The Ace still wins a High Card determination over a King. It is only when summing the point values for a Majority Sum determination that the Ace loses virtually all value. Wild cards have no value.
Rule of Order - A rule variant in which cards must be placed in a particular order for the hand to be valid. Violating the rule results in a breaking of the hand down to simple Majority Sum strength. A player cannot deliberately lose by flubbing a hand - should a player have the losing hand as a result of this error, he is disqualified and the Lose goes to the next lowest player (in a game of two, winner takes all). In general, high cards are placed on top of low, immortal cards on top of mortal, human atop demi-human atop beasts, and wild cards are always played on top. Straights must be played in sequential order, but other hands don't have to be played in a ranked order beyond the highest card.
Aural Rule - A variant in which the hand must be verbally called by the player at the time of showdown. If the Rule of Order is also in effect, this rule becomes doubly critical, since playing the cards correctly but calling them incorrectly still results in a violation and breakdown of the hand. There are some "correct" terms for certain hands, but in general just verbalizing which cards are where in the arrangement will suffice without depending on specific phrasing. Most players call their hand regardless of this rule, and serious players typically refuse to play if the Aural Rule is in effect, seeing it as a cheap road to victory for amateurs who are sticklers for gimmicks over gameplay.
Invictory - Technically the original name for this situation is "Involuntary Victory" but the slang caught on and has become the accepted term. Often considered at odds with the Rule of Order, an Invictorious hand is one in which the player lays down what is intended to be a losing hand and ends up the winner. (This is especially problematic if the player has been betting to lose, and worse if other players are engaged in a race to lose the hand.) If the Rule of Order is in effect, the Invictorious hand may be the result of cards played out of order, if the Majority Sum is still sufficient to win the round.
Providence - Use of a wild card (God or Satan) to create a hand automatically makes that hand more powerful than any otherwise equal hand (e.g. - using a wild card to make a pair of 6s will beat a pair of Aces, but three deuces will still beat that pair). Note: Wild cards do not have a face value and count as 0 in a Majority Sum determination.
Divine Intervention - A rule variant in which using both the God and Satan cards results in an automatic win. This is an obvious exception to the Syncretic Rule, and few players of any skill choose to play with this optional rule. If this rule is not in effect, the God and Satan cards follow the Syncretic Rule and cannot be played together in the same hand or with opposing immortal cards.
Demon's Wager - A rule variant in which a round of betting precedes the dealing of any cards. This option is considered risky since money is laid out before any cards are seen, but among those who favor the rule it is often considered a powerful tool and adds a certain zest to the game. Even its detractors admit, however, the Demon's Wager can be an effective tool in reducing the possibility of a stalemate in a two-person game.
Pay-to-Trade - A rule variant in which a player must pay currency equal to the ante (although he may still choose how it is divided between Win/Lose) for each card he wishes to trade in. This rule typically makes for shorter games, since trading cards can be vital to establishing a hand, but doing so can become prohibitively expensive.
Corruption - The rule that makes possible the most powerful hand in the game. Possessing all three of the 6s of Hell (aka "The Three") treats all mortal cards in the player's hand as if they were in the Hell suit instead. Possessing all three cards all but guarantees a Pure hand, and if the player has mortal 6s as well, he can craft the unbeatable Pure Five-of-a-Kind.
Syncretic Rule - Cards in the Heaven and Hell suits cannot be played in the same hand, except for the deuces of each suit, which may be played with cards from the opposing immortal suit (e.g. - the two of Heaven may be played in the same hand as any other card in the Hell suit); the opposing deuce may not count towards creating any kind of Pure hand. One notable power of the deuces, however, is that they are more powerful when played alongside cards from the opposing immortal suit, functioning as an Ace. (e.g. - the 2 of Hell may be played with the Ace of Heaven, giving the player a Pair of Aces, or even used to complete a Straight of otherwise all Heavenly cards)
Immortal Majority - Otherwise equal hands are ranked by which hand possesses a greater quantity of immortal cards. Immortal cards not used in crafting the hand are not counted. This rule supersedes the Majority Sum and High Card determinations in otherwise equally ranked hands. (e.g. - A player with a 6-high Straight with two immortal cards will beat a player with a King-high Straight with only one immortal card. A player with Three-of-a-Kind with one immortal will beat a player with an equal-value, all mortal Three-of-a-Kind who has two immortal cards outside the Three-of-a-Kind.)
Majority Sum - Equal hands with no clear winner based on the Immortal Majority rule are next ranked by the sum of the value of their cards (Ace=1, Jack=8, Queen=9, King=10). Equally summed hands will then turn to a High Card determination. Note: The Ace still wins a High Card determination over a King. It is only when summing the point values for a Majority Sum determination that the Ace loses virtually all value. Wild cards have no value.
Rule of Order - A rule variant in which cards must be placed in a particular order for the hand to be valid. Violating the rule results in a breaking of the hand down to simple Majority Sum strength. A player cannot deliberately lose by flubbing a hand - should a player have the losing hand as a result of this error, he is disqualified and the Lose goes to the next lowest player (in a game of two, winner takes all). In general, high cards are placed on top of low, immortal cards on top of mortal, human atop demi-human atop beasts, and wild cards are always played on top. Straights must be played in sequential order, but other hands don't have to be played in a ranked order beyond the highest card.
Aural Rule - A variant in which the hand must be verbally called by the player at the time of showdown. If the Rule of Order is also in effect, this rule becomes doubly critical, since playing the cards correctly but calling them incorrectly still results in a violation and breakdown of the hand. There are some "correct" terms for certain hands, but in general just verbalizing which cards are where in the arrangement will suffice without depending on specific phrasing. Most players call their hand regardless of this rule, and serious players typically refuse to play if the Aural Rule is in effect, seeing it as a cheap road to victory for amateurs who are sticklers for gimmicks over gameplay.
Invictory - Technically the original name for this situation is "Involuntary Victory" but the slang caught on and has become the accepted term. Often considered at odds with the Rule of Order, an Invictorious hand is one in which the player lays down what is intended to be a losing hand and ends up the winner. (This is especially problematic if the player has been betting to lose, and worse if other players are engaged in a race to lose the hand.) If the Rule of Order is in effect, the Invictorious hand may be the result of cards played out of order, if the Majority Sum is still sufficient to win the round.
Providence - Use of a wild card (God or Satan) to create a hand automatically makes that hand more powerful than any otherwise equal hand (e.g. - using a wild card to make a pair of 6s will beat a pair of Aces, but three deuces will still beat that pair). Note: Wild cards do not have a face value and count as 0 in a Majority Sum determination.
Divine Intervention - A rule variant in which using both the God and Satan cards results in an automatic win. This is an obvious exception to the Syncretic Rule, and few players of any skill choose to play with this optional rule. If this rule is not in effect, the God and Satan cards follow the Syncretic Rule and cannot be played together in the same hand or with opposing immortal cards.
Demon's Wager - A rule variant in which a round of betting precedes the dealing of any cards. This option is considered risky since money is laid out before any cards are seen, but among those who favor the rule it is often considered a powerful tool and adds a certain zest to the game. Even its detractors admit, however, the Demon's Wager can be an effective tool in reducing the possibility of a stalemate in a two-person game.
Pay-to-Trade - A rule variant in which a player must pay currency equal to the ante (although he may still choose how it is divided between Win/Lose) for each card he wishes to trade in. This rule typically makes for shorter games, since trading cards can be vital to establishing a hand, but doing so can become prohibitively expensive.
Corruption - The rule that makes possible the most powerful hand in the game. Possessing all three of the 6s of Hell (aka "The Three") treats all mortal cards in the player's hand as if they were in the Hell suit instead. Possessing all three cards all but guarantees a Pure hand, and if the player has mortal 6s as well, he can craft the unbeatable Pure Five-of-a-Kind.
