# Lone Queen

> Read their tells, hide the lone queen, and don't be left holding it.

Take a card from a regular's hand, lay down your pairs, and don't be the one left holding the lone queen. Eight café regulars give themselves away in their own ways: Gus can't keep a straight face, and Theo gives away almost nothing. Learn their tells, hide the queen in your own hand, and try the Daily Read, a new tell to crack every day.

- Play: https://sidekickarcade.com/play/lone-queen/ (in the browser, phone or computer, free, no sign-up needed)
- Neighborhood: [Card Café](https://sidekickarcade.com/category/card/index.md)
- Controls: Tap, drag, mouse or keys
- Best on: portrait screens
- Coins for goals: 1 per 1 stars, up to 8 a run

## How to play

1. Pairs are the same number and color, like the 7 of hearts and the 7 of diamonds, and go down on their own. One lone queen has no partner: whoever holds it at the end has lost the hand.
2. On your turn, take a card from the regular's hand. Press a card and let go to look at it (three looks a turn; slide along the hand first if you missed) and watch for a tell, then press Take. Sliding a card down takes it too.
3. When the queen is yours, you get one move before each of their takes: drag a card to a new spot, or tap two cards to swap them. While a regular chooses, Grin to bluff.
4. Keys: Left and Right move along a hand for free, Space looks (or moves a card, or grins), Enter takes, Esc pauses. Whoever isn't left holding the queen scores 2; first to 10 wins.

## Tips

- Look before you take. A card you looked at with no tell is usually the safe pick.
- Every regular has their own tell, and the better ones make noise on purpose. Watch for the one that keeps showing up on the queen.
- Don't leave the queen where it lands. The regulars notice where you keep it, so mix it up.
- A grin can steer a regular toward the queen, but the best ones remember what your grins meant lately.

## Questions

### Is it free?

Yes. It's free to play in your browser, with no download and no sign-up needed. Coins you earn are for fun and can never be bought.

### How do pairs work?

Two cards pair when they have the same number and the same color, like the 7 of clubs and the 7 of spades. Pairs go down on their own.

### What is a tell?

A little giveaway when you look at a card: a grin, a sip of coffee, a nudge, a remark. Each regular has one, and some of them lie.

### How does scoring work?

Whoever isn't left holding the queen scores 2 a hand, the first one out scores 1 more, and you score 1 each time the queen is taken from you. First to 10 wins the match.

### Is there a daily game?

Yes. The Daily Read is ten takes from one regular with a new tell every day, the same for everyone.

### Can I play on a phone?

Yes. It's built for touch first and plays the same on a phone, a tablet or a computer.

## Achievements

- **Dealt in** (bronze, 10 coins): Finish your first match.
- **Not me** (bronze, 10 coins): Win a match.
- **Today's read** (bronze, 10 coins): Finish the Daily Read.
- **Secret achievement** (bronze, 10 coins): Keep playing to find it.
- **Quick study** (silver, 25 coins): Beat Mei, or anyone above her, by 8 points or more.
- **Never stuck** (silver, 25 coins): Win a match against Mei or stronger without being stuck with the queen.
- **Pass it on** (silver, 25 coins): Win a match against Barnaby or stronger where they took the queen from you four times.
- **Seven reads** (silver, 25 coins): Finish seven Daily Reads.
- **Read the room** (gold, 60 coins): Beat Theo in a match.
- **On a roll** (gold, 60 coins): Win 6 matches in a row against Mei or stronger.
- **Sharp reader** (gold, 60 coins): Finish three Daily Reads with ten safe takes.
- **Secret achievement** (gold, 60 coins): Keep playing to find it.
- **Unreadable** (diamond, 150 coins): Beat Theo 60 times. Earns the title "Unreadable".
- **Steady hands** (diamond, 150 coins): Take 2,500 safe cards from the queen's holder. Earns the title "Card Reader".

## More to play

- [Go Fish](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/go-fish/index.md): Collect books of four. Remember who asked for what. (Card Café)
- [Crazy Eights](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/crazy-eights/index.md): Match the suit or the number, and save your eights. (Card Café)
- [Hearts](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/hearts/index.md): Dodge the hearts and the queen of spades. (Card Café)
- [Pair Pounce](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/pair-pounce/index.md): Tap first when the cards match. The calls get trickier. (Card Café)