How to play Casita Robada (Stealing the Little House)

In Casita Robada (Stealing the Little House), the aim is to build a pile of cards by matching numbers in your hand with those on the table. The excitement comes from being able to steal an opponent’s entire ‘little house’ if the card you play matches the one on top of their pile.

The game many of us started with

It’s simple, quick and very exciting, because a single turn can take you from having nothing to having everything. That’s why it works so well with children: all they need to know is how to match numbers.

Step by step

• Deal four cards to each player and place four face up in the centre.
• On your turn, play one card. If it matches a card on the table, take both and place them face up on your little house pile.
• If it matches the top card of another player’s little house, steal their entire pile.
• If it doesn’t match anything, leave it on the table.
• When everyone has run out of cards, deal four more each, repeating until the deck is used up.

A little strategy

Remember which card is on top of your little house and how many cards with that number have already been played. If only a few remain, you’re safe. If it’s a number nobody has played, watch out. Once the little ones have mastered Casita, the natural next step is Escoba (Broom).