Can you play Bohnanza with 2 people?

The bean duel with two players uses the same rules as the variant for three players with the following changes:

• Remove the Garden Beans and the Cocoa Beans from the game.
• A player may only sell beans from his bean fields on his turn.
• The game ends when the draw deck is exhausted for the first time.
• On a player's turn, he does the following in the order indicated:

1. Plant or discard offered bean cards

The player may plant or discard the bean cards his opponent left as an offer in step 3 of his turn. This is omitted by the starting player on his first turn.

2. Plant bean cards & discard

After planting one or two cards in his bean fields (as in the normal game), the player may discard one card from anywhere in his hand face up on the discard pile.

3. Draw, plant, and offer beans

The active player draws the three topmost cards from the draw deck and puts them face up on the table so both players can see them. If the topmost card on the discard pile matches any of the cards just drawn, the player adds it to them.

He does the same with the new topmost card from the discard pile until the topmost card on the discard pile does not match any of the drawn cards.

Now the player may plant any of these drawn (from the draw deck or discard pile) cards he wants, selling such beans as he can and wants in the process. He leaves any drawn cards he does not want as an offer to his opponent.

He need not plant any of the drawn cards. The players can earn more gold coins through this extended draw.

4. Draw new bean cards

The active player draws two cards from the draw deck. He draws them one at a time, placing each in turn at the back of his hand.

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r/boardgames

I have the standard Bohnanza, wondering whether it’s worth a play with my wife. Not likely to get the duel version when I already have the game, but does anyone enjoy the standard game at 2 players? How long does a game take?

level 1

There is a variant at the back of the rule book called Bohnanza Duel I believe, my wife and I play that version all the time and it works really well!

level 1

There are so many good 2 player games that I wouldn't play Bohnanza at 2. The best parts of Bohnanza for me are stitching together n-way deals, taking everyone's junk around the table and making it work, and intercepting someone else's deal with my own. These situations don't happen with 2

level 2

I think technically 3 way trades are illegal. A card that is traded to you isn't eligible to be traded because it's not in your hand or your fields. That said, if everyone is cool with it, absolutely do it.

level 1

Definitely worth a try! My wife and I enjoy it very much.

level 1

There's a two player variant that some people like, but most agree isn't terrific. You can try it out and see what you think. I tend to keep the game for 3+. The negotiation is what makes the game for me, and that works better with bigger groups.

level 1

I love bohnanza and my wife and I play it at 2 semi regularly, there are better 2p games we have, and it’s a game that shines at 3 or more, but sometimes you just need to farm some beans and the 2p game is gonna scratch that itch.

level 1

There is a separate game/expansion as well, but never played it. Normal game ain't much at 2 for me

level 1

Yes, the 2p version is very good. Bonanza duel is a different name that is also very good. Recommend them both.

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Bohnanza is a tabletop card game that you can play with 2 to 6 other people. The aim of the game is to harvest and sell as many beans as you can to earn the most gold coins by the end of the game. The rules and bean types vary slightly depending on the amount of players you have, so you'll never get bored. A typical game of Bohnanza can last up to an hour, so be sure to set aside a good chunk of time for a fun-filled afternoon!

1. 

   1

   Place the “Third Bean Field” cards face up in the center. Before you start shuffling, remove the “Third Bean Field” cards from the deck and stack them together. Place them face up in the middle of the table so that everyone can reach them.[1]

   • These are cards that you can buy throughout the game to add another bean field to your playing field.

2. 

   2

   Remove beans based on how many players are in the game. The deck changes based on how many players are in the game. Make sure you remove all of the bean type from the deck before you shuffle it so you don’t get confused.[2]

   • If there are 3 players in the game, remove the Cocoa Beans.
   • If there are 4 or 5 players, remove the Coffee Beans.
   • If there are 6 or 7 players, remove the Cocoa Beans and the Garden Beans.

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3. 

   3

   Deal 5 cards to each player. The oldest player of the game gets to deal out 5 cards to each player. Make sure you shuffle the deck well before handing out the cards to avoid repeating the same game as last time![3]

   • If you are playing a game with 6 to 7 people, the oldest player deals out 3 cards to the person on their right, 4 cards to the next person to the right, 5 cards to the next, and 6 cards to everyone else. This stops you from running out of cards too quickly in a large group.

4. 

   4

   Stack the rest of the cards in a pile. Take the cards that didn’t get handed out to people and place them face down in the center of the table. Leave room on the left side for a discard pile, as this is where you’ll be drawing and discarding cards throughout the game.[4]

   • You’ll be exhausting the deck 3 times throughout the game, so be prepared to shuffle and reshuffle as you play.

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1. 

   1

   Keep the order of your hand in place. When you pick up your cards, you must hold them in the order that they were dealt. This means that the front cards have to stay in the front and the back cards have to stay in the back. As you start your turn, you’ll be taking cards from the front of your hand and playing them. When you draw cards, add them to the back of your hand.[5]

2. 

   2

   Aim to plant as many bean cards as you can in your turn. When it’s your turn, you’ll get to do 4 different things: plant bean cards, draw, trade, and donate bean cards, plant your traded / donated bean cards, and draw new cards. Try to get rid of your cards as quickly as possible, and plant as many beans as you can during your turn.[6]

   • The player to the left of the dealer gets to take their turn first.
   • The more beans you have planted, the faster you can harvest and sell them.
   • The end goal of the game is to sell as many planted beans as possible to earn the most gold coins.

3. 

   3

   Plant the first card in your hand in one of your bean fields. When it’s your turn, you must take the first card in your hand and plant it in 1 of your fields. At the start of the game, everyone has 2 empty bean fields, which you can mark out in the space directly in front of you.[7]

   • All bean fields start out empty, and you can plant any bean type into them at first.
   • You can plant a card in an empty field, or you can match it with the same bean in an already-planted field.
   • If you don’t have any empty fields and the first card in your hand doesn’t match the beans in your field, you must harvest and sell your beans to create an empty field.

4. 

   4

   Play the next card in your hand if you’d like to. You now have the option to play the next card in your hand, if you’d like to, by placing it in an empty bean field or grouping it in a bean field that you’ve already started. Or, you can skip playing your next card and go straight onto the next step.[8]

   • Playing your second card is a good move to do at the beginning of the game to fill up your bean fields and get them ready for harvest. As the game goes on, you may not be able to play your second card.

5. 

   5

   Draw 2 cards from the deck and place them face up on the table. Keeping your cards in one hand, grab 2 cards from the main deck with the other. Flip them over on the table face up so that all players can see them, and don’t add them to your hand just yet.[9]

6. 

   6

   Trade cards with your fellow players if you’d like to. Take a look at the cards that you have planted in your field. If the cards that you just drew match the beans in your field, you may want to keep them and plant them. If they don’t, you can ask other players if they’d like to trade for the cards you just drew. You can also ask players to trade for any card that’s in your hand.[10]

   • The cards that you drew must be planted by the end of your turn, so it’s in your best interest to trade for beans that are in your field.
   • If you can’t trade out the cards you drew and they don’t match the beans in your field, you’ll have to discard or sell the beans in your field and replace them with the ones that you drew.
   • Players never have to accept your trades if they don’t want to, so be prepared to barter with your friends!

7. 

   7

   Plant the cards you drew and traded. If you traded with another player, you must plant those cards before your turn ends. Similarly, you have to plant the cards that you drew from the deck before you can move on. You can either plant them in a new bean field or add them to an existing one.[11]

   • The players that you traded with also have to play their traded cards right away, so they can’t add them to their deck and hang onto them.

8. 

   8

   Draw 3 new cards and place them at the back of your hand. To end your turn, grab 3 more cards from the main deck and add them to the back of your hand without letting anyone else see them. Remember, you have to keep your hand in the order that you drew it, so you can’t shuffle your cards around afterwards.[12]

   • Try to think about how you can harvest and sell your beans to prepare for the next card you’ll have to play.
   • If you have 6 to 7 players in your game, draw 4 cards instead of 3 at the end of your turn.

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1. 

   1

   Harvest and sell beans at any point, even when it’s not your turn. Throughout the game, anyone can harvest and sell their beans at any point. You don’t have to announce it to other players, but you can ask someone to double check their math if you think they’re not being truthful.[13]

   • For example, if you trade with another player while it’s not your turn and get 4 soybeans in 1 field, you can flip your cards over and harvest them for gold coins, even while the other player is still taking their turn.

2. 

   2

   Count the number of beans you have in a field. The amount of money you get depends on how many cards you have of each bean type. To see if you have enough beans to harvest, start by counting up the amount of cards you have of one type.[14]

   • The number at the top of the card indicates how many beans of that type are in the deck, so you can see how likely it is that you’ll get more of those in the future. You don’t have to aim for the number on the card, but it is helpful to see how many beans are potentially left in play.

3. 

   3

   Check the beanometer to see how much gold you’d get by selling. Take a look at the bottom of the card where it shows how much gold you get for the amount of beans you have. Each bean type has a slightly different amount, but the more beans of that type you have, the more money you’ll get.[15]

   • The aim of the game is to get as much gold as possible, so it’s always worth harvesting and selling your beans when you can!

4. 

   4

   Place the “sold” cards into your earnings stack. When you decide to sell your beans, flip them over so the coin on the back of the card faces up. Set them to the left of your bean fields in your “earnings” stack to keep track of how much gold you have overall.[16]

   • All bean cards that are sold stay in the earnings stack. Try to pay attention to which beans other players are harvesting to see which beans are still in play and which ones aren’t worth looking for anymore.

5. 

   5

   Discard any cards that you couldn’t sell. If you have an extra bean card in your field that you couldn’t harvest, meaning that there were too many cards for the beanometer, you can put the extra card into the discard pile. Try to do this as little as possible so you can get the most gold as you can![17]

   • For example, if you need 3 green bean cards to get 3 gold pieces and you have 4 green beans, you can sell the 3 green bean cards and discard the extra one since it can’t make you any money.

6. 

   6

   Purchase a third bean field with your gold coins. If, at any point, you decide you need a third bean field, you can use 3 of your gold coins to buy a “Third Bean Field” card from the deck. Discard 3 of your gold coins and grab a “Third Bean Field” Card, then place it in front of you. Once you have your third bean field, you can start planting on it when it’s your turn.[18]

   • A third bean field can help you harvest beans more quickly, since you can plant 3 bean types at a time instead of just 2.
   • You can only buy a third bean field one time throughout the entire game.
   • If you have 6 to 7 players in your game, a third bean field costs 2 coins instead of 3.

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1. 

   1

   Stop the game when the deck runs out 3 times. Officially, the game is over when the deck has been shuffled and exhausted 3 different times. At this point, you’ll probably notice that beans are getting a little scarce and it’s hard to harvest them.[19]

   • If you are playing a 3-player game, you only have to exhaust the deck twice before the game is over.

2. 

   2

   Harvest and sell all of the beans in your fields when the game ends. When the deck runs out, set the cards in your hand aside and do one last harvesting of your beans. Try to sell them for as much gold as you can, since the aim of the game is to get the most gold coins.[20]

   • If the deck runs out in the middle of your turn, you can finish your turn before you make your last harvest.

3. 

   3

   Win the game by getting the most gold coins. Count up how many gold coins you have and compare them with other players’. If you have the most gold coins, you win![21]

   • If there is a tie, the player with the most cards in their hand wins the game.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Can I trade one bean card for two?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer.

  You can't trade 1 bean card for 2 bean cards, only 1 for 1. However, if you just want to get rid of a card and you don't want to accept another one, you can "donate" a card to another player without accepting anything in return. Just like with trades, other players don't have to accept your donations.

• Question

  Can I plant more beans than the maximum?

  

  Yes, you can. There is no physical limit to the amount of beans you can grow, however in terms of magic beans, you can only grow 5. This strategy will net you a nice 5 golden eggs which can be cashed in for an easy victory.

• Question

  What and when do I discard?

  

  Discard absolutely everything all the time. The cards are a hindrance to your goals. Think of it like Uno, the less cards you have the better.

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• Focus on harvesting and selling as much as you can throughout the game to get the most gold coins.

• Pay attention to the frequency of each bean type to see if it’s worth hanging onto.

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