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About Bohnanza
Bohnanza is Uwe Rosenberg's bean-trading card game, published by Amigo and by Rio Grande Games in English. You must play cards in the order you drew them, so the real game is haggling with everyone else to get rid of beans you cannot use. Every turn, the whole table is bargaining, offering gifts and making deals. It is one of the most sociable card games around and a great choice if your group likes to talk.
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Is Bohnanza Right for You?
Best for
Bohnanza is for groups who enjoy trading and haggling. It is best with four or five players, when everyone has partners to deal with and turns move quickly. It is a great choice for sociable groups and families with older children.
Maybe skip it if…
Players who dislike negotiation or find it stressful may not enjoy it. At six or seven players, waiting for your turn can drag.
How to Play Bohnanza
Setup
Deal five cards to each player. Never rearrange your hand. Each player has two bean fields; a third can be bought for 3 coins.
On Your Turn
- Plant the first card in your hand in a field, and you may plant the second. A field holds only one kind of bean.
- Turn over two cards from the deck. Trade or give them away, along with cards from your hand, to anyone at the table.
- All traded and turned-up cards must be planted now by whoever ends up with them.
- Draw three cards and put them at the back of your hand.
How to Win
Harvest fields to sell beans for coins using the chart on each card. The game ends when the deck runs out for the final time (the third time in a standard game), and the most coins wins.
💡 Strategy Tips
Your hand order is your whole plan. Trade away the card that will soon force you to dig up a good field, even if you have to give it away for free.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rearranging your hand. You must keep it in the order you drew it.
- Planting a bean you cannot harvest well. Fields are precious, and the wrong bean can block better plans.
- Refusing to trade. You need to give cards away to keep your hand under control.
- Harvesting too early. Some beans are worth much more in bigger fields.
Advanced Strategy
- Buy the third field early. It gives you more room to plan.
- Give away cards you do not need, even for nothing, to keep your hand flowing.
- Watch what other players are planting. Offer them their beans in exchange for yours.
- Count how many of each bean are in the deck. Rare beans are worth more but are harder to collect.
Variants & House Rules
Bohnanza: Pirates
Rio Grande's English edition of La Isla Bohnita, which adds new beans and ships for trading.
Bohnaparte and High Bohn
Expansions that add a map and buildings to the base game. Rio Grande released both in one box in 2015.
Different player counts
With three players, remove the Cocoa beans and everyone starts with a third field. With six or seven, remove the Cocoa and Garden beans and draw four cards a turn instead of three.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Bohnanza is a classic trading game that has stayed popular for decades. We recommend it for groups who enjoy talking and dealing, especially with four or five players. The hand-order rule makes it unique, and the trading keeps everyone involved even when it is not their turn.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players is it best with?
Four or five. It plays from three to seven, but at the top of the range turns can be slow.
Who designed it?
Uwe Rosenberg, who later designed Agricola. It is published by Amigo in Germany and by Rio Grande Games in English.
Why can't you reorder your hand?
That rule is the heart of the game. It forces you to trade and plan ahead.