A free single-player browser game
Play your way across the American frontier.
Deadwood Knock is an original card game inspired by rummy and poker. Build your hand, manage your deadwood, know when to knock, and outplay your opponents on the long road to Deadwood.
- 41 frontier towns
- 216 card tables
- 479 characters
The game at the table
Play the cards
Draw, discard, build your best hand, and keep your deadwood under control. Every turn asks the same dangerous question: improve your cards—or knock before an opponent beats you to it?
Easy to learn. Hard to master.
Deadwood Knock is an original card game that combines the draw-and-discard decisions of rummy with poker hands, deadwood management, knocking, and a poker side pot.
- 01Draw
Take the face-up card you need or test your luck with the deck.
- 02Build
Form stronger combinations while reducing the cards left as deadwood.
- 03Knock
Choose your moment carefully and challenge the table to reveal its hands.
AI opponents become tougher as the trail continues, forcing you to read the table and make sharper decisions.
The trail west
Travel the frontier
Begin on the Missouri frontier and follow the trail west through cattle towns, mining camps, railroad stops, outlaw hideouts, and boomtowns on the long road to Deadwood.
Faces of the West
Sit down with the people who lived it
Nearly 500 characters populate the trail, almost all of them real people documented in the historical record.. A handful come from local legend, with a few unexpected faces along the way.
Share a table with celebrated names such as Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, Billy the Kid, and Bat Masterson—then encounter lesser-known gamblers, lawmen, outlaws, settlers, saloon owners, prospectors, freighters, and performers whose stories rarely make the usual legends.
Several hundred portraits are based on surviving photographs. When no known photograph survives, the game uses an imagined period portrait rather than presenting it as a documented likeness.
When cards are not enough
Face the gunslingers
Winning at cards does not always end the argument.
Some famous and notorious gunfighters may challenge you after you defeat them at the table. You can decline and ride on—or accept a fast-draw duel that tests reaction time, speed, and accuracy.
The gunfights are occasional encounters along the trail. Strategic card play remains the heart of Deadwood Knock.
More than a backdrop
History woven into the game
Deadwood Knock is historically grounded without pretending that every frontier tale is perfectly documented. Research shapes the towns, people, biographies, locations, and atmosphere throughout the journey.
- Real frontier towns
Visit places that grew around trails, mines, cattle, railroads, commerce, and conflict.
- Historical people
Play alongside famous figures and hundreds of lesser-known people from frontier history.
- Period card designs
Play with designs inspired by surviving nineteenth-century playing cards.
- Stories at every stop
Town histories and character biographies put each table into a wider historical setting.
Before you saddle up
Frequently asked questions
Is Deadwood Knock free to play?
Yes. Deadwood Knock is free to play in your browser.
Do I need to install anything?
No download is required. Open the game in a modern web browser and begin playing. On supported devices, you may also choose to install it as a web app for convenient access.
Can I play on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The game is designed for desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers.
Are the characters in Deadwood Knock real historical people?
Almost all are documented historical people. The few exceptions include figures from local legend, one historical animal, and one composite frontier character. Several hundred portraits are based on real photographs; when no known photograph survives, the portrait is an imaginative period interpretation.
Is Deadwood Knock a poker game?
Not exactly. Deadwood Knock is an original game with roots in both rummy and poker. You draw and discard cards, manage deadwood, decide when to knock, and build poker combinations that determine hand value and the optional poker pot.
No download required
Your trail to Deadwood begins at the first table.
Play instantly in your browser on desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Start your journey to Deadwood