In Cabanga! players try to get rid of their hand of cards as quickly as possible, but ideally without taking any penalties along the way.

Once the row cards and starting cards of all four suits have been placed in the center of the table, and players each have a hand of eight cards, the turn begins. Players take it in turns to place a card next to the corresponding row card in the middle of the table, ideally with as little difference as possible, as the greater the gap, the greater the chance that other players will shout "Cabanga" and throw the cards whose value lies between the two row cards towards the active player. These discarded cards are placed on the discard pile, after which the active player must draw the same number of cards from the penalty pile.

When a player has no more cards in hand, the round ends and all players count the points on their cards. Once a player has accumulated 18 points, the game ends and the player with the fewest points wins!