Mau Rules Summary

 You cannot explain the rules.  [uh, optional, i guess. :-]

Special cards:

  ACE     Reverse direction.
  SEVEN   Draw two, cumulative.
  EIGHT   Skip next player.
  JACK    Wild, sets suit, playable on anything but a JACK or live SEVEN.
  JOKER   Wild, either neighbor plays, playable on anything but live SEVEN.

Things to call:
  SPADE                 When playing a spade.
  LAST CARD             When playing second-to-last card.
  MAU                   When playing last card, unless it's a JACK or JOKER.
  MAU MAU               When playing last card, if it's a JACK.
  OOM PAPA MAU MAU      When playing last card, if it's a JOKER.
  SPAM                  When playing identical card out of turn.

Other penalties:
  1) Misdealing.
  2) Looking at cards before the dealer.
  3) Playing out of order.
  4) Playing incorrectly.
  5) Taking too long.
  6) Flinching.
  7) Asking a question, except during a Point of Order.
  8) Cursing, swearing, or invoking the name of a major deity, except during
     a Point of Order.  Cthulhu is considered a major deity.
  9) Looking at cards during a Point of Order.
 10) Calling a Point of Order solely to curse or swear.
 11) Being too loud. (Optional rule).
 12) Calling an incorrect penalty.


Spam:

  If you can match the previously played card in both number AND suit (as can
  happen when more than one deck is in use), then you may play that card out
  of turn, by calling "SPAM!"  Play then continues from you, skipping any
  intervening players.  Special effects accumulate.
  Note that:
    1) you may not spam a jack;
    2) spammed eights skip two instead of one
       (if you have multiple decks, you can get even larger skips);
    3) two aces in succession effectively cancel each other;
    4) spamming sevens is nasty.