"TEN-SKIP CHALLENGE" -- A card game I just thought of...

[Darren Dirt]

Call me crazy, but sometimes I just "get" ideas and in this case I decided to write it out and share it with you guys.

Might be fun, or might be stupid and pointless. Wouldn't mind trying it out to see.


"TEN-SKIP CHALLENGE" -- A card game I just thought of...



[GOAL]
To be the "last man standing", after all other players have gotten 1000 points and thus have been eliminated.



[SETUP AND START OF EACH ROUND]
First, make a limited 40-card deck by keeping only the Aces and the numbered cards from 2 through Ten (i.e. remove Jacks, Queens, and Kings).

Ace is low card (think of it as "1") and high card is Ten -- including when drawing for "high card" at the beginning.

Suggested # of players: no more than 4, since rounds with 5 players would end too quickly (see "end of round" below), and 6+ players would require a second deck and thus strategy would be practically non-existent. If "more than 4" players are "required", it MIGHT be fun/playable by dealing only 6 cards (or even 5!) to each player, and changing the skipped "4 in a row" requirement (see "made hand" below) to "3 in a row".

Gameplay begins to the left of the dealer, and continues clockwise (i.e. goes to the left).

One player shuffles the cards, and hands it to the next player who deals face-up one card to each player to draw high card for dealer. A "tie" high-card requires a re-draw (only for those with that card -- repeated until the tie is broken).

Each round starts with the dealer giving each player 1 card, until each has 7 (or 6/5, see above note re. 5+ players).

The remaining cards are the "draw" pile, placed in the middle where all can reach.

Once the first turn in a round is completed, there will also be an ever-growing "discard" pile next to the "draw" pile -- face UP (so others can see what card was most recently discarded).



[NORMAL TURNS]
At the start of your turn -- unless "challenging" (see below) -- you will first discard an unwanted card, and AFTER everyone sees what you are getting rid of, you then get a new card.

Your new card is either drawn from the "draw" pile (see below), or taken from another player in exchange for the card that you are discarding.



[GETTING YOUR NEW CARD FROM ANOTHER PLAYER]
When taking from another player, instead of placing your unwanted card onto the discard pile, you instead show that card to everyone, then hand it to your "victim", saying out loud: "Get a load of THIS!"

The "victim" then (BEFORE taking your card) chooses one of his own cards (presumably, an unwanted one, based on the "new" card they now know they are about to get!) and place THAT card face-down in front of you (so nobody else can see), and they take the "new" card from you.

Angry swearing and exaggerated sighs are encouraged.

NOTE: you may NOT choose as your "victim" someone who has put everyone "on notice" (see below) as their cards are facedown on the table and are off-limits.



[GETTING YOUR NEW CARD FROM THE "DRAW" PILE]
The more boring but strategically preferable way of getting your new card is from the "draw" pile.

You will take the top TWO cards -- without showing anyone -- and after looking at both of them, choose to keep only ONE, discarding the other onto the top of the discard pile (thus covering up your unwanted card, so the other players better pay attention to what is out of play!)



["MADE HAND"]
A "made hand" occurs when you hold a sequence of 4 in a row "skipped" cards in sequential order, either:
Ace-3-5-7, 2-4-6-8, 3-5-7-9, or 4-6-8-Ten.
Obviously, the most valuable cards -- REQUIRED to have a "made" hand! -- are 4 6 AND 8, OR 3 5 AND 7 (the worst cards are Ace, 2, 9, and Ten).

NOTE: As mentioned above, if "more than 4" players "required", you might try dealing only 6 (or 5) cards to each player, and having a "made hand" be any of:
Ace-3-5, 2-4-6, 3-5-7, 4-6-8, 5-7-9, or 6-8-Ten.
(In that case, most of the cards are almost the same value, with 5 and 6 slightly more advantageous. Ace, 2, 9, and Ten are again the worst cards.)



[END OF TURN: "ON NOTICE" CLAIM]
At the END of your turn (if nobody else has already done so this round) if you have made your hand (see above) -- OR if you want to pretend that you have -- you must quickly stand up until you have everyone's attention, then look around and say "You're on notice!"

Gasps and name-calling are encouraged.

You now slowly sit down, and place your cards face-down in front of you as a reminder to everyone that they are "on notice".

If all others finish their turns and play is back to you without a "challenge" (see below) then you win that round, and all others lose (see "end of round" below).

NOTE: if you win a round unchallenged, you do NOT have to reveal your hand, although doing so may result in plenty of amusement (especially if it was a total BLUFF).



[START OF TURN: "DEAD TO ME" CHALLENGE]
At the START of a turn, in *place* of taking/discarding cards, someone may instead CHALLENGE the player who has put everyone "on notice".

The challenger does this by slowly standing up, turning toward the "notice" claimer, pointing and saying with extreme but sarcastic seriousness: "You're dead to me!"

The challenger immediately turns over his own 7-card hand (with as much dramatic flair as possible), putting them in order from lowest to highest (Ace..Ten).

The "notice" claimer does the same, however a dramatic pre-reveal pause is highly recommended as the other players digest what cards are remaining after seeing the challenger's hand.

If the challenger was INCORRECT, and the "notice" claimer does have an actual "made hand", then the round is over immediately, with the foolish challenger being the ONLY loser, adding the points from BOTH hands to his score (see "scoring" below).

If the challenger was CORRECT, and there is no "made hand", then the challenger is now safely out of the round, and discards all of his cards onto the discard pile (being allowed to choose what card is left "on top") Play then continues for the remaining players -- including the one falsely claiming "notice", whose cards are obviously no longer face down, and are now *known* by all other players (!).



[END OF ROUND]
A round ends when either play has returned to a "notice" claimer without a challenge,
OR a failed challenge has been made (thus making the challenger the only loser),
OR there is no "draw" pile at the START of a player's turn when nobody has put the other players "on notice".

NOTE: The final way of ending a round means that the player who takes the last card from the "draw" pile is the LAST player able to put the others "on notice".

Therefore, if the final "draw" pile card-taker chooses to NOT put everyone on "notice" (perhaps it's too risky that he would be called on his bluff?) then those players still in the round (i.e. everyone except for "successful" challengers) have ALL "lost", and therefore will add up their own points (see "scoring" below). (Consider that this could also be used as a strategy, to "push out" a player close to the 1000-point ceiling, at the expense of "pushing up" everyone's score!)



[SCORING]
At the end of each round, points are calculated and added to each losing player.

Points are based on the 7 cards that you hold -- in addition to those cards held by the "notice" claimer if you were a failed challenger! -- but *an Ace* is worth *20 points*.

Also, if you hold ANY pairs in YOUR hand, your TOTAL score for this round (including for your failed challenge!) is DOUBLED.


Once you reach 1000 points you are eliminated. Last remaining player wins!



NOTE: For convenience when scoring failed challenges, here are the points in the "made hand" portion...

Ace-3-5-7, 2-4-6-8, 3-5-7-9, or 4-6-8-Ten. (normal i.e. 7-card hands)
(35 pts), (20pts), (24pts),      (28pts)

Ace-3-5, 2-4-6, 3-5-7, 4-6-8, 5-7-9, or 6-8-Ten. (extra players i.e. 6- or 5-card hands)
(28pts),(12pts),(15pts),(18pts),(21pts), (24pts)