Objective of the Game
The objective of Skip-Bo is to be the first player to play all cards from your stock pile.
Materials
- A Skip-Bo card deck consisting of 162 cards
- Number cards from 1 to 12
- Skip-Bo wild cards
Setup
- Shuffle the deck thoroughly.
- Each player draws a card; the player with the highest card becomes the dealer.
- The dealer reshuffles the deck again and deals each player a certain number of face-down cards to form their stock pile:
- For 2-4 players: 30 cards
- For 5-6 players: 20 cards
- Players hold their stock pile face-down. The top card is turned face-up.
- Each player draws five cards from the stock deck to form their hand.
- The remaining deck forms the draw pile placed in the centre.
Gameplay
- Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer and continues clockwise.
- The player attempts to play cards from their hand, discard pile, or stock pile onto up to four building piles in the centre of the table. Building piles start with a 1 or a Skip-Bo card and build up to 12.
- A Skip-Bo card can be used as any number.
- During a turn, a player can play any number of cards from their hand or piles onto the building piles.
- The turn ends when the player places a card onto their personal discard pile. Each player can have up to four discard piles.
- If a player has fewer than five cards in their hand after playing, they draw from the draw pile until they have five cards.
- A player wins by playing the last card from their stock pile.
Special Strategies and Tips
- Use Skip-Bo cards wisely as they can help you complete sequences and finish piles.
- Plan ahead and use your discard piles to maintain a flow of cards you can use effectively in future turns.
- Be mindful of your opponents’ stock piles; if they are getting close to winning, play strategically to block their potential moves.
Enjoy playing Skip-Bo! It's a simple yet strategic card game that's perfect for family fun and casual play. Try to efficiently manage your sequences and challenge others to keep pace!
