PIP PIP



OBJECTIVE OF PIP PIP: Be the player with the highest score at the end of the game

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 – 8 players

NUMBER OF CARDS: Two standard 52 card decks

RANK OF CARDS: (low) 3 – Ace, 2 (high)

TYPE OF GAME: Trick Taking

AUDIENCE: Adults, Family


INTRODUCTION OF PIP PIP

Pip Pip is an old English trick taking party game that is known for getting a little rowdy.  Players take turns playing cards with the hope of collecting as many 2’s, Aces, and face cards as possible.  Keep an eye on your hand because if you get a king and queen of the same suit, you get to yell “Pip Pip” and change the suit.

THE CARDS & THE DEAL

Pip Pip requires the use of two 52 card decks.  To decide who must deal first and be the scorekeeper, have each player take a card from the deck.  The player with the lowest card must deal first and keep score.

To determine the trump suit for each round, the dealer should cut the deck and expose a card.  That card’s suit becomes trump for the round (at least in the beginning).

The dealer should shuffle the cards thoroughly and dole out seven cards to each player one at a time.  The rest of the cards are placed in the center of the table as the draw pile.

THE PLAY

During each round, players are trying to win tricks that have 2’s, Aces, and face cards. 

Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer.  They choose a card from their hand and play it to the center of the table.  Play then passes to the next player on the left.  Each player takes a turn choosing a card from their hand to add to the pile.  This pile forms a trick.  When playing a card to the trick, the following players must play a card in the same suit as the the card that was led.  If they are unable to follow suit, they may play any card from their hand.  The player who played the highest card in the suit that was led or the highest trump card takes the trick.  In the event that two identical cards are played, whoever played the card second wins the trick.

Every time someone plays a card to the trick, that player immediately draws a card from the draw pile. 

In Pip Pip, it is possible to change the trump suit during the round.  If at any time a player holds a king and queen of the same suit (other than the current trump suit), they may exclaim, “Pip Pip.”  They then place those two cards in front of them on the table face up.  The suit of those two cards immediately becomes the trump suit at the beginning of the next trick.  That suit remains trump until it is changed or the round ends.  That king and queen are still considered part of that player’s hand and should be played as normal. 

A Pip Pip can also be called at the beginning of a round as soon as the cards are dealt.  If this occurs, the trump suit is changed prior to the first trick being played.  More than one player can call a Pip Pip at the same time.  If this occurs, trump is determined by the player who said Pip Pip first.

A player is not required to call Pip Pip if they choose not to.

Play continues until their are no longer enough cards in the draw pile for each player to take one.  The discard pile is placed aside, and the final seven cards are played as normal.  Once those final seven cards are played, the round is over.

After the round is over, players should tally up their scores.

The game is over once each player has had the chance to deal.

SCORING

After all of the tricks have been played, players tally up their score.  Points for winning the following cards:

2’s = 11 points each

Aces = 10 points each

Kings = 5 points each

Queens = 4 points each

Jacks = 3 points each

Whenever someone plays a Pip Pip, they immediately earn 50 points.  If more than one player says Pip Pip, both players earn 50 points.  A player may also play two Pip Pips of the same suit if they have both queens and kings.  Doing so earns that player 100 points.  

WINNING

The game is over once each player has dealt.  The player with the highest score at the end of the game wins.

Mark Ball
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