OBJECTIVE OF BREAD AND CHOCOLATE: Be the first player to empty their hand exactly
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players
NUMBER OF CARDS: 52 cards
RANK OF CARDS: (low) Ace – Ace (high)
TYPE OF GAME: Hand shedding
AUDIENCE: Adults
INTRODUCTION OF BREAD AND CHOCOLATE
Bread and Chocolate is a hand shedding game created by JC Ravage, Jimmy Kaplowitz, and Marc Jaffee around 2002. What sets this game apart from others is the manipulation of the discard pile at the beginning of the game and the rules surrounding which cards can be played to the discard pile.
This is a hand shedding game for two that is actually an enjoyable experience. As opposed to games like Crazy Eights where players simply match the suit or rank, Bread and Chocolate challenges players to play cards that are one rank higher or lower. The objective of the game is to play or discard your hand exactly meaning that the cards must be played perfectly.
THE CARDS & THE DEAL
Bread and Chocolate uses a 52 card deck for play. Shuffle and deal six cards to each player and place the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile. Draw two cards from the pile and flip only one card face up. Leave the second card face down and do not look at it. Place both of these cards beside the draw pile. They will act as discard piles.
FLIP, SPREAD, OR PASS
Beginning with the non-dealer, that player has the option to flip, spread, or pass. The decision to flip or spread will determine the beginning discard for play.
Flip – The face up discard is turned face down, and the face down discard is turned face up.
Spread – If the face up discard is red, the player may spread. Do this by turning cards over one at a time from the draw pile until a black card is revealed.
Pass – If the non-dealer passes, the dealer has an opportunity to flip, spread or pass. If both players pass, nothing changes with the discard piles and play begins with the non-dealer.
The face up card begins the discard pile.
THE PLAY
On a player’s turn, they can play a card that is one higher or one lower than the discard pile’s top card. The player plays their card to the top of the discard pile.
If the card played was ranked one lower than the top discard, that player must discard a number of cards equal to the value of the card they played. These cards are played face down on the face down discard pile. A player can only do this if they have enough cards to adequately discard. For example, if the player only has 6 cards in their hand, they cannot play the 7 to the pile because they do not have enough cards to discard completely.
If the card played was ranked one higher, the player draws a number of cards equal to the value of the card they played from the draw pile.
For this game, face cards do not force players to draw or discard. This means, for example, if a Jack is played on a ten, no draw or discard occurs. Aces can be played both as a 1 and as a card higher than the King. If the Ace is played on a King, the player must draw one card. If it is played on a 2, the player must discard one card.
During play, if the top card of the face up discard pile is red, a player can play its black counterpart to begin a spread. When this occurs, each player is allowed to play a card of the same rank. For example, if the face up discard is a 5 of Hearts, the next player can play the 5 of Spades. 5’s can continue to be played until there are none left. Once a player is unable to continue the spread, they must return to normal play (a card must be one rank higher or lower).
If a player is unable to play a card, they must draw one card from the draw pile.
Once the draw pile gets down to one card (even if it is in the middle of a draw), it is time to reset the piles. Leave one card from the draw pile face down. This begins the new face down discard pile. Flip the face up discard pile over to become the new draw pile. Flip the face down discard pile over to become the new face up discard pile. Play can then continue.
WINNING
Play continues until one of the players is able to play or discard their final card. That player is the winner.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021