HIT THE DECK



OBJECT OF HIT THE DECK: The object of Hit the Deck is to be the player with the lowest amount of points whenever another player reaches 100 points.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 6 players

MATERIALS: 110 Cards and instructions

TYPE OF GAME: Party Card Game

AUDIENCE: 6+


OVERVIEW OF HIT THE DECK

Hit the Deck is a perfect mixture of Uno and Slapjack. The goal is to be the player with the smallest number of cards in your hand at the end of a hand. Like Uno, players play cards by matching colors and numbers. There are occasional cards to spice things up! 

This is where the slapping comes in! When a Hit The Deck With a Hand Card is played, attempt to not be the last person to slap the deck! If you are, four more cards are added to your hand, accumulating more points than you would like. Be quick with your mind, and your hands, in this awesome party game!

SETUP

To begin set up, remove all the jewelry from all players’ hands. A player is then selected to be the dealer. They shuffle the deck and then deal seven cards to all players, face down. The rest of the cards may then be positioned face down in the middle of the group, forming the draw pile. 

The top card on the draw pile is then flipped and placed beside the draw pile, making the discard pile. If the first card flipped is a Word Card, the player to the dealer’s left must do whatever the card says. If the card is instead a Hit The Deck With A Hand Card, then it is returned to the draw pile and another card is flipped. 

GAMEPLAY

To begin the game, the player on the dealer’s left side attempts to play a card from their hand. In order for a card to be played, it must match in color or number. If a card is unable to be played, then a player may draw a card from the draw pile. This card may be played if it matches. If no cards are able to be played, then their turn ends, and the player on their left begins their turn. 

If the draw pile ever becomes empty, then the discard pile may be shuffled and replace it. Simply keep the top card from the discard pile and let it be the new discard pile.

When a player runs out of cards by playing their last card in their hand, then the hand ends. This is when points are tallied. The player with no cards gets zero points.  All Word Cards and Hit the Deck Cards count for ten points each. All Number Cards are counted at face value.

When a player reaches one hundred points, the game comes to an end. The player with the lowest number of points wins the game.

CARDS

Cut the Deck Cards

When a Cut the Deck card is played, the next player has to lift half of the draw pile, remove the middle card from the stack, and place it facing up on the top of the discard pile. It then becomes the new top for the discard pile.

The player who “cut the deck” must skip their turn. The next player must continue to play the game or follow the directions on said card. If it is a Hit the Deck With a Hand card, that player must yell “HIT THE DECK WITH A HAND” as they would do if they had played the card themselves. 

Flip the Deck Cards

When a Flip the Deck card is played, the next player must flip the Draw Pile and the Discard Pile, switching them. The player who played the Flip the Deck card get to play another turn, and the play is now to the right instead of the left. If two Flip the Deck cards are played back to back, the second one is mixed back into the deck and the card under it becomes the top of the discard pile

Hit the Deck With a Number Cards

Hit the Deck With a Number Cards can be played on top of any color card. The next player in line must play a card that is of the same number. If the player does not have a card with the same number, then they must draw a card from the pile. If the card drawn is the same number, it may be played. If not, then it is the next player’s turn.

This continues around the group until someone plays a number card that matches. Then normal gameplay can continue. 

Hit the Deck With a Color Cards

These cards can also be played on top of any color card. When one of these cards are played, the next player in line must play a card with the same color. If that player does not have a card of the same color, then they must draw a card from the pile. If that card matches the color, they may play it. If not, it is the next player’s turn.

This continues around the group until someone plays a color card that matches. Then normal gameplay can continue.

Hit the Deck With a Hand Cards

These cards may be played on any color card. When one of these cards are played, the player must say aloud “HIT THE DECK WITH A HAND”! All players are to immediately place one hand on top of the discard pile. The last player to place their hand has to draw four cards from the draw pile.

If the player forgets to say the magic words, then they must draw four cards as punishment. The next player is allowed to place any card on top of the discard pile.

END OF GAME

The end of the game is signified by a player reaching 100 points. This player is automatically the loser, and the player with the lowest amount of accumulated points wins the game.

Nakoa Davis