NINETY-NINE

OBJECTIVE OF NINETY-NINE: The objective of Ninety-Nine is to be the last player remaining.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 or More Players

MATERIALS: A standard deck of 52 cards (or two decks for 4 or more players), pennies or chips, and a flat surface.

TYPE OF GAME: Adding Card Game

AUDIENCE: Adults

OVERVIEW OF NINETY-NINE

Ninety-Nine is an adding card game for 2 or more players. The goal of the game is to not cause the discard pile to exceed 99.

SETUP

The deck is shuffled, and 3 cards are dealt to each player. The remaining cards form a stockpile in the center of the play area. Leave room next to the stock for a discard pile.

Each player is also given 5 chips or pennies (3 of playing with 4 or more players).

For each new round, the dealer passes to the left.

Card Abilities

The different ranks of cards affect the discard pile differently.

Aces have a value of 1 or 11 at the player’s discretion. Fours change the rotation of play, but the value of the discard pile remains the same. Nines have a value of 0. Tens can add or subtract 10 from the current discard pile’s value at the player’s discretion. Queens and Jacks both have a value of 10. Kings set the value of the pile at 99. All remaining cards 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 all increase the discard pile by their associated numeric value.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay is simple. The game starts with the player left of the dealer and proceeds around the table clockwise. On a player’s turn, they will choose one of the 3 cards in their hand to discard to the pile. After the player discards, they state out loud the new value of the discard pile. After stating the new value, they will draw a new card into their hand from the stockpile.

The discard pile starts at a value of 0 and has no cards in it. As players play cards to the discard it will fluctuate. If at any time a player would add to the pile and the value of the pile would exceed 99 points, that player loses a chip. The cards are collected, and a new round is started.

If a player has no chips left to discard, they are eliminated from the game.

If the stockpile ever runs out, the top card is kept. The remaining cards are shuffled to form a new stockpile, and the discard piles score remains the same.

END OF GAME

The game ends when only one player remains uneliminated. This player is the winner.  

Amber Crook
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