Skip – Bo

by Amanda Nettgen

(USA)

Game:
Skip-Bo
Game manufacturer:
Mattel
Number of players:
2-6 (individually or partnered)
Ages:
7+

Quick verdict

While you’ll never find out what the name Skip-Bo means, the game itself is fun. There’s just something about laying down cards in a group-like manner that makes for an intriguing afternoon.

The game and gameplay

Skip-Bo comes with a whopping 162 cards (18 of which are wild and bear its name). If you’re playing with four people or less, each person gets 30 cards. For five or six players, hand out 20.

The cards that were distributed form each Skip-Bo contestant’s STOCK (pile, not DOW JONES). Always have the top card of your STOCK facing up so that you can be quick to get rid of it.

Remaining cards form the DRAW stack in the middle of the table.

A highest-card draw determines who goes first. On his turn, a contestant will first pick up a total of five cards from the DRAW pile. Hopefully he’ll have received a number 1 or a SKIP-BO card so he has something to work with.

These cards are the only cards that can start a communal BUILDING space in the center your gaming surface (forming piles, not houses). The contender proceeds to place any appropriate cards in sequential order on the table, one on top of the other.

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He’s aiming to include the top card of his STOCK pile with as many moves as possible. When the player can’t do anything or simply doesn’t want to, he puts down one of the cards from his original five, forming one of four personal discard heaps. His turn is now over.

Play continues around the table,