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Play or Pay

In this game, make sure you don't have any cards left at the end, or your counters are going in the middle!
By: Trish Kuffner, author of The Children's Busy Book

Play or Pay


Materials

  • Deck of playing cards
  • Counters (beans, pennies, etc.)

Directions

  1. Deal an equal number of cards to each player. Place any leftover cards faceup in the center.
  2. Give each player an equal number of counters.
  3. The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by laying an ace from his hand or from the leftover cards faceup on the table. If he can't do so, he must put a counter in the kitty.
  4. The next player to the left lays down the next card of the same suit (in this case, the two) from his hand or from the leftover cards.
  5. If he can't do so, he must put a counter in the kitty.
  6. The game continues in this way until the king is played. The player who plays the king makes the first play in the next round.
  7. The player who runs out of cards first wins the game.
  8. Every other player puts one counter in the kitty for each card left in his hand.
  9. The winner takes all the counters in the kitty.

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