SKIP-BO

SKIP-BO ( /ˈskɪp.boʊ/) is a commercial version of the card game Spite and Malice. In 1967, Ms. Hazel Bowman of Brownfield, Texas began producing a boxed edition of the game under the name Skip-bo. In 1980 the game was purchased by International Games, which was subsequently bought by Mattel in 1992.

Deck

The deck consists of 162 cards, twelve each of the numbers 1 through 12 and eighteen "SKIP-BO" wild cards which may be played as any number. Alternatively, the 162 cards could be three regular decks of playing cards, including the jokers, with ace to queen corresponding to 1 to 12 and the kings and jokers corresponding to the SKIP-BO cards. Before 1980, the commercial game consisted of three decks of regular playing cards with six SKIP-BO cards replacing the standard two jokers in each deck.

Game play

Two to six people can play at a time as individuals or six or more players in partnerships (no more than three partnerships). The object of the game is to be the first player or partnership to play out their entire stock pile(s). Each player is dealt 30 cards for their stock pile. With only the uppermost card visible, and a hand of five cards, and the remaining cards are placed face down to create a common draw pile. The shared play area allows up to four build piles, which must be started using either a "1" card or a Skip-Bo, and each player also has up to four personal discard piles. Each turn the active player draws until he has five cards in hand, and plays on the build piles. He must play either the next card in sequential order or a wild Skip-Bo card, using either cards in hand, the top card of his stock pile, or the top card of any of his four discard piles. If the player can play all five cards from hand, he draws five more and continues playing. When no more plays are available, the player discards one card to either an empty discard pile or on top of an existing one and play passes to the next player. If the next player needs a card out the discard pile that the other player has laid down he may get the card to help him continue playing. When a build pile reaches 12, it is removed from the board and that space becomes empty for another pile to be started; play continues until one player has played his final start card.

Scoring

If multiple games are going to be played then a point system may be used. After a player wins a game then he/she receives 25 points for winning plus 5 points for each card in his/her opponents' stock piles. The first player to reach 500 points wins.

Like most games, the point values can change and the end-point-total-to-win can change so long as all players agree before playing starts.

Partnerships

Another option for game play is to pair up players as partners.

Game play remains the same except:

• Each partnership only has two stock piles and two sets of four discard piles (eight discard piles total) regardless of the number of individuals per partnership
• The active player can use their partner's stock and discard piles in addition to their own stock and discard piles
• The active player's partner(s) must remain silent while their partner is playing
• To win: both stock piles of one of the partnerships must be cleared
• If a player is caught cheating (e.g., the non-active partner(s) telling the active player what to play) then two cards from the draw pile are placed into the cheating player's stock pile

External links

• Rules for playing the Skip-bo game (PDF)
• An embodied Agent playing the Skip-bo game in Japan (AVI, XVID-Codec)
• 1967 Skip-bo Rules (PDF)