Donkey (card game)

For other uses of "pig", see pig (disambiguation).

Pig is a children's card-matching and bluffing game also enjoyed by adults, Pig is a fast-action game requiring the players to pay attention to 2 things at once. It is related to the game spoons, but doesn't require the extra equipment and can be more embarrassing (fingers often end up up the nose instead of aside).

Play of the game

Setup

 Deal four cards to each player.

Play

Each player discards a card face down to player on their left. Each player looks at that card and keeps and discards it or another to the person on the left.

This goes on, often at ever-increasing speed, until a player gets 4 of a kind (4 Kings, 4 two's etc.) Immediately after that player has discarded (and has only 4 cards) they put their finger aside their nose. Then the fun begins. As soon as one player has put their finger on their nose, all of the others should instantly do the same. The last person to do so loses the round.

This game is often called simply 'Nose'

Rules

If someone is first to put their finger on their nose, and it turns out that at that time no one actually has 4 of a kind, then the first toucher loses the round.

Scoring

Scoring: the loser has a letter in the word "p-i-g" counted against them. That is, the first loss is "p", the second is "i", etc. When a player has accumulated all three letters in "pig", they drop out of the game. At that time, one of the card values (4 cards) is removed from the deck. The game continues until only the winner is left.

Strategy/bluffing

Bluffing is encouraged, as you can reach for your nose at any time as long as the nose is not actually touched. This can have a distracting effect on one's opponents, or even cause someone to improperly touch their nose prematurely.

One can also play without ever looking at the cards at all. Just pass the discards from right to left, keeping both eyes on the fingers of the opponents.

Because players are focused on their own hand, when you get four of a kind, surreptitiously touch your nose. The card-passing may continue for several seconds while you watch the fun.

Variations

• One of them is more or less a hybrid of Pig and Spoons. The game is played with spoons as normal, but a plastic or styrofoam cup is kept aside. The last person to grab a spoon must grasp the bottom lip of the cup between their teeth as too keep the top half above their nose, like a pig's snout. It is best played with only one cup, that must be shared between the losers.

• Another is to stick out your tongue when you get a four of a kind.

• This game can also be played like Pens (game) where the last to put his finger on his nose is eliminated.