Raise The Stakes
Game description
In this dynamic and strategic trick taking card game, players embark on a thrilling journey where every round is a gamble of wits and unpredictable twists. As dealers shuffle and deal, the trump color emerges, setting the stage for intense decision-making. Do you 'Stay' for the standard two points, 'Raise the Stakes' to three, or 'Fold' and risk missing out on the action? Watch out for the powerful Fire and Water cards, engage in trick-taking battles, and strategically employ special cards to outwit your opponents. Raise the Stakes provides endless strategic possibilities for players 10+"
What Makes Raise The Stakes the BEST
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2-7 players
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players can quit at any point without affecting the game
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chaos of the fire/water cards
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variation cards allow for competitive play with all skill levels
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variation cards create several different versions
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familiarity of traditional card games
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element of bluffing
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variability with specialty cards
Instructions Game Play
Instructional Video
Dealing
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The black cards are variation cards that are optional to the game. They help to make the game more random, so before starting, decide if you want to use all or some of them.
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The dealer can be chosen by handing out cards, face up, until a player receives a fire card.
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Dealer shuffles, then deals 5 cards to each player, face down, one at a time.
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Once all cards have been dealt, dealer will flip one card face up and place it beside the remaining cards of the deck.
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If a Fire, Water, or Variation Card is flipped up, flip another card up and keep doing so until you get a color.
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Whatever color is displayed becomes the trump color. Trump cards are higher than any other color, with the exception of the fire cards, which are the highest.
Stay, Raise the Stakes, or Fold
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Every round is worth two points unless someone feels they have a good hand and they want to raise the stakes to as high as 3 points.
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After cards are dealt, go around the circle clockwise (starting left) from dealer and each person decides if they they want to stay, raise the stakes, or fold.
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To keep the round at 2 points, say "stay". To raise the round to 3 points, say "raise."
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If anyone raised the stakes and others want to continue to play the round, they have to agree to the new amount of points, or they have to fold and turn in their cards.
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If players agree to play for the higher stakes, whoever wins the round will get that number of points and whoever loses the round will lose one point.
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Player can only lose a point player decided to play after the stakes were raised. There is no reason to fold unless another player raised the stakes.
Fire & Water Cards
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The fire cards will always be the top trump card. There are two fire cards, a big fire (two symbols), and a little fire (one symbol). The big fire is the highest trump, and the little fire is the second highest trump.
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The water card will cancel out both fire cards if it is played, and this is the only purpose of this card.
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If someone has the water card, they play it immediately after everyone has agreed on the number of points for the round, even if it’s not their turn.
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If the water card is played, anyone who is still in play (or hasn't folded) who has any fire cards has to throw them in and both the fire cards and water cards get swapped out for new cards from the deck. The one water card will eliminate both fire cards. Replacement cards are handed out in the order they were dealt (the first card goes to the person left of the dealer and so on).
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If someone throws out the water card and nobody has the fire card, then only the person who threw the water card gets a new card from the deck.
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If someone has both fire AND water cards, they only have to throw out the water card and nobody will know that they still have a fire card in their hand.
Playing the Rounds & Scoring
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The person to the left of the dealer throws out their first card. Everyone else must follow with a card of the same color, if they have one. Otherwise they can throw off or throw a trump card.
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If a player renigs during the hand, which means they are caught not following the color played, they automatically lose a point and are out for the rest of the hand.
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If someone leads with a fire card, that is trump so everyone must follow with a card of the trump color if they have it.
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If multiple players tie for the most number of tricks, they each get one point regardless if the stakes were raised or not.
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If someone raises the stakes and everyone else folds, the person that raised wins the round but only gets the original 2 points.
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If you take ALL the tricks of that hand, you get whatever points that hand was worth PLUS one extra point.
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Each round will initially be worth two points, up to three points depending on if someone raised the stakes, or four points if they raised the stakes AND took all the tricks.
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To win the round, you need to take more tricks than anyone else in the round.
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Players can go into the negative on their score sheet.
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Keep track of points on a sheet of paper or a note on your phone.
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The game will go until someone reaches 20 points or whatever point total you agree on before starting. This can be changed to make the game longer or shorter.
Variations
Game Play Variations
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Different point totals to make it longer or shorter
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Less cards in the deck to start with. Eliminate 1s-5s
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Players start with more than 5 cards. 6 or 7 per hand.
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Ability to raise more than once.
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Dealer bonus…dealer gets to pick up the card that’s flipped up and exchange it with one of the same suit. So if dealer has a red 2 and a red 10 gets flipped up, dealer can swap out his 2 and take the 10. Although I guess that doesn’t work well because if the dealer doesn’t pick up a high card then that tells everyone else that the dealer has no trump.
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Although maybe that gives the dealer a chance for an advantage AND and a disadvantage which is even more interesting.
Specialty Cards
(optional)
Spy Card
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.• Player will put down card and then have the chance to view any opponents cards ONE time.
• Once card is played, draw a new card from the deck top of the deck add to hand and then continue turn.
• Once played, this card should be put back in the deck to shuffle in for the next round.
Take It
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.
• Player will put down card and then take any card already laid down on the table for that hand and claim it as their own.
• Player who had their card taken will draw a new card from the deck to add to their hand.
• This card MUST follow another card and can NEVER be led. If it has to be led, it needs to be swapped out with the top card from the deck.
• Once played, this card should be put back in the deck to shuffle in for the next round.
+1
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.
• Player will put down card and it will be valued at one higher than whatever the previous card was that was played by the player before.
YES! It can be even higher than a BIG FIRE card.
• If the actual card of the same value is played after this card, then this card has a lower value than the the actual card.
• This card MUST follow another card and can NEVER be led. If it has to be led, it needs to be swapped out with a card from the top of the deck.
• Once played, this card should be put back in the deck to shuffle in for the next round.
Swap
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.
• Player will put down card and announce that they are stealing a card from another player.
• Other player can shuffle their cards and allow the player with the swap card to steal any remaining card in their hand without seeing the cards and then draw a new card from the top of the deck.
• Once played, this card should be put back in the deck to shuffle in for the next round.
Secret Shuffle
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.
• Player who played this card should draw a new card from the top of the deck and add that to their hand.
• Once this card is played, EVERYONE needs to put their cards face down, shuffle them all around and play the remainder of the round blind without being able to look at their cards before playing.
• Any renig rules and following color rules will no longer apply for the rest of the round.• After playing, this card should be removed from the deck for the entirety of the game and not played again.
Trump Twist
• Player can play this card only when it is their turn in the hand.
• Player will put down card and announce what color trump is for the rest of that round.
• For that hand, draw a new card from the top of the deck and play it immediately as your card for the hand.
• After playing, this card should be removed from the deck for the entirety of the game and not played again.