Skip-Bo Rules | Official Game Rules (2024)

Contents

144 numbered cards and 18 SKIP-BO cards. 162 cards total.

Beginning Play

Shuffle the deck. Each player draws a card. The person with the highest card is the dealer. The dealer deals 30 cards to each player if there are two to four players. In five to six player games, each player is dealt 20 cards.

These cards are dealt face down and form each player’s Stock pile. Once all Stock piles have been dealt, each player flips the top card of their Stock pile right side up and places it on top of the pile. The remaining cards not dealt are placed face down on the table to form the draw pile.

Playing Area: Each player is going to need room for four Discard piles near their Stock pile. You will also need room for four Building piles in the center of the table near the draw pile. These piles are formed as the game progresses—so make sure you leave space for them.

Stock Pile

The top card is always face up. Each player has a Stock pile.

Draw Pile

This is the pile in the center of the playing area created with all cards remaining after Stock piles are dealt.

Building Piles: Building piles are where players build the 1-12 sequences and can only be started with a 1 or a SKIP-BO (SKIP-BO cards are wild, so it would represent a 1 if used to start a sequence). Once a pile has the complete 1-12 sequence, remove it from the playing area and start a new building pile.

Discard Pile

Each player may form sequences an any of their four discard piles. There is no limit to the number of cards in the pile, nor is there a restriction on the order. The top card of your discard piles is available for forming sequences (can be played).

Playing Skip-Bo

Play begins to the left of the dealer. Draw five cards at the beginning of your first turn (and back up to five on subsequent turns). You can use a Skip-Bo (wild card) or a 1 to begin one of the four building piles in the center of the playing area. You may continue to play cards from your hand onto the building area (1-12 in sequence only).

If you play all five cards in this manner, draw back up to five (this process can repeat if needed). You may also play the top card from your Stock pile onto a building piles, and can continue to play from the Stock pile as long as the play is legal. Remember, you win by running out of your Stock pile, so play from there when you can. Your turn ends when you can’t or refuse to make a play. Discard one card from your hand onto one of your four discard piles. You may play the top card of any of your discard piles on any turn after the first. Play continues clockwise.

Winning the Game: Choose a point total to play to (500 is recommended to start). The winner of each round scores 25 points for winning the round and five additional points per card remaining in each other player Stock pile.

Team Skip-Bo

You can play with partners. In team situations, you can legally play from your Stock and Discard piles as well as your partners. One catch—your partner can’t talk during your turn, and you can’t talk during theirs. Instead, you have to give verbal commands for any necessary actions involving their cards. If the other players catch you breaking this rule, you must take two cards from the draw pile(without looking at them) and place them on your stock pile. The round ends when all of the players on a team reach the end of their stock pile.

Special Rules

If you draw too many cards, shuffle the extra cards into your Stock pile.

If a player draws and plays out of turn and they are caught, undo any action and play continues as normal until it reaches that players turn. On their actual turn, a penalty is enforced—they must make their play without drawing from the draw pile. If no one notices that the player played out of turn, the play is legal and no penalty in enforced.

In team play, anyone on the team can continue to play from the remaining Discard and Building piles, even if a Stock pile has been depleted.

Skip-Bo Rules | Official Game Rules (2024)

FAQs

What are the rules for Skip-Bo? ›

Take turns drawing and playing cards until someone's stockpile runs out. At the start of every turn, draw from the draw pile until you have 5 cards. Then, play cards from your hand, the top of your stockpile, or your discard pile. Once someone's stock pile has run out, the game ends, and they're the winner!

How do you play original Skip-Bo? ›

MY FIRST SKIP-BO IN A NUTSHELL Each player is dealt a "Stockpile" of 10 to 15 cards (depending on the number of players). The aim of the game is to get rid of these cards by creating Building Piles of cards in numerical sequence from 1 through 10.

Do you discard after every turn in Skip-Bo? ›

You may then continue by playing another card from your STOCK pile onto a BUILDING pile. If you play all 5 cards, draw 5 more and continue playing. If you can't make a play or just don't want to, end your turn by discarding one of the cards from your hand onto one of your four DISCARD piles.

Can you play two Skip-Bo cards in a row? ›

A SKIP-BO card may be played brown town on top of a numbered card, or as the 1 card to start a new build pile, but you can't play 2 in a row and you always have to cover it up with a number card, so you can't use it as a 12 card. You may also discard SKIP-BO's into your discard piles.

Do you always have 5 cards in your hand in Skip-Bo? ›

Each player is dealt 30 cards (recommended 10-15 for faster play) for their pile with only the top card visible, and a hand of five cards, and the remaining cards are placed face down to create a common draw pile.

Can you stack in Skip-Bo? ›

Game play remains the same: players create sequential stacks with their cards. The Skip-Bo wild cards break up static situations and may be played strategically as any number. For added fun, players can team up as partners. The first player or team to use all the cards in their stack wins!

What is the blank card in Skip-Bo? ›

The blank cards are there so you can get creative and make your own encounters, etc. So unless you've done that, they're removed from the game.

What is the dice for in Skip-Bo? ›

Roll the dice and place them on the gameboard to score the most points. Place the gameboard in the center of the play area. Note that the gameboard has 12 spaces numbered 1 thru 12. The dice correspond to these spaces in color and number.

How to win at Skip-Bo every time? ›

Here are some winning strategies for Skip-Bo:
  1. Make an order in your discard pile. ...
  2. Clean out discard piles if you can. ...
  3. Make use of the cards in your hand. ...
  4. Skip-Bo cards are assets. ...
  5. Place the same cards together on the discard pile. ...
  6. Practice! ...
  7. Practice with a Skip-Bo app.

Do you discard after end step? ›

When Do You Have to Discard Cards in the End Step? You must discard cards (if you have more than the maximum hand size) during your cleanup step, not your end step. Unless there's an effect in play that forces you to, you don't need to discard anything during your end step!

Can you use a Skip-Bo card as a one? ›

Building Piles: Building piles are where players build the 1-12 sequences and can only be started with a 1 or a SKIP-BO (SKIP-BO cards are wild, so it would represent a 1 if used to start a sequence). Once a pile has the complete 1-12 sequence, remove it from the playing area and start a new building pile.

Can you stack skip cards? ›

If multiple Skips are stacked, the number of players skipped corresponds to the number of skip cards (3 skip cards = skip three players). If multiple Draw 4 cards are stacked, the next player must draw the combined sum and forfeit his/her turn UNLESS the player has a Draw 4 to play.

Can you play a skip on a skip? ›

If this card is turned up at the beginning of play, the dealer goes first, then play moves to the right instead of the left. Skip Card – When you play this card, the next player is “skipped” (loses their turn). This card may only be played on a matching color or on another Skip card.

How to keep points in phase 10? ›

Players count up the total value of cards left in their hands (the fewer cards left in their hand, the better) and score them as follows; five points(5) for each card with value 1-9. ten points(10) for each card with value 10-12. fifteen points(15) for a Skip.

References

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