The card game Chase the Ace is also know by the names Pass the Ace, Cuckoo, and Ranter Go Round. (This game shouldn’t be confused with the popular fundraising lottery game Chase the Ace.) This Chase the Ace game is a fun, easy game with very light strategy and luck. It’s a fast group game that kids and adults will like.
Chase the Ace makes a great party game or an in-between game when having a card night where you might play games like Play or Pay, Hearts, and 3 to 13. It has a similar feel the Blind Poker but a very different strategy.
Let’s get into the rules, how to play and the variations for Chase the Ace.
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Setting Up Chase the Ace
First, you will need three tokens per player. These can be bingo chips, poker chips, candies or coins. Next, you will need a deck of cards with the jokers removed.
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You can play with any number of players, but the best number of players is five or more. It’s not very interesting to play with two players however, instead you might want to play a game like Garbage or Go Boom.
Last, you will need to choose a dealer. To do this, each player takes a card from the deck. The player with the lowest card is the dealer.
How to Play Chase the Ace
The object of the game is to avoid being the player with the lowest ranked card. Aces are low and kings are the highest.
To start, each player gets three tokens. Next, the dealer deals out one card to each player. Now, the player to the dealer’s left can choose to “stick” meaning that he will keep the card he was has or he can choose to “swap” his card with the player to his left. He can only swap with that player and that player must swap with him.
Swapping Cards
To swap a card, he will place his on the table and slide it over. The second player will do the same with her card, sliding it to the first player.
Now the first player is stuck with whatever card he swapped for and the second player can now choose to stick with the card that she was passed or swap it with the player on her left.
The only time a player can refuse a swap is when he has a king. When this happens, he must show that he has a king. The player who requested the swap is now stuck with her original card.
This process continues around until it reaches the dealer. She now has the choice of sticking with her card or swapping by taking the top card off the deck. If she chooses to swap and take the top card, she keeps what card she gets unless it is a king. The dealer is not allowed to accept a king from the deck and is then stuck with her original card.
Once all the players have had a chance to stick or swap then everyone flips over their card and shows what they have. The player with the lowest ranked card is the looser and must put one of his tokens I the middle.
The cards are then collected and placed either to the side or at the bottom of the deck. The deck is not shuffled and the dealer will deal out a new card to everyone and the process continues.
Out of Tokens
When a player is out of tokens, she is out of the game.
Ties
When two or more players end up with the same lowest ranked card, then they both lose and both have to put a token in the middle.
When a tie is had during the last, and deciding round of a game of Chance the Ace, then the cards are set aside and new ones are dealt.
Winning Chase the Ace
The player who is last in the game is the winner and wins all of the tokens in the middle.
Chase the Ace Variations
Some variations of the game have a new player picked for each round or have the dealer duty passed to the left after each round.
Other variations have that if the game ends in a tie, then both players win and spilt the tokens in the middle.
A Winning Game
Chase the Ace is a simple game but one that will keep you entertained and laughing with your fellow players. It’s great for groups—young and old alike.
Get the printable rules for Chase the Ace here. Other group games that you might be interested in are Blind Poker, Cheat, Spoons and Play or Pay.
And if you’re looking for even more fun, check out our card game section and our Family Game Shelf Shop.
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