How to Play Pig

Objective

Be the first to collect four cards of the same rank, or at least make sure you are not the last to spot it when someone else does. Pig rewards quick hands and sharp eyes more than card skill, which is why it works so well for mixed ages and big groups.

Setup

Count out one set of four matching cards for each player. With six players, for example, you might use the aces through sixes (24 cards). Put the rest of the deck away.

Shuffle the cards you are using and deal four to each player, one at a time. Everyone looks at their hand but keeps it hidden.

How to play

When the dealer says go, every player chooses one card they do not want and passes it face down to the player on their left. Then everyone picks up the card passed from the right. You always hold four cards.

Keep passing as quickly as you can. There are no turns; the whole table passes together, and the pace should feel a little too fast.

As soon as you hold four of a kind, stop passing and put a finger on your nose. Do it quietly. The less fuss you make, the longer it takes the others to notice.

When you see anyone touching their nose, stop and touch yours right away. The last player to touch their nose is the Pig.

1. 1Choose a card you do not need
2. 2Pass it face down to the left
3. 3Pick up the card passed from your right
4. 4Four of a kind? Stop and touch your nose
5. 5Everyone copies; the last one to do it is the Pig

Winning

In a single round, there is no winner as such, only a loser: the Pig. Most groups play a longer game by giving the Pig a letter each round, first P, then I, then G.

The first player to spell P-I-G loses the game. Some groups prefer an elimination game instead: a player who spells P-I-G drops out, one set of four comes out of the pack, and play continues until only one player is left.

Variations

Donkey: the same game with a longer penalty word, D-O-N-K-E-Y, for a longer session.

Spoons: put spoons in the middle of the table, one fewer than the number of players. The player with four of a kind grabs a spoon, everyone else scrambles for the rest, and whoever is left without one takes a letter.

Called passing: for young children, the dealer calls “pass” each time, so everyone passes together at a steady pace.

Other signals: some groups play with a different silent signal, like putting a thumb on the table or sticking out a tongue.

Tips from the table

Decide early which rank you are collecting. If you start with a pair, keep it and pass everything else.

Do not get so caught up in your own hand that you stop watching the table. More rounds are lost by slow noses than by bad cards.

Touch your nose slowly and calmly. A big gesture gives the game away; a small one can leave half the table passing cards after you have finished.

Watch the cards you pass. If you keep passing kings, the player on your left may be close to four of them.

Frequently asked