GeoPlunge 51 (2 To 7 Players)

What You Should Know Before You Play

The object of the game is to try to get the cards you play, in combination with the cards played by your opponents, to equal 51.  To do this you add the state rankings (from 1^st to 50^th) in either size, statehood or population of the cards you play with those played by your opponents, in the manner described below. All you need is some good cards, and the ability to add small numbers, to do well.

You can play individually or with teams.  Play one round at a time until a player or team gets 50 points.  Use only the GeoPlunge cards, and shuffle the deck after each round. 

How to Play

¨         To start each round, deal each player 7 cards, even if you’re playing with teams.

¨         The dealer plays a card-face up first to begin the round.  For the rest of the round each player, one at a time in clockwise order around the table, plays a card each, until all of the players have played all of their cards.

¨         Before you play a card, you announce one of that card’s three rankings (size, statehood or population).  For example, if you plays California, you may say either “1” which is its population ranking, “3” which is its size ranking, or “31” which is its statehood ranking.

The “Count”

The “count” is the sum of the rankings chosen by the players from the cards they play.  For example, if there are 3 players and the dealer plays New York to begin the round and chooses it’s population ranking of ”3”, the count is then equal to 3.  If the next player plays Maryland and chooses its statehood ranking of “7”, the count is then at 10 (i.e., 3 plus 7).  If the third player then plays Washington and chooses its size ranking of 20, the count is then at 30 (i.e., 3 plus 7 plus 20).   If the dealer then plays Montana and chooses its size ranking of 4, the count is then at 34 (3 plus 7 plus 20 plus 4).

A player is not permitted to play a card that makes the count exceed 51.

At the beginning of the game, and before the start of each round, the “count” begins at 0.  Also, whenever points are awarded to a player, the “count” starts over at 0.

Keeping Score

A player receives 10 points if he or she plays a card that makes the count equal 51. 

A player receives 5 points if he or she plays a card so that any card the next player would play (which is any card the next player has left) would make the count exceed 51.

With teams, add up the points won by each teammate to determine how many points the team has.