GeoPower Choice:  2 To 10 Players

What You Should Know Before You Play

The object of the game is to be the first player or team to get 50 points, and your success depends upon state rankings (from 1^st to 50^th) in size, statehood, and population of the GeoPlunge cards you select from among the cards you’re dealt. The Alaska card has the best (i.e., 1^st) size ranking, Delaware has the best statehood ranking, and California has the best population ranking. 

Your success also depends upon a little luck as well.  Each round, a GeoPower card is played.   Each GeoPower card says either “Size”, “Statehood”, or “Population.”  The GeoPower card for a round determines which ranking is important for the GeoPlunge cards selected by the players.  But you won’t know which GeoPower card will be played on a round until you’ve already selected which GeoPlunge card to keep. You just have to hope that the GeoPower card you’re rooting for comes up.   

Play one round at a time until someone wins the game. You can play individually or with teams. Use the GeoPlunge and GeoPower cards, and shuffle both decks after every round.   

How to Play

n         To start each round, the dealer says either “Top Dog” or “Bottoms Up,” and then deals each player 3 GeoPlunge cards, even if you’re playing with teams. 

n         Each player then discards 2 GeoPlunge cards face-down.  The card you keep is your “selected card” for the round.

n         The dealer then turns face-up the top GeoPower card in the deck. That card determines which ranking is important for that round.  For example, if the GeoPower card played face-up says Size, the GeoPlunge cards selected by the players in that round are ranked based on size. 

Determining Who Wins Each Round

If the dealer says “Top Dog” before dealing the cards, you’ll win the round if you selected the best ranked card among the players (and you’ll come in second for the round if you selected the second best ranked card among the players). 

If the dealer says “Bottoms Up” before dealing the cards, you’ll win the round if you selected the worst ranked card among the players (and you’ll come in second for the round if you selected the second worst ranked card among the players).  For example, if the dealer says Bottoms Up” and then selects a GeoPower card that says Population, the players’ selected cards will be ranked based on population, with Wyoming being the best card because it has the worst population ranking (i.e., 50^th).

Keeping Score 

You get 10 points for winning a round (and 5 points for coming in second if there are at least 3 players). 

If you win a round in which the dealer said Top Dog, you get 10 bonus points if your winning card has a top 10 ranking in the category chosen.

If you win a round in which the dealer said Bottoms Up, you get 10 bonus points if your winning card has a bottom 10 ranking (i.e., between 41^st and 50^th) in the category chosen.

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