GeoPower Toss:  2 to 6 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 the time zones, and state rankings (from 1^st to 50^th) in size, statehood, and population, of the GeoPlunge cards you play. 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. 

Play one round at a time until someone wins the game. Each round the players select 1 GeoPower card.  That card decides which ranking is important for that round.  Try to make sure the GeoPower card selected puts you in a great position to win the round.  For example, if you’re dealt GeoPlunge cards that are many of the biggest states in size, you want the GeoPower card chosen to say “Size”.  Each GeoPower card says either Size, Statehood or Population.

You can play individually or with teams. Use the GeoPlunge and GeoPower cards, and shuffle both decks after every round. 

Getting Started

To start each round, deal each player 8 GeoPlunge cards, even if you’re playing with teams. 

The dealer then deals face-up on the table 1 more GeoPower card than there are players.  The dealer then removes 1 of the GeoPower cards laid face-up.  From there, each other player in clockwise order around the table removes 1 of the remaining GeoPower cards.  The 1 GeoPower card left face-up, after everyone gets rid of a GeoPower card, is called the “GeoPower Card” for that round.

How to Play

·        Once the GeoPower Card for a round is selected, play 8 “tricks” during the round, one at a time. On each trick, every player plays 1 of his or her GeoPlunge cards.

·        To begin a trick, one player plays a GeoPlunge card first (this is called “leading” on the trick). From there, play proceeds in clockwise order around the table until each player has played one GeoPlunge card face-up. At that point, the trick is over.  You’re now ready to begin the next trick.  This continues until all the tricks are played.

·        The dealer leads on the first trick played during a round.  For the rest of the round, the player who wins a trick will lead a card to start the next trick.

·        If you’re leading on a trick, you may play any card you have.  If another player leads, you must play a card that is in the same “Zone” as the card led (but if you don’t have any such cards, you can play any card you have).  Two cards are in the same Zone if they have the same color-coded border near the top of the cards.

Who Wins the Tricks

o       The GeoPower Card for a round determines which ranking is important.  So if the GeoPower Card says Size, the cards played on each trick in that round are ranked based on Size.

o       To win a trick, you must play the best ranked card played on that trick that is in the same “Zone” as the card led.   Therefore, if you lead on a trick, you win it only if no one plays a better ranked card in the same Zone as the card led.

o       Whenever you win a trick, put the cards played during that trick face-down in a separate pile next to you.

 Keeping Score

The player or team that wins the most tricks during a round wins 10 points.  If that player or team announces before the 5^th trick is played that they wish to GeoPlunge, they receive 15 bonus points if they win at least 6 tricks.  However, if they try to GeoPlunge and do not win at least 6 tricks, they win no points for the round.  If two or more players or teams tie for most tricks won during a round, they each get 5 points.

With teams, add up the tricks won by each teammate to determine how many tricks the team won during that round.