8 1/2 (2003)

About this game

A card game by Israel's prolific card game designer, Haim Shafir. In this one, you have cards numbered 0 - 9, with special cards 1/2 and Ghost. The game is simple: Put three cards in your hand, three face down on the table, three face up on top of those, the rest next to you. Play cards higher than the card in the pool from your hands and draw cards. If you can't play higher, you eat the pool. Some cards have special meanings: 1/2 is played on anything, 5 means next card has to be lower, zero resets, etc... When you are out of hand and deck cards, you play your face up cards, and then your face down cards, blindly.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 1.2/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.