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FLINCH ©1963 BY PARKER BROTHERS INC.
Rules for playing Parker Brothers
numerical card game
For 2 to 8 players
1. OBJECT: The object of the game is to be the first player to
dispose of the cards dealt to him as a "game pile" by
playing them in proper sequence to the center of the table.
2. EQUIPMENT: The equipment consists of a deck of 150 cards made
up of ten series, each numbered from 1 through 15, and a plastic
card holder.
3. PLAYERS: Any
number from 2 to 8 may play. When more than 4 play, players find
the game more enjoyable if 2 decks of cards are used.
4. THE LAYOUT: Cards
in play are laid out in several different piles. These are shown
in Example A and are referred to in the
rules as follows:
a) THE GAME PILES. These consist of the
first 10 cards dealt face down to each of the players. Each player
places his cards in a pile directly in front of him and turns
the top card of the pile face up.
b) THE HANDS are
the next five cards dealt to each player. Each player picks up
his hand so that he can see the cards but does not expose them
to other players.
c) THE STACK is made up of all the cards remaining after the Game
Piles and the Hands have been dealt. These are divided into groups
of five cards each without being exposed and are placed in the
holder in crisscross fashion so that each group lies crosswise
on top of the group immediately beneath it.
d) THE RESERVE PILES are formed after play has started. Whenever
a player passes or completes his play he must place one card in
front of his Game Pile. He places these cards alongside each other
until he has started 5 piles. From then on he may play on top
of any of the five piles that he chooses. If, during the course
of the play, he exhausts one or more of these piles, he must start
them again before he can play on top of any of his remaining Reserve
Piles.
5. THE DEAL: Select a player to deal. Shuffle the entire deck
thoroughly and deal the cards as described above. The Game Piles,
the Hands, and the Stack.
6. THE PLAY: The player to the left of the dealer plays first.
If he has a 1 card exposed on his Game Pile he plays it to the
center of the table and turns up the next card. If that should
also be a 1 card he must play it in the center of the table alongside
the first card. When the card exposed on his Game Pile is not
a 1, he looks in his hand and plays in a similar manner any 1
cards that he may be holding. If he has been able to play a 1
card and holds in his hand, or has exposed on his Game Pile a
2 card, he may play it on top of any 1 card that has already been
played. He may continue to play as long as he can build up in
sequence on top of the cards that have been played. All 1 cards
must be played, but other cards may be held
or played as desired.
If during his turn the player exhausts his hand he draws a new
hand of five cards from the Stack and continues to play. When
he cannot make or does not wish to make any further plays, he
selects a card from his hand and places it on the table face up
to start a Reserve Pile.
The player to his left plays in a similar manner, and other players
follow in turn.
If, as frequently happens on the first turn, the first player
cannot play, he simply passes and does not play a card to his
Reserve Pile.
If, as occasionally happens, no player has a 1 card to start the
game, each player lays down all five cards from his hand to start
his five Reserve Piles, and each in turn draws a new hand from
the stack. If there is still no player able to play a 1 card,
players again place their entire hands in their Reserve Piles,
but since all five piles have now been started, they may distribute
them as they wish. All five cards may go on one pile if a player
thinks it is to his advantage to do so. After the first 1 card
has been played each player must end his turn by playing a card
from his hand to one of his Reserve Piles.
7. THE RESERVE: Once a Reserve Pile has been established, a player
may play from it to the center of the table if he has the proper
card on top. He may do so at any time during his turn after he
has played all of his 1 cards. 1 cards may never be played to
a Reserve Pile.
A player is not required to play from his Reserve Pile, but should
do so if it will help him to play from his Game Pile, or hinder
his opponents from doing so.
Card Layout Positions A: B: C: D: GAME PILES of ten cards with
top card always face up, all others face down. E: THE STACK bundles
of five cards each placed criss­cross, face down. F: THE PLAYING
PILES each built up card 1 to 15 in numerical sequence. G: RESERVE
PILES started by each player, face up no more than 5 for each
player.

1. A plays a 1 card to Center from his Hand.
2. Since A has no 2 card, he plays an 8 card from his Hand to
his Reserve.
3. B is unable to play to Center, hence plays the 7 card from
his Hand to his Reserve.
4. C next plays 2 to Center from his Game Pile on top of 1 card
previously played by A.
5. C, not having a 3, plays the 10 card from his Hand to his Reserve.
6. D then plays 1 card to Center from his Hand, starting another
Playing Pile.
7. D thereafter plays a 3 card to Center from his Hand, on top
of 2 card played by player C. Next D plays his 15 card from his
Hand to his Reserve.
So. A player may not look underneath the top card of any Reserve
Pile but should try to remember what is there. It is usually wise
to try to build Reserve Piles in reverse sequence for ease in
remembering and in order to make possible the play of more cards
on a single turn.
When a Reserve Pile is exhausted it must be restarted by placing
the next discard in the open space to bring the number of Reserve
Piles back to 5 as quickly as possible. Cards, once played, cannot
be moved from one Reserve Pile to another. Reserve Piles may be
exhausted and re­established several times during the course
of a game.
The Playing Piles go to 15 and are then removed from the table.
When several Piles have been removed and all the cards have been
used from the Stack, and the game is not finished the removed
cards are shuffled and dealt out again to continue the game.
8. CHALLENGING: On each turn players must play first from the
Game Pile if possible. If they fail to do so, any opponent may
call "Challenge." Any player so challenged must discontinue
playing immediately, draw a card from the Game Pile of the opponent
who challenged, and place it at the bottom of his own Game Pile.
A player may also challenge an opponent if he believes he is holding
a 1 card in his hand after it should have been played. If he is
correct the player challenged is penalized as above, if not the
challenger draws the penalty. A player successfully challenged
ends his turn and does not discard to his Reserve Piles on that
turn. If hvo players challenge at the same time, the caller nearest
to the left of the challenged player receives the credit.
9. TO WIN: The player who first succeeds in playing all of the
cards from his Game Pile wins.
10. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Once a card is exposed from a player's hand,
it must be played. If it cannot be played, it must be taken back
into the hand. That player's turn ends, and he does not discard
to the Reserve Pile. If a player exposes a card when it is not
his turn, he must play that card on his next turn. If he cannot,
he must pass that turn.
If the game should be blocked, the Stack exhausted and no players
able to play except one who refuses to play, the player holding
the releasing card must play it. If there is more than one player
holding releasing cards, the first player with a releasing card,
beginning with the player on the dealer's left, must play it.
11. VARIATIONS: An interesting variation is to start the Table
Piles with both the 1's and 15's, building up on the 1's and down
on the 15's.
Another variation is to start with 8's, building
both up and down. The 9,10, etc. are built across one end of each
8, and 7, 6, etc. across the other. All other rules apply in both
of these variations.
12. PARTNERSHIP GAME: The same rules apply, except that a player
in a Partnership Game may play from his partner's Game Pile and
Reserve Piles. If he has an opportunity to play from both his
own and his partner's Game Pile at the same time, he must play
from his own first. Otherwise, he plays from his partner's Game
Pile exactly as he would from his own. After one Game Pile is
exhausted, both partners continue playing from the remaining Pile
until it is exhausted, after which the game ends.
A player may be challenged for neglecting to play from his own
or his partner's Game Pile, for giving his partner information
as the best way to play, for looking at a card underneath in the
Reserve or Game Piles, for playing out of turn, or for failing
to play 1 cards.
Rules For Other Games
MUGGINS
(For 2 or more players)OBJECT: The object of this game
is to be the first player to play all the cards from his hand
and his stock pile to the table.
PREPARATION: Select one player to be dealer. He shuffles the entire
deck and deals one card at a time to each player until all the
cards are dealt. Each player holds his cards face down in his
hand without looking at them.
THE PLAY: The player to the left of the dealer begins. He draws
the bottom card from his hand and shows it to all the players.
If it is a 1 he plays it to the center of the table to start the
first table pile. (Any time that a player draws a 1 he starts
a new table pile.) He then turns up the next card from the bottom
of his hand. If it is a 2 he plays it on the 1 and so on until
he draws a card from the bottom of his hand which is not in sequence
to the top card on a table pile or is not a 1. When this happens
he places the card face up in front of him to form his own stock
pile and his turn ends.
The second player draws the bottom card from his hand. If it is
the next card in sequence to the top card on any table pile he
plays it on top of that card or if it is a 1 he starts a new table
pile. If he draws a card other than a 1 which cannot be played
on a table pile, he may play it on the first player's stock pile
if it is the next card in sequence either up or down to
the card on the first player's stock pile. When the second player
draws a card from the bottom of his hand which cannot be played
to the center of the table or on the first player's stock pile,
he places it in front of himself face up to form his own stock
pile and his turn ends. Play passes to the next player.
Once a player has started a stock pile he
must always play from it in preference to playing from his hand.
A player may only play from his hand when he is unable to play
from the top of his stock pile. On each turn a player continues
to draw cards one at a time from the top of his stock pile or
from the bottom of his hand as long as he can play them in sequence
on any of the center piles or in sequence either up or
down on his opponents' stock piles. Whenever he draws a card from
his hand or stock pile he must play it on one of the table piles
in preference to playing it on an opponent's stock pile. However,
a player continues to play on each turn as long as he can to the
table piles and to his opponents' stock piles. When he draws a
card from his hand that cannot be played, he places it on top
of his own stock pile and his turn ends. Whenever possible, a
player must play from the top of his stock pile but when the top
card in his stock pile cannot be played, he draws from the bottom
of his hand.
Should a player deviate from the above, or should he have an opportunity
to play and does not do so, his opponent calls "Muggins"
and he is obliged to take a card from the top of the Hand of the
player who calls "Muggins" and place it on his own Stock
Pile. If a card is wrongly played, he takes back that card. This
will end his play until his turn comes again .
When a player's Hand is exhausted, he turns the cards in the Stock
Pile face down and plays them through again as a hand, continuing
until some player exhausts both his hand and stock pile, and thus
wins the game.
AUTHORS
(For any number of players)
OBJECT: The object of the game is to secure "books"
consisting of four cards of the same number.
PREPARATION: Select one player to be dealer. He removes four series
of cards from 1 to 15 from the deck and shuffles them. He deals
ali 60 cards one at a time to each player even though some players
may end up with one more card than the others. Players arrange
the cards in their hands so that any cards with the same number
are together.
THE PLAY: The player to the left of the dealer goes first. He
asks any other player for one card in any series such as a 5,
but he may ask for a card only if he has in his hand one with
the same number. If the other player has the card, he must give
it to the player who asks for it. He may continue to ask for cards
one at a time from any player as long as he succeeds in getting
what he asks for. When he fails to get the card asked for, his
turn ends and play passes to the left.
Whenever a player gets four cards in his hand of the same series
such as four 5's, he has a "book" and he lays these
cards on the table. Play continues until all the books have been
made. The player with the most books wins the game.
PATIENCE (For
1 player)
Use four series of cards from 1 to 15. Shuffle
them and lay down 4 cards in a row face up. If there are any 1's
place them in a separate row well above the first row. Using the
remainder of the pack, turn up one card at a time and build up
on the 1's and down on the other piles. If a card cannot be played
in either row, place it face up and begin a stock pile. Play from
the stock pile whenever possible. Likewise, play from the piles
in the lower row to the piles in the upper row whenever possible.
You may move one of the piles in the lower row onto another pile
in the lower row if the sequence is right. When this is done,
take the next card from the pack and start a new pile. Play only
from the top of the stock pile and go through the pack only once.
If you get all the cards onto the 1 piles you win. A player should
be able to win once in seven times.
For Children
GO TO THE STORE (For
2, 3 or 4 players)
Use four series of cards 1 to 15.
Deal six cards to each player and place the remaining cards in
the middle of the table face down. This is the STORE.
The first player at the dealer's left says to any player he chooses,
"Give me all of your fives," or ones, or any other number
he chooses, but he must hold at least one of the numbers asked
for in his own hand. If the player asked has any cards of the
number asked for he hands them over and the same player asks again
and continues to ask until some player he asks fails to have any
of the cards asked for and replies, "Go to Store." When
the player asking draws a card off the top of the store, it is
the next player's turn to ask.
The object of the game is to secure books of four cards all with
the same number. As these are completed they are laid aside. When
the Store is exhausted and the books all assembled the one having
the greatest number of books wins.
We will be glad to answer inquiries concerning these rules. Address:
Parker Brothers, Salem, Massachusetts 01970.
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