Sticks Card Game Rules

Sticks is a fun card game that anyone can play. Sticks is played similar to the popular classic card game Rummy, but Sticks has its own unique spin on game play. All you need to play the card game Sticks is a few things from around your home and the instructions.

Gather and prepare a few items. You need four identical decks of cards with the jokers, 43 Popsicle sticks, a container and a marker. Prepare the Popsicle sticks for game play by writing card combinations on them. The combinations are made up of runs and sets. Runs are three cards in sequential order or matched value. Sets are three cards of equal value. Here are the 43 combinations for the game:

Have players choose a stick from the container without looking. Each player places the stick in front of him, facing down. Each player is dealt 15 cards. The rest of the cards go face-down in the middle to make a "Draw" deck. The top card on the face-down deck is flipped face-up and placed next to the face-down cards to form a "Discard" pile..The goal is to get the cards on your stick. So, when you get your cards, place any cards that you need to complete your stick face-up in front of you. On each player's turn, she can choose one card from the top of the "Draw" deck or the top card from the "Discard" deck. You can only have 15 cards at a time.

There are four possible ways that a round can end. A player can discard her last card onto to the "Discard" pile; he can use his last card to add to one of his sets or runs that is in front of him; he can use the card to add to a set or run in front of another player; or all of the players have their stick turned face-up. You don't have to discard your last card until everyone has a stick turned over. The goal is to turn your stick over first.

At the end of each round, any player with a stick turned over gets to choose a new stick. Any player who hasn't turned over his stick gets to try the same stick again. If the player cannot turn the stick over in three turns; she gets to return it to the container and pick a new stick. Anyone else who has turned over his stick can also choose a new stick at this time. At the beginning of each new round, the cards are shuffled and each player gets a new hand of 15 cards.

Turn over seven sticks in order to win. Unlike in round play, you don't have to get rid of all of your cards. You just have to complete the combination on your seventh stick.