by J. D. Stone

Created on: August 31, 2010   Last Updated: September 01, 2010

A truly versatile game, Nibs can be adapted to any number of people and is a great large party game. Action packed and a riot for the competitive, Nibs is best played with eight people, any more and it can get dangerous!

There are two variations of Nibs, based on the number of people playing. The latest victims affectionately call them round-table nibs and tournament nibs. Medieval jousting is not excluded!

Round-Table Nibs is the basic game and is comprised of up to eight players, eight decks of cards, and one very large playing surface. Round tables work best so as to avoid bruised and poked ribs, hence, the name! The game set up is as follows:

1. Each player receives his or her own uniquely patterned deck of cards (i.e.: red lattice, black lattice, Spiderman, Sponge Bob. No duplicate patterns on card backs. You’ll see why shortly.) Joker cards are removed.

2. Each player then proceeds to set out his or her deck in a traditional five card solitaire format. The solitaire layout is comprised of five piles or columns. After shuffling the deck:

a. The first card is placed face up in the first column position. Columns move from left to right.

b. Four more cards are placed face down in a row, next to the first card placed, as the first card in each of the other four columns.

c. After dealing the first row of cards the next card is placed face up on the second column, ignoring the first column.

d. The next three cards are placed face down as the second card on the third through fifth columns.

e. Layout continues in this manner. Ignore, face up, and face down to the last column.

3. After completing the five card solitaire layout the player then should count out the next eleven cards in the deck and place them, face down, at the end of his solitaire layout. This is the “nibs” pile.

The object of the game is to be the first to dispense of his or her “nibs” pile. To dispense of his “nibs” pile the player can play his cards on either the solitaire layout, played as traditional solitaire would be (red-black-red-black in descending numerical order), or any aces in the center of the table. The following rules apply:

1. Cards must be played by alternating colors (i.e.: a black six cannot be played on a black seven, a red six can).

2. Cards played in the center can be played in ascending order only (A, 2-K), until the king is reached at which point the pile is removed from the center.

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