Looking for a specific Hi Lo Flip rule? | Setup | Playing the Game | Flipping the Hi-Lo Chip | Reset Play | Special Cards | End of Round and Scoring | Winning the Game | FAQ | Components |
Objective
The objective of Hi Lo Flip is to be the first player to score 75 points by winning discard piles.
Setup
- Grab a piece of paper and something to write with so you can keep track of score throughout the game.
- Shuffle all of the cards. Deal seven cards face-down to each player.
- Place the remaining cards face-down on the table to form a draw pile.
- Toss the Hi-Lo chip into the air. Place it next to the draw pile on the side it landed on.
- If the chip landed on the “Hi” side, the oldest player starts the game. If it lands on the “Lo” side, the youngest player starts the game. Play moves clockwise throughout the game.
How to Play Hi Lo Flip
To begin each of your turns you will look at the Hi-Lo chip as well as the top card on the discard pile. The side of the Hi-Lo chip that is face-up determines what cards you can play on your turn.
The first player to start a round can play any card to start the discard pile.
If the Hi side is face-up, you can only play a card that is higher than the number of the top card on the discard pile.
If the Lo side is face-up, you can only play a card that is lower than the number of the top card on the discard pile.
Should you have a card that you can play, you must play it. Your turn then ends. Play passes to the next player in a clockwise direction.
Flipping the Hi-Lo Chip
If you do not have a card in your hand that you can play, you will flip the Hi-Lo chip into the air. The side that lands face up determines what you will do next.
Should the opposite side of the chip land face-up, you will pick a card from your hand to play. Your turn then ends.
Drawing a Card
If the chip lands on the same side that it was on before, you will draw the top card from the draw pile. Look at this new card and see if you can play it based on the top card on the discard pile and the side that is face-up on the Hi-Lo chip. If you can play it, you must play it. Your turn then ends.
Should the draw pile ever run out of cards, keep the top card from the discard pile on the table. The rest of the cards are shuffled to create a new discard pile.
Should you still not be able to play a card, you will be forced to make a “reset” play.
Reset Play
When you are unable to play a card on your turn, you must make a reset play.
The last player to play a card to the discard pile, takes all of the cards from the pile. They will place the cards face-down in a pile in front of themselves. These cards will score them points at the end of the round.
You (the current player) then chooses any card you want from your hand to play to restart the discard pile.
Special Cards in Hi Lo Flip
There are a few special cards in Hi Lo Flip. When you play one of these cards, you get to take a special action.
Cards Ending in 1
Whenever you play a card that ends in a one, you force the next player in turn order to draw one card and add it to their hand. They also lose their next turn.
After the player is skipped, the next player in turn order takes their turn. If this next player is unable to play a card and has to make a reset play, the player who played the card ending in a one gets to take all of the cards from the discard pile.
Should you play a card ending in one in a two player game, you will immediately take a second turn. If you are unable to play a second card though, you are forced to make a reset play. The other player gets to take all of the cards from the discard pile.
Cards Ending in 2
When you play a card that ends in two, you must immediately play a second card. The one exception to this is if you have no other cards left in your hand.
Should you be unable to play the second required card, you will make a reset play. The last player to play a card before you played your first card, gets to take all of the cards from the discard pile.
If you play another card ending in a two, you will be forced to play another card on your turn. If this forces you to have to make a reset play, the previous player to play a card gets to take the discard pile.
Cards Ending in 0
These cards have no special effect when you play them. Instead they are worth ten points each when scoring at the end of a round.
Ending a Round and Scoring
A round ends when one of the players play the last card from their hand. The player that plays their last card takes all of the cards in the discard pile. They also receive ten bonus points. The rest of the players discard the cards remaining in their hands. No one scores points for these cards.
Each player then determines the amount of points they score from the cards they collected during the round. Each card ending in a zero is worth ten points. Every other card is worth one point.
Write down the score for each player. If no one has reached a total of 75 points, you will play another round.
To start the next round you will collect all of the cards and shuffle them together. Each player gets a new hand of seven cards. The Hi-Lo chip remains on the same side. Whichever player has the least total points, starts the next round. If there is a tie for the lowest total, you will reference the Hi-Lo chip to determine if the oldest or youngest player gets to start the next round.
Winning the Game
The game ends after a round when one or more of the players cross 75 total points. The players will compare their scores. The player that scores the most points wins the game.
Hi Lo Flip FAQ
If you have any questions about how to play the game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.
Components
- 100 cards (1-100)
- Hi-Lo chip
- Instructions
Year: 2020 | Publisher: Gamewright | Designer: Garret J. Donner, Michael S. Steer
Genres: Card, Family
Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 2-6 | Length of Game: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light | Luck: Moderate
For more board and card game rules/how to plays, check out our complete alphabetical list of card and board game rules posts.