Shuffle-Mania!
That's right, it's Shuffle-mania time! What is shuffle-mania you
may ask? My response is that
it the best card game to come down the pike since solitaire or poker!
How did shuffle-mania
come to be? Over Summer 2000, I was stuck at home with my deck
of cards, so getting
bored of losing solitaire time after time, so, I started just
playing with the deck, shuffling it
time and time again, and as I looked through it, I
noticed some odd combinations of cards
next to each other. After a few minutes, I had a
preliminary idea for a game. Over the next
week I refined the rules and then created
different levels of difficulties. The instructions are below:
How to play Shuffle-Mania:
To start, you need a standard 52 card deck {if you want to include jokers,
adding another
element
to the game, the instructions will be in these brackets}
Before you can play, there is a certain shuffle you need to do. Start by
shuffling the cards
face down twice, then face up twice, then face down once more.
Then look through the cards and see what you can remove (see below). You can
look
left-to-right or right-to-left, it doesn't matter.
If you are able to remove anything from your hand, you then get to move on to
the next step.
Otherwise, you have to stop and count your cards.
Once you have gone through your hand once and only once you cut the deck
and shuffle
(face
down) once and only once.
You continue shuffling and removing cards until you fail to do so. Count your
cards. To win
(in solitaire
mode) you need to have fewer than 10 cards in your hand. This is easier
then it might
sound. See below for Double-Shuffle-Mania.
Double-Shuffle-Mania
In basic Double-Shuffle-Mania, it's a two player game. Two 52
card decks.
Same rules as above, except the person with the fewest cards in their hand
after each goes
through once
and can't find any combinations that can be removed, is
the winner.
How to take cards out:
One of these (anomalies as I call them) can be removed. In the
examples:
(c) - clubs
(s) - spades
(d) - diamonds
(h) - hearts
I will start with the rules for the hardest, what anomalies can
be removed, and then add
more as it
gets easier and easier.
Before I start, I would like to discuss double anomalies. These
are anomalies that combine.
One example
is: 9(c)-9(d)-8(d). Now the two nines (as you will soon find out are an
anomaly) and
the 9-8 is also one. The three cards can be removed at the same time
Hard:
The anomalies that can be removed are the:
Two-of-a-kind:
Two (or more) cards of the same rank next to each other: 9(c)-9(d)
{if you're playing with jokers, this is the only way to have them removed}
The run:
Two (or more) cards that form a run in the same suit.: 4(d)-5(d)
Note: The A
can goes with the King AND the 2: K(h)-A(h)-2(h) is an anomaly.
Once thing you can't do! No inner-outer anomalies!
As you go through, if you get a 3(d)-7(c)-7(h)-4(d); the two 7s may be removed.
This will
put the 3-4
together. But you can't remove them this turn!
That's it for hard (the only way I play) It's may sound
impossible, but I win 50% of the time.
Good luck!
Medium:
(anomalies removable here include those from hard!)
The double sandwich anomaly.
Two anomalies, but in a sandwich: 10(d)-2(h)-J(d)-2(c) the 10-J are an anomaly
so is 2-2.
It can
all come out at once.
Inner-outers are allowed here.
{If you're playing with Jokers, you can remove them in any
fashion above, or if they follow
an anomaly
9(c)-9(d)-Joker can be removed.}
Easy: (so easy, your friends will laugh at you if you
lose)
(Includes all above)
{Jokers are wild - they are whatever card you want}
Any sandwich is allowed: Q(c)-5(d)-Q(h)
Runs are not suit specific: 2(d)-3(c)
That's all the rules and variations.
My best is 4 cards - on hard of course, and one card on easy. - Adam
09/03/2000