Top Hand is an energetic card-swapping game for four to eight older students. Everyone interacts at the same time while trying to build the strongest poker-style hand.
Remove Jump, Pick Up and Change Direction cards, then deal five cards to every player. Students move around the room and negotiate card swaps. Before two players can exchange cards, they must ask and answer the questions printed on the cards they intend to swap. Players may not directly request a particular card.
When time is called, everyone reveals their hand. Change Color cards are wild.
Scoring
- One pair: 1 point
- Two pairs: 2 points
- Three of a kind: 3 points
- Straight: 4 points
- Flush: 5 points
- Full house: 6 points
- Four of a kind: 7 points
- Straight flush: 8 points
- Five of a kind: 10 points
Play several short rounds and add the scores together. The player with the highest cumulative score wins.
Explain the possible hands before beginning, and consider displaying the scoring list where everyone can see it. This game is lively and rule-heavy, so it is best with confident groups that can move safely and work independently.