FLIP 7 (2024)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	ARTIST	PUBLISHER
3-18	20 mins	Eric Olsen	O’Neil Mabile	The Op Games

METHOD

A simple card game that sees players pushing their luck by drawing cards numbered 0-12 to score the points displayed on them. Passing 200pts triggers the end game and whoever has the most points, wins.

The key here though is that you cannot have a duplicate numbered card in front of you or you’re bust. And more importantly, each numbered card has that many copies of itself within the pack. So, while 12 is the single highest scoring card, there are another eleven copies hidden away in the dealers hand.

Still want to draw another card?

POINTS OF INTEREST

FLIP 7 has fast become my go to game with non-gamers or for that opening game to a games day. The teach is super quick and the core concept is as simple as they come. It also has barely any ‘moving parts’ so it requires nothing more than good judgement and the courage to take just one more card.

Like 6 NIMMT!, you keep playing this game until an end game trigger amount of points is crossed. Here it is 200, and once someone crosses the line, it signals the final round. This can sometimes demand an extra ounce of bravery in the finale. I’ve had games of FLIP 7 where the person in the lead has calculated they are past 200 and decided to stick. This becomes a defiant challenge to the other players, specifically those in reach of victory; no room for caution now.

Because sometimes you’ll watch players go bust or be forced to stop, look down at a modest score for the round, and just be happy to walk away with something. Sometimes slow and steady can win this game. But in that end game phase, when you’ve got 25 points in front of you across six cards, and one more would get you the seven card bonus and secure victory, you know it’s down to fate now.

Can you be happy with second place, or is the chance of snatching victory too great to walk away from. It brings a fantastic tension to the end of a fun little card game.

Players greed isn’t the only thing that gets in their ways. While you can easily enjoy this game just being your own worst enemy, isn’t it more fun when you get to be the downfall of other players?

Welcome then, to the Instant Cards. These three beautiful creations are there to tip the balance. Three copies of each litter the deck, repeatedly emerging at the perfect moment to upset even the most steel nerved of players.

Second Chance is the card that you’ll most covet. It offers you a single lifeline; a chance to push a little harder and hope for the best, without any of those pesky side effects like going bust. Of course, you can only have one of these in front of you, so if you draw a second, get ready for the tough decision of who to hand that over to.

Freeze is great for reining in that player who’s managed a comfortable lead. They get to keep the points they’ve accumilated until that moment, but they won’t be getting anything else for the rest of the round. The down side this time is that, if you’re the last player in and you’re scrabbling for points, you have no choice but to put the icey brakes on yourself.

And finally, the king of chaos, the most feared card in the deck, Flip Three. Here, the targeted player is forced to draw three cards from the deck, massively increasing their chance to go bust. And like Freeze, it’s all yours if the other players are already out of the round. But it needn’t be a bad thing. There are rare moments when the Flip Three card becomes a momentous occasion for celebration, when those three cards are all fresh numbers or modifiers, and suddenly you’ve gone from middle of the pack to gaining 60+ points. All because someone thought it would be funny to watch you crash and burn. Jokes on them, right?

Did I mention modifier cards? Yes I did. Hidding in the deck are a few modifiers, ranging from +2 to +10. These give you a little extra without counting as another number. They also don’t count towards your seven card limit.

Seven cards? That’s right. If you manage seven different numbers, it ends the round immediately. Better still, it also gives you fifteen bonus points. This is a fantastic extra to the game and it’s one of the things that keeps players pushing just a little more. A player might simply stop at six cards, happy that their haul of points is enough to keep them in the game. But one more card can mean so much. It’s enticing.

All of this works together to bring a simple and chaotic card game to the table. It’s so moreish, so addictive. And like games of a similar ilk, it can swing a hundred different ways. A bad turn doesn’t mean the end of the game for you. Like 6 NIMMT!, your bad turn might be this round, but there’s enough randomess from Instant Cards and player motivation that every player’s bad turn is just around the corner. I’ve had zero points for the first three rounds and still managed to come out on top.

The only way to really guarantee a loss is to throw caution to the wind and take every card you’re offered. But even this strategy could lead to a win. Maybe.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

There’s not much wrong with this game. The box cover brags that it is “the greatest card game of all time” and while that’s a bold statment, I can’t think of many reasons why it’s not potentially true.

Sure, sometimes players have trouble reading the numbers correctly in the heat of battle (many a 9 has been mistaken for a 6) but this can only be fixed by the players attention.

The box itself is perhaps a little bigger than it needs to be, a common coklpaint I hear, but this has no affect on the gameplay, and it’s all part of selling the game via shelf visability.

The only thing that interferes with the open fairness of the game is that folks who can count cards will most likely do better. The deck isn’t shuffled between rounds (only being done when the 94 card deck runs out), so if you can keep track of the numbers that appeared in previous rounds, you’ll have better judgement on whether to push your luck. It’s not a game breaker, it just gives certain people an edge if that’s an ability they possess.

EXTRA CONTENT?

There are no expansions for the game at the time of writing this, and I can’t see how they would fit in. More importantly, it doesn’t need them. Extra cards would add unnecessary complications and start to jam up the smooth operation of the game. Perfect as is.

FOR 2-PLAYERS?

This one isn’t for 2-player. The minimum on the box is 3, and I’d say the higher you go, the better the game is.

– – CONCLUSION – – FLIP 7 is an instant classic. Its simple ruleset coupled with its basic mechanics make it easy to put in front of gamer and non-gamers alike. It’s light on tactics while being heavy on chaos and outright fun. It’s one of those games that is perfect for opening or closing a day of gaming.

Review #0207