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TheexasperatingthingabouttheGreekcardgame"Biriba"isthattherearesomanyoptionsformakingpointsthatyourstrategyisconstantlychanging.IwasbaffledwhilewatchingtheoldGreeksonmyislandplaythisgame.They'dstudythetableofeachother'scardsthewaychessmastersstudytheboard.NowthatI'manexperiencedplayer,Iunderstandwhy:Biribaisachallenging,maddeninggames.1)))))))))))))))Similarinstyleto"Canasta",theobjectofBiribaistomakeasmanybiribasaspossible,whichearneachplayerpoints.Biribascontain7cards,only1ofwhichcanbeawildcard.Naturalbiribas,thosewithnowildcards,earnmorepoints.Therearesomecomplexrulestothegame,andscoringtakesawhiletomaster,butifyouloveagoodmentalworkout,you'llgethookedonthisgame.

Duringthefirstfewturnsinthehand,eachplayerbuildshisstrategy.Butsincecardscanbemeldedintwoways-eitherinsequence,orbyfacevalue-thisstrategychangesdependingonthecardseachpersondiscards.

Biribaisplayedwith2decks,includingjokers.Dealershufflesandtheopponentcutsthedeck.Thedealerdeals11cardstoeachplayer.Theopponentalsodeals2handsof11cardseachandsetsthemaside.Theseare"paketos"(packages").Oncethedealiscomplete,thedealerturnsoverthetopcardintheremainingdeck.Thiscardiswhatbridgeplayerscall"trump".Makeabiribaofthissuitand/ordenominationandyouearndoublepoints!

Thehandbeginstogetinterestingwhenoneplayerhasmeldedallhiscards.Oncehe'semptiedhishandbymeldingcompletely,inseriesconsistingofatleast2naturalcardsand1wildcard,hecanpickuphis"paketo".Theopponentnowhasachoice:Hecaneithermeldasmuchaspossible(heneednotmeldeverything,asthefirstplayermust),inthehopesofpickinguphispaketoandcontinuingthegame;orhecanholdontoeverythinguntilhefeelsit'sworthwhiletomeld.Ofcoursethiskeepstheotherplayerinthedarkastowhichcardshe'sholding.Italsoassuresthathelosesonly200pointsiftheotherplayergoesoutonhim.Butitdelaysthepickingupofhispaketo.

Thehandendswhenoneplayergoesoutontheother.Togoout,youmusthavepickedupyourpaketo.Youalsomustmeldallyourcards,makeatleast1biriba,andyoumustdiscard.Thishopefullyleavestheopponentwithawealthofpoints

inhishandthatarethendeductedfromhisscore.Thegameendswhenoneplayerreaches3,500pointsorwhenoneplayershootstheother,whichevercomesfirst.

Areyoulookingforlookingforagamethatyoucanyourspecialsomeonecanplaytogether?Perhapsyourjustlookingforacardgameyouandyourfriendcanplay?WellIhavesomenewsforyou,thereareanumberofverygoodtwoplayercardgamesoutthere.

Withcardgames,thenumberofthingsyoucanplayisalmostendless,youcanevencreateyourowngamesifyouwishtodoso.Ithinkthatyouwillfindthatp

layingtwoplayercardgamesaremuchmorefunthenplayingaloneorversesacomputer.Why?Simplybecauseit'ssomewhatpeacefultobeatyourbestfriendinyourfavoritetwoplayercardgame.

2)))))))Ifyouenjoyputtingshameonthefaceofyourfriendsafterbeatingtheminacardgame,oryourjustlookingforthebesttwoplayercardgames,Ithi

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nkyoumayhavecometotherightplace.Herearesomesimplegamesfortwoplayersthatyoumightfindenjoyable.

CrazyEights

Thisgamemighttakeawhileformetoexplain,butitisverygood.Inthisgamewestartoffbyshufflingthedeck,ifyouhavetwoplayersyoudealoutsevencardseach.Theremainingcardsarelaidfacedownjustlikeinbeggar-your-neighbor,thetopcardisplacedtothesidefaceuptoformthediscardpile.

Startingwiththeplayerthatwasn'tthedealer,taketurnsplayinga"legal"card,inthisgamethatcanmeanafewdifferentthings.Thefollowingmovesarewhatisconsideredalegalcardmove.

*Ifthecardontopofthepileisnot8thenyoucanplayanycardthatmatch'stherankofsuitofthepreviouscard.*Any8cardcanbeplacedonallothercards,theplayerplacingthatcardmustnominateasuittobeplayedrightafterthat.*Ifan8cardisontopofthepile,youcanplayanycardofthesuitnominatedbytheplayerthatplayedthefirst8.

Ofcoursethefirstplayertogetridofalltheircardswins,whiletheotherplayerreceivespenaltypointsforeverycardtheystillhave,50foreights,10forapicturec

ard,othercard'sgiveapenaltyoftheirfacevalue.

Beggar-Your-Neighbor

Thisisaeasygametolearn,itscalledBegger-Your-Neighbor,eventhoughitsabitmoreforchildren,adultsmayfinditfunaswell.Itcanbeplayedaloneorwithtwopeople,Irecommendplayingwithafriendofcourse.Firstofall,youshufflethedeck,thendividedbetweenyouandyourfriend.

Thenbothyouandyourfrienddrawacard,placingitontothetableoverlappingtheplayerwhoseturnwasbeforethem.Thiscontinuestilloneoftheplayerdrawsahighcardsuchasaace,king,queen,orajack.Theplayerthatdidn'tdrawthehighcardhastostacklowercardsontopofthehighone.

*FourforAce*ThreeforKing*TwoforQueen*OneforJack

Afterthisiscompletedtheplayerwhodrewthehighcardinthefirstplacegetsthepile,theonlywayforyouoryourfriendtostopthisistodrawahighcardalso,thepersonleftwithnocardsleftattheendofthegameloses.

3))))))))))))First,dealouttheentiredeckbetweenthetwoplayerssoyoueac

hhavehalf.Theplayersshouldbeseatedacrossfromeachotherwithafairamountofspacebetweenthem,butnotsomuchthattheycan'teachreachthemiddleofthespace,similartoDoubleSolitaire.

Next,dealoutthecardsasifyouwereplayingsolitaire,butwithonly5pilesratherthantheusual7.Eachplayershouldplacetheirremainingcardsinthespacebetweenthem,offtotheirrightside,makingtheirextracardspile.

Now,lookoverthecardsyoujustdealtforanydoubles.InSpit,youcancombi

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neanydoublesontoonecolumn.So,forexample,ifIhad3Kingsface-upIcouldcombinethemontoonepile(keepingthemface-up)andflippingthenowshowingfacedowncards,similartomovingcardsinsolitaire.

Oncebothplayershavecombinedtheirdoublesandplacedtheirpilesinthemiddlethegameisreadytostart.Eachplayerthenturnsthetopcardontheirmiddlepileover,placingitdowninthemiddle.Then,eachplayershouldtryandmakerunsonthesenewlyflippedcardswithwhatisdealtinfrontofthem.ThisissimilartoTri-PeaksSolitaire.Rememberthatrunscangoupordown(suchas2,3,4,3,2)andthataKingcanbeplayedonanAce,forexample:Q,K,A,2,A,K.

Youwanttoplaceasmanyofyourcardsonthemiddlepilesasyoupossiblycanwhiletheotherplayerisdoingthesame.Thegamegetstrickywhenbothplayershavesimilarcardssoyouarebothtryingtoplacecardsonthesamepile.Agoodstrategyhereistotryandusebothyourhandstoplacecards,thistakessomepractice,butifyougetgoodatityouwillbelightningfast.

Iftherearenomovesavailableforeitherplayer,theymustbothflipanewcardfromthetopoftheirpileofextracardspilesinthemiddle,atthesametime.Withthenewcardsflipped,bothplayerscanbeginmakingrunsagain.Ifbothpilesarecompletelyflippedwithoutanymovesbeingmade(whichisprettyimpossible)bothmiddlepilesshouldbeshuffledandplacedfacedownandthenplaycontinuesasbefore.

Whenaplayergetsdownto5cardsorlesstheyhavetheoptionofpickinguptheircardsandholdingthemintheirhand.Thiscanbebeneficialbecauseyouropponentwon'tknowwhatcardsyouhavelefttoplay.It'susuallyalsoquickertoplayacardfromyourhandtothemiddlepilethanitistofirstpickitupoffthetablethanputitonthepile.

Aroundisoverwhenoneplayerruns

4))))))))))))))))outofcardsinfrontofthem.Whenthishappensbothplayersshouldtryandhitthesmallerofthetwoface-uppilesandyell"SPIT!".Whoeve

rslapsthesmallerpilefirsttakesthatpileastheircardsandtheotherplayermusttaketheotherpileastheirs.

Eventuallyoneplayerwillhavesolittlecardsthattheycannotdealouttheirfivepilesfully,whenthishappensitcouldbetheendofthegame.Thatplayerwithoutanyextracardsdoesn'tputaflippingpileinthemiddle,insteadonlytheotherplayersflipstheirsandthereisablankspaceleft.Bothplayersnowwanttobethefirstonetohitthatblankspace.Ifthepersonwithnoextracardsgetsridoftheirdealtcardsandhitsthatspacethentheywin,becausetheyhavenocardsleft.Iftheotherplayerhitsitthanthegamecontinues.

Justawarning,thisgamecangoonforaVERYlongtime,butitnevergetsbor

ing.Itcaneasilybemademoredifficultbyplayingwithonlyonehand,maybeeventhelessdominatehand.Also,ifyouwishtostopplayingforthemomentbutwanttostillfinishthegamelater,justkeepeachplayerssetofcardsseparateandit'seasilyre-visited.

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