Skip-Bo is a commercial version of the card gameSpite and Malice. In 1967, Minnie Hazel "Skip" Bowman of Brownfield, Texas, began producing a boxed edition of the game under the name SKIP-BO. In 1980 the game was purchased by International Games, which was subsequently bought by Mattel in 1992. A mobile version of the game for iOS was released by Magmic in September, 2013. There is a new version called "SKIP-BO Mod" that comes in a white and blue case.
Card and deck styles
The deck consists of 162 cards, twelve each of the numbers 1 through 12 and eighteen "SKIP-BO" wild cards which may be played as any number. Alternatively, the 162 cards could be three regular decks of playing cards, including the jokers, with ace to queen corresponding to 1 to 12 and the kings and jokers corresponding to the SKIP-BO cards. Before 1980, the commercial game consisted of four decks of regular playing cards with eight SKIP-BO cards replacing the standard two jokers in each deck. In addition, the aces, twos and threes in the fourth deck were marked SKIP-BO. The remainder of the fourth deck was discarded.
Two to four people can play at a time as individuals, or, six or more players in teams. The object of the game is to be the first player or team to play out their entire stock pile. The player with the middle age goes first. Each player is dealt 30 cards for their pile with only the top card visible, and a hand of five cards, and the remaining cards are placed face down to create a common draw pile. The shared play area allows up to four build piles, which must be started using either a "1" card or a Skip-Bo, and each player also has up to four personal discard piles. Each turn the active player draws until they have five cards in hand, though there are cases of not drawing more cards to equal five cards, instead doing a draw of a certain number of cards. They must play either the next card in sequential order or a wild Skip-Bo card, using either cards in hand, the top card of their stock pile, or the top card of any of their four discard piles. If the player can play all five cards from their hand, they draw five more and continue playing. When no more plays are available, the player discards one card to either an empty discard pile or on top of an existing one and play passes to the next player. When a build pile reaches 12, it is removed from the board and that space becomes empty for another pile to be started; play continues until one player has played their final start card. If a card falls on the ground and no one knows who it is the person who is winning chooses who gets it.
Scoring
For single rounds, whoever goes out first is the winner. If multiple games are going to be played, either track the number of wins for each player or a point system may be used. For the points scoring, the winning player receives 25 points for winning plus 5 points for each card in his/her opponents' stock piles. The first player to reach 500 points wins.
Partnerships
Another option for game play is to pair up players as partners. Game play remains the same except:
Each partnership has two stock piles and two sets of four discard piles regardless of the number of individuals per partnership.
The active player can use their partner's stock and discard piles in addition to their own stock and discard piles.
The active player's partner must remain silent.
Mobile version
Skip-Bo was released in the iTunes App Store and for Android on November 16, 2012 by onestepmobile. The game was later developed by Magmic and is licensed through Mattel. Various electronic handheld versions of Skip-Bo have been released over the years. The mobile version was pulled from the App Store and is no longer in operation as of August 27th 2019 due to Magmic no longer holding the license, much to the dismay of its long time users. No officially sanctioned version of the game currently exists on the app store.
Other versions
William Henry Storey designed a card game "Starturn" which was published by Chad Valley in 1935. Two packs, 44 very dark gray and 52 stop sign red, are used in a game primarily for two players although there were versions for three or four players. Black cards are divided equally between the players, placed face down with only the top card visible, as the Stack. Five red cards are dealt to each player, made up to five on each pass, and the rest placed as the draw Pack. The aim is to make up to four Build piles starting at 1 through to 15, using cards from the player's Stack where possible. Each player must discard one card at the end of each pass on to one of four discard piles in front of each player, from which cards may be used in forming Build piles. Completed Build piles are shuffled into the Pack as soon as completed. The first player to use up all his/her Stack cards is the winner. Although the cards are of different design, the rules of Skip-bo are almost exactly the same.
