About Stack The Deck, from BoardGameGeek:
Stack The Deck™ is a party card game where players are dealt five face up cards numbered 1-10 and different colors. Players arrange cards, in no particular order, in a row of five stacks in front of them. Play begins with the first player drawing two cards from a draw pile (there is no discard pile).
The goal is to complete these stacks by creating either pairs (same or different color) and 3-card RUNS (same or different colors). Once a stack is completed it is turned over to lock in a score & prevent stealing. The first player to complete and turn over all their stacks wins the round and is first to tally their points. The player with the highest score after ten rounds wins the game.
After a player draws their two cards, one of them must be played on one of their stacks first, if possible. If one of the cards can be added to their own stack then they have the option to use the second card to steal any other players unturned stack by creating a pair with one of their cards OR completing one of their 2-card runs with the 3rd card. Once a stack is stolen, it is handed over to the stealing player and it now adds to their end of round score. If one or both drawn cards are unplayable, they are turned back over and inserted strategically back into the draw pile, to Stack The Deck. Stack cards needed by other players deeper into the deck. That is where Stack The Deck™ got its highly recognizable name.
There are WILD cards which can be substituted for any card # or color. Smart use of these cards is one key to winning. And stacks which include a WILD card are safe and protected from being stolen. And a player cannot steal another players stack using a drawn WILD card. WILDS can only be played in the player's stacks in front of them.
Once a player successfully turns over and locks in all their stacks a round ends for everyone. Points are totaled: 5 Points for a different color pair, 10 Points for a same color pair, 10 points for a different color 3-card run and 20 points for a same color run. If a player goes out and leaves other players with unturned stacks they are penalized -5 points for each unturned stack and -20 points for any unturned WILD card(s).
For a game that is simple to learn, there is a great balance of strategy and luck. And since all cards are visible during game play, all players are watching & anticipating what cards are drawn, how they will be played and if they will be victim of a steal.
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