Ninety-Nine

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Setup
3. Playing a turn
4. Card values
5. Losing a hand
6. Winning the game
7. Tips for beginners
8. Variants

Overview

Ninety-Nine is a quick adding game. Everyone plays cards onto one shared pile and calls out the new total of the pile. The total must never go above 99. If it's your turn and every card in your hand would push the total over 99, you lose the hand and give up one of your tokens. Lose all your tokens and you are out – the last player with a token left wins.

• Players: 2 or more – best with 3–6.
• You need: one standard 52-card deck, no jokers (with more than 4 players, shuffle two decks together), and 5 tokens per player – coins, chips, matches or buttons (with two decks: 3 each).

Setup

1. Everyone takes 5 tokens (3 when playing with two decks).
2. Choose a dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals 3 cards face down to each player, one at a time. Keep your cards hidden from the others.
3. The rest of the cards go face down in the middle as the draw pile (stock). Next to it there's room for the face-up play pile, which starts empty – its total is 0.

Playing a turn

The player to the dealer's left starts, and play goes clockwise (to the left) – until someone plays a 4, which turns it around.

On your turn:

1. Play one card from your hand face up onto the play pile.
2. Call out the new total of the pile.
3. Draw the top card of the draw pile, so you have 3 cards again.

The total must stay at 99 or below. You may choose any card that keeps it there.

Example: The total is 85. You play a 7 and say "92", then draw a card.

Card values

Most cards simply add their value to the total. Some cards are special:

Suits don't matter.

When you play a 9 or a 4, repeat the total so everyone knows it – for example "pass to you, 99" or "back to you, 99".

Example: Four players, play goes clockwise. Anna plays a K: "99". Ben plays a 9: "pass to you, 99". Carla plays a 4: "back to you, 99" – now play goes anticlockwise, so it's Ben's turn again. Ben plays a 10 and takes 10 away: "89". Anna plays an 8: "97". Dan, who comes next anticlockwise, holds only 5, 6 and 7 – each would take the total over 99, so Dan loses the hand.

Two players: a 4 works just like a 9 – the other player is next anyway.

Losing a hand

If it is your turn and every card in your hand would take the total over 99, you lay down your hand and show it. The hand ends, and you put one token into the middle.

A player without tokens is out of the game. The deal passes to the left (skipping players who are out), all cards are shuffled and a new hand is dealt, again starting from 0, and play goes clockwise again.

Forgot to draw? If you forget to take a card after playing and the next player has already played, it's too late: you play the rest of the hand with one card fewer.

Draw pile empty? Set the top card of the play pile aside, shuffle the rest of the play pile as a new draw pile, and carry on with the same total.

Winning the game

Keep playing hands until only one player has any tokens left – that player wins.

Tips for beginners

• Save your special cards. Kings, 9s, 4s and 10s are your escape routes once the total nears 99 – play your plain number cards early.
• Once the total is 99, you can only play a 4, a 9, a K or a 10 (taking 10 away). Count how many you hold.
• A King is a weapon: playing it early puts the next player straight on 99. Only do this if you have more escape cards than they're likely to have.
• Play fast – it's part of the fun, and it makes people forget to draw.

Variants

Optional – agree before you start.

• Swapped 9 and K: many groups (and some rule books) play it the other way round: the 9 sets the total to 99 and the K is the "pass" card worth 0.
• Ten always minus: a 10 always takes 10 away and can never add 10.
• Three tokens: everyone starts with 3 tokens instead of 5 – for a shorter game.
• More cards: deal 4, 5 or even 7 cards each. The turn is the same: play one, draw one.
• Keep going: after a player loses a token, only the play pile is cleared; the others keep their hands and start a new pile from 0.
• Two-player 4: with two players, a 4 lets you play again straight away.
• Straight out: no tokens – whoever can't play is out at once, and the last player left wins.