Find The Maniacci (game)
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Find The Maniacci (also more simply known as Maniacci and commonly pronounced MAH-nee-AH-ch) is a card game for two to ten people, which makes it a perfect party game. The object of the game is to find the Maniacci, the name of the ten of clubs, by selecting face-down cards from a pile one at a time.
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[edit] Basic Play
Before each round of play, a player is designated the shuffler and is given a standard deck of 52 playing cards. The cards are spread out across the surface of play and shuffled in a wash to the shufflers satisfaction. The cards are left as were on the surface of play, and, in this way, the pile of cards is similar to the boneyard in the game of Dominoes.
If it is the first round, play goes to the person to the left of the dealer. For all subsequent rounds, first play after the shuffle goes to the winner or the last man standing. On a player's turn, he or she chooses any card from the pile of cards on the surface of play. The player then turns the card face up in front of him or her, revealing it to the other players. At this point, one or three things will happen:
- If the player selected any card that is neither the ten of clubs nor the ten of spades, the card is kept face up in front of the player and play continues to the left.
- If the player selected the ten of clubs, the Maniacci, he or she must call "Maniacci!" and is therefore declared the winner. All the other players then throw their cards pack into the pile and say "Fanculo!" or "Vaffanculo!" (both italian words for "fuck!"). The cards are shuffled again and new round begins.
- If the player selected the ten of spades, the Imposter, he or she is eliminated from play for that round. The player keeps all of his or her cards that have been selected previously, but the 10 of spades is replaced to the pile. At this point, the shuffler must reshuffle the pile, and then play continues to the left of the eliminated player.
Play continues until one player is declared the winner or every player has been eliminated.
[edit] Important Points about The Maniacci
- When a player selects the Maniacci from the pile, he or she must reveal it to the other players and then call "Maniacci!"
- If the player does not make the call before another player does, then the player who did make the call is the winner.
- The first words out of the player's mouth after selecting the Maniacci must be the aforementioned call.
[edit] Last Man Standing
As cards are removed, the chances increase for all players of either selecting the Maniacci or the Imposter. This fact becomes even more prevalent as players are eliminated and their cards, except the ten of spades, are not returned to the pile. This implies that there is a chance that all players may be eliminated from the game during a single round.
When all but one player have been eliminated, the remaining player is the Last Man Standing. He has not won persay, although no matter the outcome, he or she will have first play in the next round. Nevertheless, this player must still try to find the Maniacci and play continues until either the ten of clubs or the ten of spades if revealed. If the former occurs, the player wins. If the latter occurs, then no one is declared the winner, and a new round begins.
[edit] Alternative Modes of Play
Another popular variation of Find The Maniacci has the players select two cards per turn. The player uses each hand to select a card and reveals them one at a time. All normal rules apply with one addition:
- If a player at any time selects both the Maniacci and the Imposter on the same turn, then he or she is granted a Reprieve and is not eliminated, however his or her turn is over. Both cards are returned to the pile and the pile is shuffled.
Another side thought which some players may find interesting as they await their turns as play continues: try to make the best poker hand out of the cards in front of you that you have already selected.
[edit] Psychology of the Maniacci
The fact that all the cards are facedown seems to make a similar impression on the players in Find The Maniacci as in any Poker card game, except that players are not using their cards to get such reactions out of each other. Instead, it is as if the Maniacci is using this fact to his advantage against the whole of the players. There is only one ten of clubs and one ten of spades in the pile, which entails a two in fifty-two shot of picking either card. However, this ratio quickly grows from one player's turn to his or her next, especially if there are many other players in the game. This point does not fuel animosity towards fellow players, and instead creates a feeling of fear of choosing incorrectly which supersedes.
Still, the chances of picking either the Maniacci or the Imposter on a single draw at any time in the game is equally likely, even if the overall chance of picking them increases as more cards are removed. Nevertheless, some players exhibit a fear of selecting the ten of spades as opposed to the ten of clubs.
The position of the cards on the table, and some cards relations to other cards and other players, even factor into some player's decisions. In some ways, it appears that players project life onto the cards, most importantly the ten of clubs and spades. Some might find that a card which has "escaped" the pile and is lying by itself without touching any other cards might be the Maniacci because it "wants to be found", and so has decided to separate from the other cards as if to reveal itself to the players. On the other hand, the same card in the same position may to some appear to be the sign that Imposter is looking for another victim and, by observing the thought processes of the players, has positioned himself so that he will be selected.
[edit] Notable "Find the Maniacci" Players
[edit] John "Jsalz" Salerno
A true legend of the sport, his Maniacci-finding prowess is unmatched. He has often been accused of marking cards, having x-ray vision, or simply stashing spare Maniaccis in his sleeve. These charges have again and again been proven untrue, as he has enjoyed the same amount of success in Maniacci tournaments worldwide. As of now, he holds the world records for "Most Maniacci Victories (43,219 and counting)," "Most Rounds Drawing the Maniacci First (5,924)," "Most Consecutive Rounds Drawing the Maniacci First (406)," and perhaps most importantly, "Least Rounds Drawing the Imposter (1*)."
The asterisk in the last record denotes its tainted nature. Many scholars believe that Jsalz has never in his life drawn the Imposter, and that the one instance where he did should be struck from the record books. See "The McNichol Glue Scandal".
[edit] Christopher Reebe
Chris is not an exceptional player, but he is famous for his inability to select one card at a time. On most of his draws, another card will be attach itself to the one he has chosen and follow it all the way to his flipping area. It is not scientifically proven, but many experts believe the card that attaches itself is either the Imposter or the Maniacci, depending on his mental state and his desire to wreak havoc on other players at the table.
[edit] John "Frogmaz" Mazella
John Mazella is known to be a cynic of the game. He feels that drawing the Maniacci is simply "luck" and that John Salerno must be cheating in some capacity. This explains his refusal to practice and his rampant Maniacci inconsistency.
He will also draw cards in a disgusting manner, making them stick to his frog-like hands.
