Stress (game)
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| Stress | |
|---|---|
| Players | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 (playing by yourself is possible, but not recommended) |
| Age range | 10+ |
| Setup time | 1 minute |
| Playing time | 3 minutes upwards |
| Random chance | Variable |
| Skills required | Quick hands, some memorization |
Stress, or Hong Kong is a card game that uses a standard 52-card deck. Because of the rules of the game, it can only be played with a number of people that divides twelve (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 people). The objective of the game is to get all of your piles to have four-of-a-kinds. Another version of stress is also commonly played with poker or uno cards.
[edit] Rules of Stress
The deck is divided into thirteen equal piles, each with four cards. One pile goes into the middle, and the rest of the piles are equally dealt among the players. Each of the players' piles will remain face-down, and can only be lifted when the pile in the middle is flipped. The pile in the middle is flipped over so that all four cards are completely visible.
Each player's pile is entirely their own to look at. Only one player's pile can be lifted at a time. If the player wishes to look at another one of their piles, they will have to put down their pile and pick up another one.
The objective is to get each hand with a four-of-a-kind. To achieve this, you must put down cards into the middle of the table, picking up another that was in the middle. There must always be four cards in the middle of the table, and in each pile. Once one of your hands has four-of-a-kind, that hand can be put down onto the table face-up. Once all of your hands are face-up on the table, you must yell "Stress!," or "Hong Kong!" in order to win.
When playing Hong Kong, it is customary for the second, third, and fourth person to win to say "Beijing," "Shanghai," and "Tokyo," respectively.
Because of the nature and card transferring of this game, there is rarely a time in which two players will not be yelling "Stress!" at nearly the same time. This also brings about the concepts of sabotage into the game.
