Card games come in many forms, but bluffing games are one of the most fun. Chase The Ace is a great example of a bluffing card game, and while it might seem simple and easy to play, it is much more strategic than you might think.
We’ll be looking at everything you need to play Chase The Ace, but let’s start by looking at how the game works.
What is Chase The Ace?
Chase The Ace isn’t your standard two-player card game; you’ll need at least five people to play this game. So, if you’re looking for a group game to play, this could be a great choice. Start by having one player shuffle the deck and give each player 3 Poker chips.
These chips will act as life tokens so that each player will have three lives. Players then take one card from the deck, the player with the highest value card becomes the dealer. Each player will then be dealt one card, starting with the player to the dealer’s left.
Once all players have been dealt their cards – the game begins! The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and they can decide to either keep their card or swap it. You can only swap with the player on your left.
If you want to swap, other players can’t refuse unless they have a specific card; we’ll discuss this in the rules section below. The dealer will always take their turn last, and if they decide to swap, they must take to top card from the discard pile.
Once every player has taken their turn, everyone must flip their card face up. The player or players with the lowest ranking cards will lose a life a token, and a new round is started. This continues till only one player is left in the game; that player then wins!
There is more to learn about Chase The Ace, like the card rankings and a few special rules anyone playing needs to know.
What You’ll Need to Play?
To play Chase The Ace, you’ll need a deck of cards. Bee playing cards are always a good choice if you’re looking for something high-quality that will last multiple games. If you want something flashy and colorful, why not try these Fyrebird Bicycle Playing Cards?
Once you’ve got your cards, you can start playing! Just remember Joker cards aren’t used, so be sure to remove them from the deck. You might also want to get Poker chips as life tokens. However, coins and buttons work just as well.
Rules and Gameplay
The Aim of the Game
To win Chase The Ace, you need to ironically avoid the Ace and not have the lowest ranking card at the end of the round. While this might sound easy, you only have one option for switching your card and could easily end up with something worse.
The fun of playing Chase The Ace is bluffing like in Poker. If you can manipulate the player next to you, then you could easily trade away a low-value card for a good one. So, let’s look at everything you need to know about playing Chase The Ace.
The Card Ranking
The Card rankings in Chase The Ace are easy enough to remember. But to help any beginners out there, we have listed them from highest to lowest below. Remember, in this game, the Aces are always low.
- King
- Queen
- Jack
- 10 – 2 (in numerical order)
- Ace
The Set-Up
To start the game, each player should place their three life tokens out in front of them. Then have one player well shuffle the deck and deal out one card to each player. These cards can be dealt face up if you prefer.
The player with the highest value card becomes the dealer for this round. If two cards dealt are the same high-ranking card, the player who gets the card last will become the dealer. Once the dealer is chosen, they should place all the cards back into the deck and reshuffle it.
They should then deal one card face down to each player, starting with the player to their left. Once all cards are dealt with, each player should carefully look at their card, and they can decide what to do next.
Playing Chase The Ace
Each player takes their turn in order, starting with the player on the dealer’s left. Players have two options they can take, which we have outlined below.
Stick
If you stick, you stay with the card you are dealt. To do this, announce you are sticking with your card, and the play moves to the next player.
Swap
If you don’t feel confident with your card, you can swap it. You can only swap with the player on your left. However, cards must be swapped face down.
End of the Round
When playing Chase The Ace, there are two important things to remember. First, any player with King can refuse a swap. The rules for the dealer are also a little different.
The dealer will always go last, and if they want to swap, they must swap their card with the top card from the discard pile. Once every player has taken their turn, every player must flip their card face up.
The player/s with the lowest ranking cards will then lose a life token. This process then repeats itself for the next round, with a new dealer chosen. It will continue until only one player remains in the game.
Chase The Ace – A Fun Bluffing Card Game
Chase The Ace is a fun, fast-paced card game that is easy to learn but difficult to master. You need to think carefully when it’s your turn and weigh up the risks of swapping or sticking. So if you’re looking for a new group card game to try, give Chase The Ace a try!
