You Shady Pooch!
- 4–6 Players
- 30 Minutes
- Ages 21 & Up
How to Play
In this card game, you wager bones in a fast-and-furious exchange where you double-dog-dare another player to outplay your card – and watch them get dogpiled if they take too long to respond. The first to empty their hand wins the pot. Richest pooch claims the title of top dog!
The Rules
Setup
Give each player 4 bones.
Gameplay
Play over several rounds. Empty your hand first to win that round’s bones. Once a player runs out of bones, whoever has the most wins the game (see “Ending the Game.”) Each round...
Shuffle and deal all of the cards out evenly (discard any extras.) You may look at your hand.
Each player antes, adding 1 bone to the pot in the center of the table.
The player to the dealer’s left leads, starting a rapid series of leads, responses, and dogpiles.
When you lead, name another player and then play a card from your hand to the center of the table, starting a new pile.
When someone names you, you must respond to the top card of the pile – and be quick! If you’re too slow in responding, the other players might dogpile and make the pile a growing problem.
You can respond one of three ways:
(A) Play a higher number of any suit and then name another player to respond
Add your card onto the pile and then say another player’s name. That player must now respond to your card, continuing the chain.
(B) Play a Queen and do its action
Add your Queen card onto the pile, and then do your Queen‘s special action.
...or (C) Pick up the pile
Shout “YOU SHADY POOCH!” at whoever named you and pick up all of the cards from the pile into your hand. Then the player who named you leads, starting a new pile with a new card.Until the named player responds, others can each dogpile once. (Don’t dogpile when you named a player or when you’re named.)
Until the named player responds, others can each dogpile once. (Don’t dogpile when you named a player or when you’re named.)
To dogpile, quickly put one card from your hand on top of the pile. The dogpiled card must be the same suit as and a lower number than whatever card was on top. (You can’t dogpile on a Queen.)
Think fast! Your dogpiled card has to make it to the top of the pile before anyone responds.
Ending the Game
When you’re the first player to shed all of the cards from your hand, the round ends. Take all of the bones from the pot for yourself and give one bone to the player with the most diamonds in hand. (In case of a tie, don’t give anyone else a bone.) Then, deal the next round.
At the end of any round where one or more players has no bones left, the game ends, and the player with the most bones wins!
The Queens
Greedy Queen
When you play the Greedy Queen, take all of the diamonds from pile and add them to your hand. Discard the Queen and all of the other cards from the pile. You now lead, starting a new pile with a new card from your hand.
Remember – Whoever has the most diamonds in their hand at the end of the round gets one bone.
Shady Queen
When you play the Shady Queen, put the Queen on top of the pile and name a player to respond. The named player can only respond by playing a Queen or by picking up the pile.
Remember –You’ll get to lead if the player you named picks up the pile.
Remember – “Queen” isn’t a number. No dogpiling!
Fierce Queen
When you play the Fierce Queen, discard the Queen and all of the other cards in the pile. You now lead, starting a new pile with a new card from your hand.
Wild Ones
The Wild One lets you dogpile on a number card of any suit – and when you do, you get to clear the pile and steal the lead.
The Wild One is all suits. If you lead or respond with a Wild One, a player can dogpile on it with any Zero.
You can use a Wild One to dogpile on any number Two or higher, no matter that card’s suit.
When you dogpile with the Wild One, immediately discard the Wild One and the other cards from pile. Other players lose the opportunity to respond or dogpile. With the pile now empty, you lead, starting a new pile by playing a new card from your hand.
F.A.Q.
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Set them aside and ignore them.
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Yes. You can play any card from your hand to lead.
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Discard the Queen and then lead again.
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No. Dogpiling only changes the top card of the pile.
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No. The pile will grow as you play, increasing the risk for any player who has to pick the pile up. Only discard the pile when specifically instructed to (e.g., when you play a Fierce Queen.)
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Name a player when you lead, respond with a higher number, or respond with a Shady Queen.
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You can name any player other than yourself.
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No. You must wait for a player to be named.
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No. Dogpiling changes the top card of the pile but doesn’t let you name a player.
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No. You can’t dogpile when you’ve named a player or when you’ve been named.
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No. You can only dogpile once each time that a player is named and only with one card.
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No. “Queen” is not number, so there are no numbers lower (or higher) than “Queen.”
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No. You can only dogpile with a card that’s a lower number than and the same suit as the card currently on top of the pile (the 5 of hearts), regardless of whichever card was led.
Drinking Game Variant
When you’re named and a card featuring a boozehound (Zero, Five, Nine, Shady Queen, or Wild One) is played onto the pile, take a drink before you respond.
Remember to drink responsibly and to never pressure anyone to drink.
KNOW YOUR LIMITS – It is your responsibility to monitor and moderate your alcohol consumption. Avoid excessive consumption of alcohol.
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE – Make arrangements for safe transportation before drinking.
This game is intended for adults of legal drinking age and may be played without consuming alcohol. Gadabout Games LLC discourages excessive consumption of alcohol, underage drinking, consuming alcohol while pregnant, pressuring others to drink, or operating a vehicle or machinery after drinking.
By playing this game, you acknowledge that Gadabout Games LLC, its heirs, assignees, representatives, employees, and agents bear no responsibility and are not liable for any special or consequential damages resulting from the use, misuse, inability to use, or interpretation of the contents of this product.
Illustrations by Joshua Heinsz