Ninety-Nine (Addition Card Game)
Ninety-Nine Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
These are adding games, in which the values of the cards are added together as they are played in a single pile, the object being to avoid taking the total above the target score (98, 99 or 100, according to the game). These games presumably have a common origin, since the details, including even the effects of the special cards, are similar, and to judge from the correspondence received, they probably originated in North America in the mid-20th century, even though they are not documented in the card game manuals of that period. Reports exist from families who played 98 in the 1970's and one who played 99 in the 1950's.
A similar adding game 99 (เก้าสิบเก้า) is played in Thailand.
Note that there are also other, entirely different card games called 99 and 100. There is Ninety-nine, the three-player trick-taking game invented by David Parlett, and the Chinese partnership trick-taking game of Hundred.
Ninety-Nine
Note: This game should not be confused with David Parlett's Ninety-nine, which is a trick-taking game in which the cards discarded define the bid.
Each player begins the game with 5 pennies (or chips). Deal out 3 cards to each player from a standard 52 card deck (if more than 4 people are playing use 2 decks and give each player just 3 pennies). The undealt cards are placed on the table to form a face-down stock.
The player to the left of the dealer starts and the turn initially passes clockwise. On each turn you play one of your three cards face-up to the centre of the table, call out the total value of the face-up pile (as per the table below), then draw the top card from the stock. When the face-up pile is empty the count is zero. For each card played add the pip value of the card played to the total value of the pile. Jacks and queens count as 10. The following cards cause special effects:
- Ace - increases the value of the pile by one or eleven, at the player's choice.
- Four - the value of the pile remains the same but the direction of play reverses.
- Nine - counts as zero - the value of the pile remains the same and play passes to next player in turn.
- Ten - increases or reduces the value of the pile by ten, at the player's choice.
- King - the value of the pile is set to 99.
If you cannot play without taking the value of the pile over 99, you lay down your hand. The play ends, and you toss one penny into the center; players who have no pennies left drop out of the game. After each hand, the deal passes to next player to the left of the previous dealer who is still in. Hands continue till only one player has any pennies left, and that player is the winner.
When someone plays a nine or a four they repeat the value of the pile, calling out "pass to you #" or "back on you #" respectively. For example here is part of a four-player game; play is currently running clockwise. Player 1 plays a King and says "99". Player 2 plays a nine and says (looking at player 3) "pass to you 99". Player 3 plays a four and says (looking at player 2, since play order will now run counterclockwise until another four is played) "back on you 99". Player 2 plays a ten and says "89". Player 1 plays a eight and says "97". Player 4 plays a four, looks at player 1 and says "back on you 97" (now we're back to clockwise), and so on.
When there are only two players, there is no longer any difference between clockwise and counterclockwise play. The player to your left is also the player to your right. Therefore, playing a four has no effect on the turn order when there are two players - the pile value remains the same and it is the other player's turn, just as though you had played a nine.
If the stock pile runs out, the top card of the discard pile is set aside to begin a new discard pile (the count is unchanged) and the rest of the pile is shuffled to form a new stock, so that the game can continue.
This game should be played very rapidly. It is easy to forget to draw a replacement after you play a card. If that happens it cannot be corrected afterwards - you must get by with one fewer card for the rest of the hand.
99 Variations
The number of coins players have at the start of the game can be varied, as can the number of cards in each player's hand. For example, one reported variation has everyone start with 4 nickels and five cards dealt to each player. In another version players are dealt seven cards each, and effectively only one coin, since a player who goes over 99 is immediately eliminated from the game. However many cards are dealt, a turn consists of playing a card and then drawing a card, so that the number of cards in each player's hand remains the same for each turn.
One version has each player begin with a dollar bill and fold over one corner each time they go over 99. A player who has folded all four corners is out of the game and the last survivor gets all the dollars.
Some play that after a player goes over 99 and loses a coin, the pile is taken away and the other players continue to play with the cards they have in their hands, starting a new pile from zero. If the stock runs out, the played cards are shuffled to form a new stock pile, but the running total of the pile is preserved.
As one might expect, there are variations in the special cards and their meaning. Some interchange the Nine and the King, so that a King is worth zero (the player says "pass me by") and a Nine sets the total to 99. Some interchange Four and Nine so that a Nine reverses direction and a Four leaves the count unchanged. Some play that a Ten always reduces the count by 10 - it cannot be used to add 10. Some play that an Ace may be counted as either 1 or 11.
Some people consider that the four, which normally reverses the direction of play, should have some effect on the turn order even when there are only two players. If this is your opinion, you can agree to play the alternative rule that when there are only two players, playing a four entitles the same player to play again.
One reported version played in the 1950's has each player begin with three pennies. A player who lost all their pennies was allowed to play 'on their honor' and was eliminated if they lost again. The last survivor was the winner and collected all the pennies. There was no card that set the total to 99. The only special cards were:
- ace: counts 1 or 11 at the player's choice
- ten: counts +10 or -10 at the player's choice
- nine: leaves the value of the pile the same (counts as 0)
- seven: reverses the direction of play
Another reported version has the following differences:
- The card which reverses direction without changing the value of the pile is the 8, not the 4.
- The king has no special property - it is just worth 10 card points.
- You lose a game point when you play a card which causes the value of the pile to cross any of the three borders 33:34, 66:67 and 99:100. When the score exceeds 99 the play ends and a new hand is dealt. Therefore a total of three game points are normally lost on each hand, as the three borders are crossed, but it is possible to lose extra points by using tens to go backwards - for example if the pile is 75 and you play a ten as -10 you will lose a game point as you take the total down to 65.
- Each player starts each hand with three game points. Whatever game points you have left at the end of the hand are added to your cumulative score. When (over several hands) anyone achieves a score of 15 game points or more, the player with the highest score wins.
Some play that making the total exactly 69 has some sort of effect. It might be a bonus - for example scoring an extra point, or getting a penny from the pool, or everyone else having to take a drink if you play this as a drinking game, or some other result such as resetting the total to zero.
In one reported version, after the deal a card is turned up to start the play. If it is a special card it is returned to the middle of the deck and the next card is turned up. When an ordinary card is turned, this card gives the initial count from which play begins. In this version there are no coins and players who go over 99 are immediately eliminated. However, it is forbidden to set the total to 99 by playing a King during your first five turns. This group also has a variant where certain hands immediately end the game - a player who has three Kings immediately wins, and a hand of three Sixes causes the game to end immediately with all players losing.
One reported version, from an online game platform, has the players dealt 3 cards each as usual, but they each start the game with 9 tokens or 'pennies'. The goal is to make the total exactly 33, 66 or 99, and not to cross those thresholds. The basic play is as usual but the effects of the special cards are:
- ace counts 1 or 11 at the player's choice
- ten: counts +10 or -10 at the player's choice
- nine: leaves the value of the pile the same (counts as 0)
- jack: adds 10 to the total and skips the next player's turn
- four: adds 4 to the total and reverses the direction of play if there are more than 2 players
- two: divides the total by 2 if it is even and over 49; in all other cases it multiplies the total by 2
The rewards and penalties for reaching or crossing the 33, 66 and 99 thresholds are:
- if a player increases the total to make it exactly 33 or 66, everyone else loses a penny
- a player who increases the total so that it crosses the 33 or 66 threshold loses a penny
- if a player makes the total exactly 99, everyone else loses two pennies and the round ends
- a player who makes the total more than 99 loses two pennies and the round ends
Note that the rewards and penalties for 33 and 66 only apply if they are approached from below. For example, playing a 4 on 29 makes everyone else lose a penny but playing a 10 on 43 and calling it -10 doesn't. The same applies to crossing a threshold: playing a 2 on 31 increases it to 62 and costs you a penny, but playing a 2 on 62 brings the total down to 31 without costing anything.
You can remain in the game with no pennies, but if you are required to lose a penny that you don't have you are eliminated. The last player remaining in the game is the winner.
Recommended simplifications when teaching this version to new players:
- Jacks and fours have no special abilities
- Twos double the total if it is odd and always halve it if it is even, irrespective of whether it is greater or less than 49.