Sneaks Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• What's in the Box
• Setup
• How to Play
• End of Game
• Try This

Object of the Game

Players quickly pass cards one at a time to the player on their left while receiving cards from the player on their right. Be the first to collect four cards with the same number value and grab a sneaker pawn from the center of the play area. The player who is not fast enough to grab a sneaker is eliminated from the game. The last player with a sneaker wins the game!

What's in the Box

• 48 Sneaks Cards
• 2 Wild Cards
• 7 Sneaker Pawns

Setup

• Place the sneaker pawns in the center of the play area where everyone can reach them. There should be one less sneaker than there are total players. For eight players use seven sneakers, and for five players use four, etc.
• Shuffle the deck and deal each player four cards. Place the remaining cards in a draw pile next to the dealer.
• To determine who is the first dealer, each player draws a card from the deck. The player with the lowest number is the starting dealer. If there is a tie for the lowest, draw again. Dealing duties move from player to player each round in a clockwise direction.

[Diagram: "Four-Player Setup" — Player 1 (Dealer) at the bottom, Player 2 at the left, Player 3 at the top, Player 4 at the right; Draw Pile at the lower left, Discard Pile at the lower right, Sneaker Pawns in the center.]

How to Play

The game is played in rounds. The dealer starts the round by drawing one card from the draw pile. They then choose a card from their hand and pass it facedown to the player on their left. As this happens, each player picks up the card passed from the player on their right and then chooses a card from their hand to pass to the player on their left.

Players decide which one among the five cards in their hand to discard next and repeat the process. Players are not allowed to pick up a new card from the player on their right until they have discarded a card to their left. At NO point can a player have more than five cards in their hand at any one time.

The player to the right of the dealer places their unwanted cards facedown to create a discard pile. Play continues until a player collects four cards with the same number value (four of a kind) in their hand.

There are also two wild cards. These wild cards can be used as any number to help collect four of a kind. If a player collects three of a kind plus a wild card, that equals four of a kind and the player may grab a sneaker.

Example: A player has two number 10 cards and a wild in their hand. They take the discarded card from the player on their right and it is a number 10. They then grab a sneaker from the middle of the play area.

When a player collects four of a kind, they do not say anything. Instead, they grab a sneaker from the center of the play area. The idea is to be as "sneaky" as possible and to try and remove a sneaker so that the other players do not immediately notice. As soon as a player has taken a sneaker, all other players quickly try to grab one.

Other players do not need to have four of a kind in their hands to grab a sneaker. Only the first player to grab a sneaker must have and show the four of a kind in their hand. The player that is then left without a sneaker is eliminated from the game.

If the first player to grab a sneaker does not have four of a kind, it is a false grab and that player is eliminated.

The next round starts. Players return the sneaker pawns and remove one of the pawns so there is always one less pawn than there are players. Pass all the cards to the next player on the left—they are the next dealer. Shuffle the deck and play again.

If no one collects four of a kind before the draw pile runs out, the dealer then uses the discard pile to draw from.

End of Game

In the final round, there are only two players and one sneaker. The first player to grab that sneaker wins the game!

Tips: Make sure to pay attention to the cards AND the sneakers in the play area. Some players are very sneaky about grabbing them unnoticed!

Try This

1. For extended play, use a paper and pencil to keep track of the rounds. Each time a player does not successfully collect a sneaker, they receive a penalty letter—S-N-E-A-K-S. Players are eliminated from the game when they have lost six rounds and spelled SNEAKS.

2. Sneaks can also be played without using a draw pile. This version of the game requires four cards of one value for each person playing and no wild cards. For eight players you would use cards 1–8 for a total of 32 cards, with six players use cards 1–6 for 24 total cards and so on. Shuffle the cards and deal four cards to each player.

   There is no dealer in this game. Each player simultaneously passes an unwanted card from their hand to the left and picks up the card passed to them from the player on their right. Continue passing a card to the left and picking up the card on the right until a player has collected four of a kind in their hand. That player then grabs a sneaker.

   After a player is eliminated, remove one of the sneakers to always have one less than there are players. Also, remove one set of cards so there are an equal number of sets to players. Shuffle the remaining cards, dealing four cards to each player. The last player with a sneaker wins the game!