Play and discard cards smartly in a race to 99 points.
Ninety Nine is a race to 99 points, with players scoring for both smart card playing and smart card discarding.
The deck consists of cards numbered 0-10 in ten colors, with each player starting with a hand of six cards and fifteen cards in a reserve pile. Start two discard piles with a face-up card.
On a turn, play one card from your hand into your personal row. Cards in your row must increase in value and be different colors; if you can't play, you must score and discard your row, then start a new one. A row scores the square of the number of cards in it, e.g., a row of four cards is worth 16 points when scored. (You can choose to score your row, if desired.)
Next, you may discard as many cards as you wish onto the discard piles, but each discard must either:
- Be the same color as the card covered.
- Be exactly one number higher than the card covered.
- Add to 10 if summed with the card covered.
For example, you can play a green 10 on a yellow 9, then a red 0 on the 10, then a red 8 on the 0. End your turn by refilling your hand from your reserve pile. If you empty that pile, immediately score 15 points, then create a new reserve pile.
As soon as a player scores 99 or more points, they win.
Once you're skilled at Ninety Nine, you can add the bonus rule: If you manage to discard all five cards in hand onto the discard piles, you refill your hand to six cards, then take another turn immediately. If you discard the next five, take another bonus turn!
