Take a Chance Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Contents
• Setup
• How to Play
  • 1. Buy a Card
  • 2. Roll the Dice to Win Money
  • 3. Play a Take-a-Chance Ticket
• Ending the Game
• Scoring and Winning
• 2 Player Rules
• Advanced Rules (3, 4, or 5 Players)
• Game Storage

Object of the Game

To be the richest player when the game ends (cash plus the value of cards owned). You earn cash by rolling "dice combos" pictured on the cards you own.

Contents

36 colored cards (6 of each color) that picture dice rolls. Each has a value from $1,000 to $6,000. There are 36 Take a Chance tickets ("tickets"), a pad of money, 2 black dice, 7 white dice and a special "Lucky Charm" die.

Setup

1. Each player gets a Purple card (it doesn't matter which one). Place yours face up. Appoint a dealer to shuffle the deck and deal 3 more cards to each player. Keep these in a face-down stack. You may look at yours at any time. Dealer turns 3 more face-up to form the "Pool," then places the remainder ("draw pile") face-down beside the Pool.
2. Each player receives $10,000 (one $5,000, three $1000, three $500, five $100 bills). The remaining money forms the Bank.
3. Shuffle the tickets and deal six face-down to each player. Keep yours in a stack nearby. You may not look at them until you play them.
4. Put the "Lucky Charm" die aside, out of play. (It's only used with the "advanced" rules.)
5. Youngest player plays first; play passes to the left throughout the game.

How to Play

When it's your turn, you have three choices. You can either:

1. BUY a card, to increase your chance of making money later.
2. ROLL the dice, to "get rich quick" now.
3. TAKE A CHANCE and turn over the top ticket in your pile and do what it says (which may let you buy and roll).

1. Buy a Card

You can buy a card from your stack or from the Pool. Pay the bank its printed price. Replace the card you purchased with the top card in the draw pile (until the draw pile is exhausted).

• As you acquire cards, line them up by color. Overlap those of the same color and value, as shown below. (The manual's diagram shows Purple, Orange, Red and Green cards laid out this way.)
• Ignore the "lucky charm" symbol on these cards unless you are using the advanced rules.

2. Roll the Dice to Win Money

You make money by rolling dice and matching one of the rolls pictured among the cards you own, like a pair, a straight of 4, a full house, or eventually a mighty "7 of a kind."

Note: the dice illustrated on each card are simply examples of the rolls on it which pay money. (A full house, for example, is any pair and three of a kind, not just the 2 sixes and 3 twos shown on the Red cards).

• There is a limit to how many dice you can throw. You always roll the two black dice, and add one white die for each card color you own. You do not roll more dice for owning many cards of the same color. For example, if you own Purple, Orange, Red, and Green cards (as shown above) you'd add four white dice to your throw, one for each color. It pays to own many colors. Own all six colors and you'll roll eight dice in all!
• ROLL AGAIN. You may pick up any or all of your dice and throw them a second time. Now your roll is final.
• COLLECT MONEY. The bank now pays you for your scoring roll. Should you be able to form more than one kind of scoring roll, you must decide on one (for example, a full house rather than 2 pairs).
• BIG MONEY. You score for every card you own that pictures your roll. For example, if you roll a full house and have three Red cards, you'd earn $7500, $2500 for each card.
  • If your roll appears on cards of two different colors, collect for each such card you own. For example, "two pairs" appears on both Purple and Orange cards.

3. Play a Take-a-Chance Ticket

These usually give you good opportunities. Many let you buy and roll on the same turn. Some are kept for use later.

• If you choose to "take-a-chance," turn over the top ticket in your pile. Read it and do what it says. Discard after you use it. (You will not receive any more of these during play, and the first player to run out of Take-a-Chance tickets will cause the game to end.) Nine is the maximum number of dice you can roll, even if a ticket indicates you could roll more.
• If your ticket says "Then play another Take-a-Chance ticket," finish the action on the first ticket, then turn over the next ticket in your deck and do what it says.
• If you don't have enough cash to buy a card as some tickets require, or if cards don't exist to satisfy the opportunity, you must select the "OR" action on the card.

Ending the Game

The game comes to an end after one player plays his final Take-a-Chance ticket. This player concludes his turn, and then each player (this player included) gets one final turn. Play then stops.

Scoring and Winning

Count your cash and add the price (value) of your cards. The player with the highest total WINS. (If tied, the player amongst these with the most cards wins.)

2 Player Rules

All the above rules apply except:

1. Deal 7 Tickets to each player at the start of the game.
2. DISCARDING: After a player buys a card, from stack or Pool, discard the top card on the draw pile (place it out of play). This depletes the draw pile as if more were playing. Players may not look at these discarded cards. Follow this rule until the draw pile is exhausted.
3. The Advanced rules are not meant to be used in a 2 player game.

Advanced Rules (3, 4, or 5 Players)

After you become familiar with the play of "Take a Chance," you may wish to add these rules for extra excitement:

1. Auctions. You may not automatically buy a card you select from the Pool; it must be won at an auction. You become the "Auctioneer" and start the bidding at any price. All bids must be in $100's of dollars (the smallest bill in the game). Once a player passes, he may not re-enter the auction. High bidder buys it.
   • You (the Auctioneer) get a consolation if you are not the high bidder: you may roll the dice before ending your turn.
2. The Lucky Charm Die. Include the Lucky Charm die on every roll in the game. You may reroll it once, if desired, like the regular dice. Six different "charms" are pictured on this die; each appears once among the 6 cards of a color. Bonus money is won according to the charm rolled.
   • If the charm you rolled appears on a card that earned you money, collect $1,000 for each card you own with this charm. For example, you roll a full house (Red card) and a horseshoe; you own a Red card with a horseshoe, as well as a Purple card with a horseshoe on it. Collect $2,000!
   • Attention! Your opponents stand to collect the bonus if you can't. Any and all who have this charm amongst their cards gains $1,000 for each. Example: you roll the Horseshoe but none of your cards features a horseshoe. One opponent has 3 Horseshoes amongst his cards while another has 1. The first collects $3,000, the second $1,000.
   • No player collects a bonus if you don't win money with your roll (rare, but possible).
3. Shorter or Longer Game. For a longer game, deal 7 "Take a Chance" tickets to each player. For a shorter game, deal 5 to each.

Game Storage

To keep your components tidy when stored in the moneybag, use rubber bands to organize the money, cards and tickets.