No Thanks!
Based on the game by Thorsten Gimmler
A game of tense decision making and a little luck. Score low to win, and make sure you have chips to get out of trouble.
Setup
Sequence numbers 3-35 (33 cards total; suit is cosmetic)
Clubs3–9
Spades0–9
Hearts0–9
Diamonds0–5
Also needed: Chips/tokens (see table)
Use running card numbers 3–35 (the numbers in the top right) from ZSA Cards.
- 3–9 is Clubs♣ ranks 3–9
- 10–19 is Spades♠ ranks 0–9
- 20–29 is Hearts♥ ranks 0–9
- 30–35 is Diamonds♦ ranks 0–5
Pull out these 33 cards and ignore their suit. Only the running number matters for this game.
033044055066077088099
100111122133144155166177188199
200211222233244255266277288299
300311322333344355
The 33 cards used in No Thanks!, shown as four suit chunks. Suits are cosmetic; the running number in the top-right corner is what matters.
You also need 55 chips. You can use coins, buttons, or anything uniform you have on hand. You need 11 chips per player,for 3–5 players, 9 per player for 6 players, or 7 per player for 7 players.
| Players | Chips per player |
|---|---|
| 3-5 | 11 |
| 6 | 9 |
| 7 | 7 |
Shuffle the 33 cards. Remove 9 cards and set them aside face-down without looking at them. Nobody should know which numbers were removed. Place the remaining 24 cards in a face-down pile where all players can reach it. Deal chips to each player. Players keep their chips hidden.
Gameplay
Choose a player to go first randomly. Flip the top card of the pile face-up. The starting player has two options:
- Take the card. Place the card face-up in front of you and collect all chips that have been placed on it. The player’s turn is over, and they flip the next card. Play continues with the player to the left.
- Say “No thanks!”. The player places 1 chip from their supply onto the card and that player’s turn is over. The next player to the left faces the same choice with the card now having more chips on it.
If a player has no chips, they must take the card.
Play continues until all 24 cards have been taken.
Strategy note: The 9 removed cards are crucial. You might gamble on completing a run from 15–18, but if 16 was removed, you’re stuck scoring both 15 and 17.
Scoring
The player with the lowest score wins.
- Each card you’ve collected gives you its sequence number as points (e.g., card #27 is 27 points).
- But, if you hold consecutive numbers, only the lowest in the run counts. For example, if you hold #20, #21, #22, you only score 20 penalty points (not 63).
- Each chip you still hold is worth −1 point (subtracts from your total).
Scoring example
You finish the round holding the cards #20, #21, #22, #27, #30 and 4 chips:
200211222277300
Cards collected this round (sequence numbers map to: #20=Spades 0, #21=Spades 1, #22=Spades 2, #27=Hearts 7, #30=Diamonds 0). You also have four chips left.
20 (run 20-22, lowest only) + 27 + 30 = 77
77 − 4 (chips left) = 73
The run 20-21-22 saved you 43 penalty points.
