Stress (card game)

Stress, or Hong Kong is a card game that uses a standard 52-card deck. Because of the rules of the game, it can only be played with a number of people that divides twelve (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 12 people). The objective of the game is to get all of a player's piles to have four-of-a-kinds. Another version of stress is commonly played with poker or uno cards.

Game rules

Object

The aim is to get each hand with a four-of-a-kind. To achieve this, players must put down cards into the middle of the table, picking up another that was in the middle. There must always be four cards in the middle of the table, and in each pile. Once one of a player's hands has four-of-a-kind, that hand can be put down onto the table face-up. Once all of a player's hands are face-up on the table, they must yell "Stress!," or "Hong Kong" in order to win.

Deck

The deck is divided into thirteen equal piles, each with four cards. One pile goes into the middle, and the rest of the piles are equally dealt among the players. Each of the players' piles will remain face-down, and can only be lifted when the pile in the middle is flipped. The pile in the middle is flipped over so that all four cards are completely visible.

Card piles

Each player's pile is entirely their own to look at. Only one player's pile can be lifted at a time. If the player wishes to look at another one of their piles, they will have to put down their pile and pick up another one.

The play

When playing Hong Kong, it is customary for the second, third, and fourth players to win to say "Beijing," "Shanghai," and "Tokyo," respectively. The list may go on to the enth person ("Whiplash!"), or Reykjavík. Because of the nature and card transferring of this game, there is rarely a time in which two players will not be yelling "Stress!" at nearly the same time. This also brings about the concepts of sabotage into the game.

See also

• Nertz
• Spank Pankis
• California Speed
• Spit (card game)