2, 3, 4 or 6 players · 20–30 min · Cards + board

Five Chip: play a card, claim a space, make five

Five Chip combines two things everyone loves: a hand of playing cards and the simple goal of getting five in a row. Every space on the 10×10 board shows a playing card. Play a card from your hand and drop your chip on one of the two spaces that match it. Line up five chips across, down or diagonally to score a row. It is easy enough to teach in two minutes and deep enough that a well-timed Jack can turn the whole game around. PlayAdda deals the cards, highlights where you can play and checks every row automatically.

How to play

1. Tap Start Five Chip, enter your name, and share the code. The game needs 2, 3, 4 or 6 players.
2. The host taps Start game. Everyone is dealt a hand from two standard decks: seven cards with two players, six with three or four, and five with six.
3. On your turn, tap a card in your hand. The spaces where it can go glow on the board.
4. Tap a glowing space to place your chip. You automatically draw a replacement card.

The board

The board has one hundred spaces. The four corners are free spaces: they count as a chip for every player, so a row through a corner only needs four of your own chips. The other 96 spaces show every card from two standard decks except the Jacks, so each non-Jack card appears exactly twice. Hearts and diamonds are printed in red, spades and clubs in black.

Jacks

Making rows

A row is five chips of your colour in a straight line: horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Corners count for everyone. When you complete a row, its chips are locked. For a second row you may reuse one chip from your first row, but not more, so two rows can cross or share an end but cannot overlap by two or more spaces.

With two sides you need two rows to win; with three sides you need one. The first player or team to reach the target wins immediately.

Strategy tips

• Block early. When an opponent has three in a line, placing one chip in the gap is often worth more than extending your own line.
• Save your Jacks. A two-eyed Jack finishing a row of four is the strongest play in the game. A one-eyed Jack is best used to break an opponent’s four.
• Use corners. Rows through a corner need one chip fewer.
• Count the cards. If both spaces for a card are taken, that card is dead. Swap it for a fresh one.
• Talk to your team. Teams cannot see each other’s hands, but on a voice call you can hint (“I like the top left”) without giving everything away.

Frequently asked questions

Is Five Chip the same as Sequence?

Five Chip is PlayAdda’s own card-and-chip game in the same family as the popular five-in-a-row board games. Sequence is a trademark of its owner, and this game is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Our board layout is original.

How many people can play, and how do teams work?

Two, three, four or six players. With two or three players everyone plays for themselves. With four players there are two teams of two; with six there are three teams of two. Teammates sit alternately, so play passes between teams.

How many rows do I need to win?

Two rows of five when there are two sides (two players, or four players in two teams). One row of five when there are three sides (three players, or six players in three teams).

What is a dead card?

A card is dead when both of its spaces on the board are already covered. Once per turn you may swap a dead card for a fresh one before you play. If every card in your hand is dead, you can keep swapping.

Can a chip in a finished row be removed?

No. Once five chips form a row, they are locked and shown with a gold ring. A one-eyed Jack cannot remove a locked chip.

What happens if the deck runs out?

Players simply stop drawing and keep playing the cards in their hands. If nobody can complete the required rows before every hand is empty, the game is a draw.

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