How To Play Skip Bo (with Pictures) - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Play and Win a Game of Skip Bo PDF download Download Article Dealing the cards, making piles, and beating your friends Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA Reviewed by Ashton Wu

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,379,341 times.

Skip-Bo was invented in 1967, but it’s still a blast to play with your friends or family. In this timeless card game, 2-6 players lay cards onto piles in ascending order, much like Solitaire. Unlike Solitaire, though, players race to see who can run out of cards first. We’ll offer some simple instructions on how to set up and play the game, as well as directions for some fun variations to keep the party going long after you’ve mastered the basic rules.

How to Play Skip Bo: Quick Overview

Deal 30 cards face-down to each player and place the rest face-down in the center. On a player's turn, they draw 5 cards from the center pile, then play as many ascending cards as they can onto the 4 “building” piles, which must start at 1. The first player to run out of cards in their face-down stack wins the game!

Steps

Part 1 Part 1 of 3:

Setting Up the Game

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  1. Step 1 Gather 2-6 people around a large table and shuffle the cards. 1 Gather 2-6 people around a large table and shuffle the cards. To get started with Skip-Bo, grab a few friends—up to 5 other players, including yourself.[1] Then, Skip-Bo requires a large play surface to hold all the piles of cards, so find a large, round table to play at, or even play on the floor. Shuffle all 162 of the cards together.
    • Split the deck into 2-3 piles, and shuffle those independently to make it easier. Then, swap half of each pile and shuffle those. Finally, combine the piles to create the deck.
  2. Step 2 Deal 20 or 30 cards to each player, depending on how many are playing. 2 Deal 20 or 30 cards to each player, depending on how many are playing. If you’re playing with 2-4 players, deal 30 cards to each player, starting with the person on your left and continuing counter-clockwise. If you’re playing with 5-6 people, deal each player 20 cards.
    • Tell everyone to keep their cards face-down. No peeking in Skip-Bo!
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  3. Step 3 Create a stockpile for each player, plus a draw pile. 3 Create a stockpile for each player, plus a draw pile. Each player arranges all the cards they were dealt into a face-down pile in front of them, toward the center of the table. These are the stockpiles. Then, everyone turns over the top card of their pile, placing it face-up on top of the stockpile.[2]
    • Place the cards that didn’t get dealt face-down in a pile in the center of the table to create a draw pile.
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Part 2 Part 2 of 3:

Playing the Game

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  1. Step 1 Draw 5 cards from the draw pile to form your starting hand. 1 Draw 5 cards from the draw pile to form your starting hand. The person to the left of the dealer starts the game. They draw 5 cards from the top of the draw pile, arranging them in their hand. Everyone else waits for this first player to take their turn before drawing their own cards.[3]
  2. Step 2 Play either a “Skip-Bo” card or a 1 to start the discard piles. 2 Play either a “Skip-Bo” card or a 1 to start the discard piles. If your starting hand contains either of these 2 cards, or if your face-up card on your stockpile is a Skip-Bo card (which is wild) or a 1, place them in the center of the table to begin the “building” piles. Each building pile must begin with either a Skip-Bo card or a 1, and players share 4 building piles in the center of the table.
    • At the start, there aren’t any building piles. Imagine 4 blank slots in the center of the table, onto which you’ll place your starting cards.
    • If you have neither a Skip-Bo card nor a 1, your turn ends. Discard a card onto the space next to your stockpile to make a discard pile.
  3. Step 3 Play cards in ascending order onto the building piles. 3 Play cards in ascending order onto the building piles. Once you’ve got a building pile or 2 started, play as many cards onto these piles from your hand or the stockpile as you can. In order to play a card onto the pile, the card must be 1 value higher than the top card of the pile. For example, if you started a building pile with a 1, you may only place a 2 on top of it, then a 3, 4, etc.[4]
    • After you play the top card of the stockpile, flip over the next card and play that one, too, if you can, continuing until you can’t play the topmost card.
    • If you play all 5 cards in your hand, draw 5 more from the draw pile and keep playing your turn.
  4. Step 4 Discard a card onto a discard pile to end your turn. 4 Discard a card onto a discard pile to end your turn. After you’ve played all the cards you can onto the building piles, choose 1 card to discard. Place this card next to your stockpile. Each player can have up to 4 of their own discard piles. On your next turn, use the face-up cards in your discard piles to also add onto the building piles.[5]
    • Place your discarded card onto any of your 4 discard piles you like. These don’t have to follow any particular order.
    • If you discard the last card in your hand, your turn ends, rather than picking up 5 more cards like you would if you simply played your entire hand.
    • Take full advantage of your discard pile. Aim to have 4 discard stacks at all times to give you more options for play.
  5. Step 5 Reshuffle completed building piles into the draw pile. 5 Reshuffle completed building piles into the draw pile. Each time you place a 12 on top of a building pile, that building pile is completed! Reshuffle the cards in that pile into the draw pile. Now you have an empty space for a new building pile that will start with either a Skip-Bo card or a 1.[6]
  6. Step 6 Take turns drawing and playing cards until someone’s stockpile runs out. 6 Take turns drawing and playing cards until someone’s stockpile runs out. At the start of every turn, draw from the draw pile until you have 5 cards. Then, play cards from your hand, the top of your stockpile, or your discard pile. Once someone’s stock pile has run out, the game ends, and they’re the winner![7]
    • Since the game ends when you run out of cards in your stockpile, it’s a good idea to prioritize playing cards from this pile whenever possible.
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Part 3 Part 3 of 3:

Game Variations

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  1. Step 1 Score each game to play multiple rounds. 1 Score each game to play multiple rounds. To keep the game going through more than 1 round, use a scoring system to keep track of points. The winner gets 25 points when they run out of cards in their stockpile, plus 5 additional points for every card left in their opponents’ stockpiles. Count up your points and write them down on a pad of paper. The first person to 500 total points wins.[8]
  2. Step 2 Partner up with another player to play on a team. 2 Partner up with another player to play on a team. If you’re playing with an even number of players, pair up players sitting across from each other. These players are now teammates, and on their turns they can use cards from their teammate’s stock or discard piles play onto the building piles.[9]
    • Teammates can’t discuss strategy, though! Coordinate simply by discarding cards you think your partner might need.
  3. Step 3 Play with some extra penalties for a more competitive game. 3 Play with some extra penalties for a more competitive game. Skip-Bo has some built-in rules for certain situations. Skip these if you like, to make your game a bit more laid-back and friendly. But if you’re looking for more of a challenge, incorporate the following into your game:
    • If you accidentally draw too many cards, shuffle all the cards in your hand into your stockpile. Then draw 5 more cards.
    • If you accidentally start your turn when it’s someone else’s turn, that person may let you complete the turn. If they do, and you don’t realize your mistake, you can’t draw new cards on your next turn.
    • In a team game, keep playing until both players on a team have used all of the cards in both of their stockpiles.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Can I discard a wild card? Community Answer Community Answer Yes. You may decide to end your turn even if you could still make a play, and discard any card. This may be a good idea if the wild card is your last card in hand and you'd rather save it in your discard pile until you get five more cards next turn. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 25 Helpful 67
  • Question What do you do when you cannot discard a card? Community Answer Community Answer You can always discard a card, unless you have no cards in your hand. If that's the case, then pick up more cards until you have a full hand and keep playing until you have a card to discard. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 37 Helpful 56
  • Question What do I do with the card I pull from the stock pile on each turn? Community Answer Community Answer Only pull it from the stockpile if you are going to use it. Don't discard it or keep it in your hand. Always keep the first card of the stockpile flipped over, on top of the pile. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 16 Helpful 39
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Tips

  • You don’t have to play a card if you don’t want to. Sometimes it’s advantageous to save it for your next turn. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 8
  • If you have a low card in your hand but the building piles are all high cards, focus on completing a pile to refresh it so you can play your low cards. Thanks Helpful 12 Not Helpful 6
  • If you can use all the cards in your hand, do it, but don’t neglect the card on top of your stockpile! Thanks Helpful 9 Not Helpful 8
Show More Tips Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review! Advertisement

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References

  1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_m1q3AXQNY
  2. ↑ https://www.geekyhobbies.com/skip-bo-card-game-review-and-rules/
  3. ↑ https://skipborules.com/
  4. ↑ https://bargames101.com/how-to-play-skip-bo/
  5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_m1q3AXQNY
  6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_m1q3AXQNY
  7. ↑ https://www.geekyhobbies.com/skip-bo-card-game-review-and-rules/
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_m1q3AXQNY
  9. ↑ https://www.geekyhobbies.com/skip-bo-card-game-review-and-rules/

About This Article

Ashton Wu Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 50K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 1,379,341 times. 51 votes - 69% Co-authors: 36 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 1,379,341 Categories: Featured Articles | Card Games Article SummaryX

Skip-Bo is a fun card game that can be played with 2 to 6 people. The goal of the game is to get rid of your cards before all of the other players. To play, you’ll need a deck of cards designed specifically for Skip-Bo. First, shuffle the cards and deal each player their hand. For a 2 to 4 player game, deal each player 30 cards. For a 5 to 6 player game, deal each player 20 cards. Keep your cards face-down in a pile, except for the top card, which you should flip up. Place the leftover cards face-down in the center of the table. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. To start your turn, draw from the face-down pile in the center of the table until you have 5 cards. Then, see if you can play any of your cards, including the face-up card on your pile or one of the 4 piles in the center of the playing area. In order to play one of your cards on a center pile, it must be the next card in ascending order. Skip-Bo cards are wild and can be used as any card. To start a new center pile on the table, you must play a 1. If you put a 12 on a pile, the pile is discarded, and the space opens up for a new pile to start. There can only be 4 piles on the table at one time. If you play a card from the top of your personal pile, flip up the next card in the pile. Continue your turn until you’re unable to play any more cards. Then, discard a card from your hand. Every player has 4 discard piles. You can stack discarded cards and play them on the center piles as long as they’re at the top of the discarded stack. If you manage to play all 5 of the cards in your hand in one turn, draw another 5 cards from the deck and continue playing. Once a player discards, it’s the player to their left’s turn. Play continues until one player plays all of the cards in their personal pile. Whoever runs out of cards in their personal pile first wins! For tips on how to set up the game effectively, read on! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

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Yes No Advertisement If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission.Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Ashton Wu Reviewed by: Ashton Wu Board Game Expert 51 votes - 69% Click a star to vote Co-authors: 36 Updated: February 19, 2026 Views: 1,379,341 Joanna Melegatti

Joanna Melegatti

Jul 31, 2017

"I inherited my Mom's favorite game but without instructions. I pulled it out to play with my grand- kids and..." more Rated this article: Justine Hickerson

Justine Hickerson

Dec 31, 2016

"Honestly, two other sites, both without graphics, just went over my head. I had to learn Skip Bo, since I gave it..." more Della Peters

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Dec 21, 2017

"It was very good at explaining it with the pictures. This one was the easiest way to explain to children, thank..." more Michelle Waterhouse

Michelle Waterhouse

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"It helped me to understand the strategy of the game and the purpose of the various piles." Rated this article: D. Spears

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"Playing with the grandkids. It's been years. Pictures helped. Fun evening. Thanks." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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