News & Updates:

Like the website?
Recommend Us To a Friend

HOW TO PLAY THE CARD GAME SNIP, SNAP, SNOREM

Number of Players: 3 or more players. The more the merrier.

The Deal: One at a time to each player, until the entire pack is used up. It doesn't matter if some players have more cards than the others. Object: To get rid of all of your cards. The Play: The player at dealer's left puts any card face up on the table. The next player (going around to the left) matches the play with the same card in a different suit, saying "Snip." The next player in turn (always going around to the left) continues to match the original play with the same card in a third suit, saying "Snap." The next player follows with the 4th card of the same kind, saying "Snorem." If a player is unable to follow with a matching card, he says "Pass," and the turn to play passes to the next person on the left. For example, the first player puts down a 6 of hearts. The next player to the left has no 6 and therefore must say "Pass." The next player has the 6 of diamonds and therefore puts it down, saying "Snip." The next player to the left has both of the remaining 6's and therefore puts them down one at a time, saying "Snap" for the first of them, and "Snorem" for the second. The player who says "Snorem," on putting down the 4th card of a kind, plays the first card of the next group of 4. If he has more than one of a kind, he must put down as many as he has instead of holding out one of the cards for "Snorem." For example, if you have 2 Kings, you must put both of them down if you decide to play a King. It would not be proper to put down just one of the Kings and wait for the other 2 Kings to appear before showing your remaining King for a "Snorem." The first player to get rid of his cards wins the game. Skillful Play: There is no real skill in this game. It can be taught to even the youngest children, and they will be as good as the greatest Snip, Snap, Snorem expert after just a minute or so of practice.

THE EARL OF COVENTRY

This is the same as Snip, Snap, Snorem except that different words are used. The exact word depends on whether the player is young or grownup. Young children always use the same words when putting down their cards. For example, suppose a young player puts down a 5. He says, "There's as good as 5 can be." The next young player to put down a 5 can say, "There's a 5 as good as he." The next player says, "There's the best 5 of all the three." The fourth player would say triumphantly, "And there's the Earl of Coventry!" Grownup players must make a different rhyming statement as they play their cards. For example, an adult who plays a 5 might say, "Here's a 5 you can have from me," or "The best 5 now on land or sea," "The finest 5 in the land of the free," or any similar rhyming statement. If a grownup fails to make an acceptable rhymed statement when he plays his card, he is not allowed to begin a new play at his next turn at "Snorem." The turn to make the new play passes to the next young player at his left.

JIG

This is the same as Snip, Snap, Snorem or The Earl of Coventry, except that the players put down 4 cards in sequence instead of 4 of a kind. For example, suppose that the player at the left of the dealer begins by putting down a 5. The next player must put down any 6 or must pass his turn. The next player must put down any 7 or must pass his turn. The play is completed by the next person who puts down any 8. The one who completes the play with the fourth card in sequence then begins the new series by putting down a card from his hand. The game may be played by saying "Snip, Snap, Snorem," or by using rhyming statements as in the Earl of Coventry.

Related terms include rummy card game and author card game.