Swipe is a race to empty your hand before everyone else. You’ll play cards equal to or lower than the last player, clear the pile with a 4-of-a-kind or a SWIPE card, and try not to get caught holding cards — especially a SWIPE card — when someone else goes out. Here’s the whole game in about 5 minutes.
Full thoughts: Swipe Review
Note: This is a condensed version of the rules to get you playing fast — nothing important is left out, but read the full rulebook for every edge case.
What’s In The Box
- 3 SWIPE decks, 56 cards each (168 cards total) — a standard 52-card deck plus 4 SWIPE cards per deck, one per suit
- An official score sheet (optional — any paper works)
Setup
How a Turn Works
The leader starts an empty pile by playing 1 to 4 cards of equal value, or a SWIPE card. After that, on your turn you can do one of two things:
Option 1
Play Equal or Lower
Play 1 to 4 cards from your hand, table row, or (once unlocked) face-down cards, of a rank equal to or lower than the last cards played. If you're matching the pile's current rank, the total copies of that rank in the pile (yours plus what's already there) can't exceed 4. Declare your count out loud — "3 nines" — to end your turn.
Option 2
Play a SWIPE Card
Play a SWIPE card at any time, on any pile. Declare "SWIPE" — the entire pile, SWIPE card included, gets moved to the discard. You immediately go again and start a fresh, empty pile.
Playing higher instead: if you can’t (or don’t want to) play equal or lower, you may play 1 to 4 cards of a higher rank. Declare the total count of that rank now in the pile — but this time, everything else already in the pile gets picked up into your hand, and only your higher card(s) stay on the table to start the next pile.
Your table row cards play directly onto the pile — never move them to your hand first. You can add more cards of the same rank from your hand afterward, before you declare your final count and end your turn.
Face-down cards are locked until the face-up card sitting on top of them has been played. Once that happens, the card underneath joins your playable hand — but you play it blind, since you don’t know its value until you commit to it.
4 of a Kind
If your play brings a rank’s count in the pile to exactly 4 (yours plus what’s already there), declare “4 of a kind.” What happens next depends on whether that rank beat the previous play:
- Equal or lower than the previous play: the whole pile (all 4 of that rank, plus anything else there) moves to the discard. You go again with a new pile.
- Higher than the previous play: only the 4-of-a-kind goes to the discard. Every other card in the pile gets picked up into your hand. You still go again with a new pile.
Either way, hitting 4 of a kind means an extra turn — same as swiping.
Winning and Scoring
The round ends the instant any player plays their last card. Play stops immediately — that player scores 0 for the round. Everyone else counts up the cards still in their combined hand (table row plus hand) as penalty points:
20 pts
SWIPE Card
Any SWIPE card left in your hand at round end costs 20 points — by far the worst card to get caught holding.
10 pts
10 through King
Every 10, Jack, Queen, or King left in hand counts as a flat 10 points, regardless of exact rank.
Face Value
2 through 9
Number cards count their printed value. An Ace counts as just 1 point.
Lower total score is better — you’re trying to avoid points, not collect them. Play multiple hands, rotating the lead each time, and total the scores across hands. Before you start, agree on an end condition: a set number of times each player has led, or a target penalty total (100–200 points is typical) that ends the game once someone crosses it. Lowest total score wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play a SWIPE card even if I could legally play equal or lower instead?
Yes. A SWIPE card can be played at any time on your turn, regardless of what's already in the pile or what other legal plays you have available.
What happens if I can't play equal, lower, or a SWIPE card?
You pick up the pile. If you have no legal play — including from your locked face-down cards, which stay locked either way — you take every card in the central pile into your hand, and it becomes part of your combined hand for the rest of the round.
Do the face-down cards ever get shuffled or replaced?
No. The four face-down cards you set at the start of the round stay exactly where they are until their covering face-up card is played. There's no reshuffling mid-round.
How many SWIPE cards are in the game?
12 total — each of the 3 decks contains 4 SWIPE cards, one per suit.
Thumbnail image artificially generated for illustrative purposes.
