No Thanks! Card Game How to Play and Review

No Thanks! is an auction/push-your-luck game.

Title: No Thanks!

Year Published: 2004

Designer: Thorsten Gimmler

Publisher: Z-Man Games

Players: 3-5

Game Time: ~20 Mins

Set-up Time: >1 Mins

Ages: 8+

Theme: None

Mechanic: Auction, Push Your Luck

How to win: Get the lowest score.

Game Description

This game was originally published in Germany by Amigo as Geschenkt …ist noch zu teuer!, meaning “Even given as a gift, it is still too expensive!”

How to play No Thanks! Card Game

Below is a description of how to play No Thanks! but if you’d prefer it in video form you have that option too.

Set-Up

Give each player 11 tokens.

Shuffle the deck, and remove 9 cards from the game face down. Choose a first player and turn over the top card of the deck.

Game Play

The start player will either:

Take the card from the middle of the table. If they do they put it in front of themselves. If they do they have the same two options with the next card.

Or ‘Pass’ by putting a token on it. When a player passes this way the next player then has the same two options.

Game End

When the deck of cards runs out the game will end.

Players add up all the cards they have, counting the lowest number of an unbroken sequence as one card, and deduct 1 point for each token they have left.

The lowest total wins.

Round-Up

This is a very fun and tense game. I’ve never played this without everyone enjoying themselves and really getting into it.

The game is better with table banter. You can keep reminding someone that you have more tokens than them. You can tell the player with 19 and 21 that 20 isn’t in the deck and add to the whole experience.

No Thanks! Rating

Quick, easy, and fun.

I give it 6/10

No Thanks! Initial Review January 2014

Will I say ‘Yes Please!’ or ‘No Thanks!’ to this game?

Spoiler alert! I went out to buy it the next day!

No Thanks! Summary

It’s very tactical yet simple.

Do you take the high-number card just because it has a lot of tokens on it?

Do you that a low card? It’s not going to get you many points but how often can you take a single card?

Do you take the number 20 card to stop someone from connecting their 17,18 and 19 to 21?

It’s one of those games you really have to play. It’s great and cheap, go get it!

Jesta ThaRogue