Mikado (pick up sticks) rules

Mikado (pick up sticks)

Rules

Classic Mikado consists of 41 sticks, around 15 cm long, coded with different values that have a total of 170 points.

Name

Traditional wood type

Coding

Point value

Number of sticks

Mikado

walnut

blue

20 pts

1

Mandarin

cherry

yellow/black, middle wide two narrow stripes on the ends

10 pts

5

Bonzen     (jpbouzu)

oak

orange, five stripes

5 pts

5

Samurai

beech

green, three stripes

3 pts

15

Kuli (cn. guli) / Worker

ash

red, two stripes

2 pts

15

 

The sticks are bundled and taken in one hand that touches the table or ground. The release creates a circular jumble. Now the players take turns, in which one stick after another should be taken up without moving or touching others. The take-up could be by hand, possibly through pressing on a stick's tip or if one has already picked up a special stick (Mikado/blue), it could be used to help to pick up another stick.

On a fault the turn ends. If a stick was taken, that stick is not counted. The next player continues to pick up from the remaining sticks for their turn. Play continues till all sticks are taken-up. After several rounds, normally five, the one with the highest score – the total of the values of the sticks picked up – is the winner.

A player is allowed to stand up during their turn, but not to leave their own place. A bad throw could be rerun, and the rules should be kept strict in respect to moving sticks to enjoy the game. Add rules to make it more challenging, such as only using your off hand, or remaining sticks being bundled and dropped each turn.

Fault-Causing other sticks to move while trying to pick up a stick.

Take-up- the act of picking up a stick, on one’s turn.

Off hand- your non dominate hand


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