Acey Twosey

Materials Required

• One full pack of playing cards (jokers removed)

Activity: Card Game of Chance

How to Play:

1. Divide the class into groups of four or five players.
2. Model a game in a group with all other students in a fishbowl set up to observe.
3. Choose one player in each group to act as the dealer.
4. In this game, aces are the highest value cards and 2s are the lowest.
5. The dealer deals two cards face-up to each player.
6. Each player then decides whether to play or pass.
7. Point system. 5 maximum points risked / 0 if you pass.
8. If a player chooses to play, they may ask the dealer for a third card after they indicate points that they would like to risk.
   • If they decline to take a third card, they score zero points for that round.
9. The goal is to receive a third card that falls between the values of the first two cards (regardless of suit).
   • If the third card is between the values of the original two cards, the player earns the points risked.
   • If the third card does not fall between the first two, the player loses that number of points which could take their score below zero.
10. Once all players have taken their turn, the role of dealer rotates to the next player.
11. Players keep track of their scores, which are totalled at the end of the game.

Discussion and Reflection:

After playing, ask students to reflect on and share the strategies they used to decide whether to take a chance. For example:

“Terry was dealt a King and a 4. His chances of drawing a card between those values were high because many cards (5 through Queen) would earn him a point. Only a 2, 3, 4, King, or Ace would cause him to lose. He chose to play.”

Encourage groups to discuss the element of chance involved. For instance:

“Even with an Ace and a 2, there’s still a small chance you’ll draw one of those cards again and lose a point.”

Allow students to replay the game, using these reflections to guide their decisions.

Extension Activity:

To help students make more informed decisions during the game, challenge them to design a simple card counting system. This system should help them keep track of which cards have already been played and estimate the likelihood of drawing a card that falls between their two.