Components

  • 56 hat cards (7 each of 8 different hats)

Object of the Game

Collect the most cards by matching the hat card on top of your head or one in your hand with the face up card in the middle. Also try to win other players' cards if they fall off their heads by shouting, "Hats Off!"


Setup

Shuffle the deck and deal four cards to each player. Stack the remaining deck face down in the center of the play area.

All players select one card from their hands, look at it, and then balance it face down on top of their heads, so other players cannot see it. Remember your card!



Game Play

The person with the longest hair goes first and play passes to the left. On your turn, draw the top card from the center deck (without looking at it) and place it face up next to the deck.



Without taking turns, all players look at the card to see if it matches the card on their heads or any of the cards in their hands.

The first player to play a matching card on top of it from her hand or head wins both cards. (Place won cards in a face down pile in front of you). If no one has a match, the next player turns over the next card on top of the last card.

Players try to match this card, and so on, until a match is finally made. The player who makes the match wins all of the cards in the face up pile.

After making a match, always draw so that you have three cards in your hand, and one on your head. The next card is always turned up by the last player to win a card.


Hats Off

During play a card may fall off of a player's head. When this happens, the first player to shout, "Hats Off!" wins that card.

If no one says, "Hats Off!" before the next play is made, then no one wins the card and it is placed back in the middle of the deck. If you lose the card on your head, draw a new card from the deck to replace the one that fell off.

Note: You may not win a card that falls from your own head, but you get to judge who said "Hats Off!" first.

If a player plays a card from either her hand or head that does not match the face up card, then the first player (other than the player who made the play) to say, "Hats Off!" wins that card.

The player who played the wrong card draws a new one, and play resumes with the players trying to match the face up card.


End of the Game

Play continues until the last card has been drawn from the center deck. Count up the cards in your face down pile.

The player with the most cards wins. For a longer game, play the best of three or five rounds.


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