Guide to Playing Sequence

The game of Sequence is great if you’re in the mood for something that doesn’t require much time to learn but still provides a lot of fun in a short amount of time. It’s a board game emphasizing strategy and is easy to pick up. Anybody over the age of six can understand and enjoy it.

Sequence is unlike any other game. It is not easy by any means, but it isn’t as challenging as it may seem at first glance. This comprehensive guide will enlighten you with Sequence’s ins and outs. 

What Is Sequence?

In 1982, Doug Reuter came up with the idea for the Sequence game. It’s a game of board and cards with anywhere from two to twelve players. Two full decks of cards (52 total) are laid out in a ten-by-ten grid with four empty spaces in each of the four corners.

Players must be the first to form winning sequences on the board to win. A square on the board represents a card. Put chips on the board in the spots that match the cards you play.

The board game Sequence can be enjoyed by everyone. Given the element of chance, even very young children can play successfully against adults. The games are short and can be played repeatedly.

playing cards on deck

What You’ll Need

A Sequence set is required for the game of Sequence. The following items make up a complete set:

  • 1 Game Board
  • 2 Decks of cards
  • 1 Rule pamphlet
  • 135 Playing Chips:
  • 50 Blue Chips
  • 50 Green chips
  • 35 Red Chips

Sequence revolves around the board. Each square in the grid represents one card. Except for Jacks, all other cards are included twice. The layout is eye-catching, with bright colors and easy visibility of all the cards from both decks.

Standard playing cards (except for Jacks) make up both decks. Four Jacks have one eye each, and the other four have two eyes each. These items are wild cards.

The chips have good texture and size. You can tell they’re high quality by how they feel in your hand and by the fact that they’ll last.

woman sitting on a chair while holding a green chip

Sequence Rules and Gameplay

The Point of Play

It’s simple to become discouraged when first attempting to learn Sequence. The game’s goal is straightforward: arrange your poker chips in rows. Five chips are needed to fill out a row.

Your hand of cards will determine where you should place your chips. The scenario is more complicated than that. When it comes to understanding how to play Sequence, there is much more to discuss.

Setting Up

Unlike most other games, you can play Sequence with anywhere from two to twelve people. However, if there are more than three players, they will need to form teams. Additionally, the traditional rules of Sequence only allow for groups of 2 or 3 players.

This restricts the number of players to 2-4, 6, 8-10, or 12. As a result, how many cards are dealt to each player is proportional to the total number of participants.

Still, this isn’t the only distinction. If you’re playing with a partner, you’ll need to finish two sequences for victory. In a game with three players or teams, victory requires the completion of only one Sequence.

When all the teams and players are set, the game can begin. But first, you must choose who will go first, either individually or collectively. Each player should draw a single card from the shuffled deck in the middle.

blue green and purple poker chips

The individual with the lowest card becomes the dealer for the next hand. When it’s time to distribute cards, they’ll do so. Remember that the number of players will determine the number of cards dealt. After that, every group or player will select a color of poker chips to use.

In games with more than two participants, the red poker chips are used instead. The one to the dealer’s left goes first. 

Building A Sequence

To make a sequence, position five chips in a row on the board in any direction (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). It’s important to plan because other players will likely cut you off in the middle of your Sequence. The player must anticipate their opponents’ moves by comparing the cards in their hand to the possible sequences on the table.

Wild Jacks can move an opponent’s chip off the board or place your chip anywhere you like. In this game, the corner squares do not belong to any specific card and can be used to advance the Sequence.

The Jack Cards

It’s important to note that there are eight Jacks in a standard 52-card deck. The four two-eyed Jacks are wild. Playing a two-eyed Jack involves discarding the card and moving one of your marker chips to a space on the game board.

The four-member, one-eyed jack gang, is anti-wild. Playing a one-eyed Jack involves placing it in your discard pile and removing an opponent’s marker chip from the board. So ends your turn.

jack of hearts prince charming

On this turn, you may not eliminate a marker chip already part of a completed sequence, and you may not place one of your chips in that same space. Once a player or team reaches a particular sequence, you cannot stop the streak. You can play either Jack on your turn, depending on what you deem to be the most strategic move.

Dead Cards

No available spaces on the board indicate a dead card. If you are dealt a card with no potential use, it is effectively useless. 

Rather than keeping the card, you can toss it and draw a new one from the deck. However, you must give advance notice of your intention to do this.

Loss of Card

A player must take a card from the draw deck after the others have taken turns and placed a marker chip on the board. You will be at a disadvantage in the end game if you do not take a card before the next participant moves and takes their card.

Table Talk

No one can coach or talk to their teammates at the table. If a teammate says something that tips off another teammate that they’re about to do something they shouldn’t, all team members must discard a card from their hand.

If the draw deck is used up during gameplay, the discard piles are combined and shuffled to make a new draw deck.

person holding a deck of cards

Winning Conditions

Complete some sequences quicker than your rivals to claim victory. Teams all focus on the same sequences—the number of sequences you need to finish doubles if there are two players or teams. There must be only one Sequence if there are three participants or teams.

Sequence, which debuted in 1982, has been circulating for four decades. If you take everyone’s opinions into account, it’s a fun game for the whole family. Use this Sequence playing guide to ensure that all participants can join in, grasp the rules, and enjoy the game.