You cannot choose which card to play: each reveal comes from your face-down stack. The tension comes from watching the changing pictures and deciding whether you have spotted enough to beat everyone else's hand to the center.
How it plays
Take turns revealing the top card of your stack onto a shared center pile. Everyone watches for two matching cards in a row, or two matching cards separated by exactly one different card.
The first player to slap a valid pattern wins the center pile and adds it beneath their own stack. A thief card also starts a race, but you must call "Stop Thief!" as well as slap.
When you reveal a numbered muncher, the next player must reveal up to that many cards, one at a time. A matching pattern or thief lets everyone race to claim the pile using the slap rules above. Another muncher transfers the claim to its player and starts a new count for the following player, unless it completes a matching pattern. If the count runs out without a successful slap or a replacement muncher, you take the pile.
Collect every card to win; players whose stacks run out are eliminated. For a fixed finish, the rules offer an agreed time limit with the largest remaining stack winning.
Decisions you’ll make
Slap as soon as you recognize a valid pattern, or take another moment to check it. Hesitation can lose the pile to someone faster, but an incorrect slap costs you a card.
Learning the game
The matching patterns are simple, but special cards interrupt the rhythm. Practice a matching pair, a matching pair separated by one different card, and a thief before playing. For an easier first game, the rules suggest removing the numbered muncher cards.