Take 5

About this board game

Take 5 is a card game for 2–10 players with a playing time of about 45 minutes, in which players try to score as few points as possible.

To begin, shuffle the 104 number cards, place four cards face-up to start four rows, and deal ten cards to each player. Each round, everyone secretly chooses a card, then all chosen cards are revealed and added to the rows in ascending numerical order.

Each card must be placed in the row whose final card has the highest number below it. When a card would become the sixth card in a row, the player who played it takes the other five cards as points. The played card then starts that row again.

• Simultaneous card selection and reveal
• Four ascending rows that change throughout the game
• Number cards with different point values
• A low-score objective: the player with the fewest points wins

After ten rounds, players total the points on the cards they have collected. The game can end when a player passes the relevant scoring limit; for example, Category 5 ends above 74 points, while 6 nimmt! ends when someone exceeds 66.

Take 5 supports different dynamics depending on the number of players. A variant uses only the lowest 34, 44, 54, or more cards for games with three, four, five, or more players, making it possible to track which cards are in play and anticipate what may appear.