You don’t know why, but you have been given a deck of 98 cards, each card has a number attached to them, numbered 1 through 98. You have been tasked with stacking these cards in a very specific order, and by adhering to the rules given without fault. You are only allowed a few do-overs, and must complete this task as fast as possible. Mind racing, you set out to do your task, and start to learn the patterns. You know it will get difficult, but the 98 cards must be placed.
98 Cards is a simple single player game. You have 98 cards, with 98 different numbers written on them. You have four separate piles that you must place all 98 cards onto, and follow the proper rules in regard to placing them. Although it seems simple, it becomes almost torturously difficult as the numbers seem to come out of nowhere, with no end in sight. As such, there are a few simple tactics that you can adopt to become a much better card dealer, and to ensure that you don’t end up with too many disparities to a fault. These are just a few of them.
98 Cards Beginner’s Guide
To start, let’s talk about what you have to begin with. At the beginning of the game, you have four piles that you can use. Two piles go from the lowest to the highest, and the other two go from the highest to the lowest. You can only place numbers onto the pile, depending on what number it is, and if it fits the bill. For instance, on the ascending piles, you have to place a number onto it that is greater than the one before. The opposite goes for the descending piles as well. After placing the first card, you must place a card that has a smaller number than the one before it.
There is some leeway to bring the cards back to a favorable position. If the number is exactly ten from the other, you are able to place a number on top of it that goes against what the pile is. For instance, if you are playing on the descending pile, where you constantly have to place a number that is lower than the previous number, if the number is say, 25, you can place a 35 on top of it, to give yourself some breathing room. So, if it were to go 78, 72, 56, 53, you could put down a 63, and it would be okay. The same goes for the other piles that go in ascending order, with the same process.
The last mechanic is how you are able to go back on a move. Every other turn, you can get a redo on the card you laid down. This is because you are given 8 cards at the beginning to use. You are given 8 cards that all have different numbers to be able to start with. Every time you use two cards, the cards will automatically refill with a new set of two. But, in between the first and second card use, you have a chance to redo it, as the cards have not been refreshed yet. Make sure to take full advantage of this mechanic, as you may never know when you need to go back on your choice. This will happen every other placement of the card, so keep it in mind.
Strategies to Get Highest Score
Now, lets go over a few of the strategies that can be used. The first and simplest strategy is to constantly focus on one pile, and only use the smallest differences when placing the cards. For instance, if you have all 8 cards, and they all are relatively close, about 3-4 apart from each other, they can all go to the same pile, and you can free up quite a bit of space like this. The problem comes from the fact that you won’t have that many options, and you will also end up having to disregard the possible usage of the 10-rule, as I like to call it.
This strategy is both good and bad, as it is extremely simple in nature. The problem comes from the issue that you limit yourself often, and there is a limit to how far you can go with it, in a single row. Once you start putting cards into the other areas, following and keeping track of the cards in other piles can get a bit difficult. As such, this way of playing can earn you easy points, but generally limits how far you can go in the game.
The second strategy you can attempt to do is the four-pile strategy. This way of playing means that you focus on every single pile, and lay out your cards accordingly. This generally means that you have plenty of cards and spaces to work with, but you need to keep track of what numbers are available for your disposal.
This strategy is extremely difficult to pull off, but allows you to utilize the most out of the mechanics of the game. When attempting to use the 10-point rule, you get the option of constantly discarding other cards into other piles in favor of finding that one 10-point card that you can lay down. Second, the piles generally grow at a much slower pace, as long as you distribute the cards at an equal pace.
Now, there can be variations in these strategies. You can focus on only two piles, with the other two being throwaways, or just attempt to use three, and leave one as a discard. Mix and match how you like, just remember the primary objective of getting rid of all the cards.
This game has many ways to be played. Not only are you able to break up the first and second strategies into nice mixtures of themselves, but there are plenty of other ways to try to make some fast points. No matter what, find your own style and way of playing, and try to get the highest score out of all the stackers, without hitting the top number. Good luck, and happy stacking!