Card sequencing game where players race to empty their stockpile by building sequential stacks from 1–12 in the center. Skip-Bo wild cards let you skip any number.
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Turn timer
Keep turns moving with a per-player clock for Skip-Bo.
The standard way to play Skip-Bo — race to empty your stockpile by building sequential stacks from 1 to 12 in the center. First player to play all their stockpile cards wins. This variant tracks winner only (no point scoring).
Skip-Bo is a sequential card game where every player starts with a personal stockpile of face-down cards. On your turn, you draw up to 5 cards in hand and try to play cards in numerical order (1 through 12) onto shared building piles in the center of the table. Skip-Bo wild cards can substitute for any number.
The first player to completely empty their stockpile wins. You can play cards from your hand, the top of your stockpile, or from your personal discard piles. Strategic discard management is the key skill — keeping your four discard piles organized so you can chain plays on future turns. Games take 30–60 minutes with 2–6 players.
162 cards: twelve each of numbers 1–12, plus 18 Skip-Bo wild cards
Each player needs space for: 1 stockpile, up to 4 personal discard piles, and a hand of cards
The center of the table holds: the draw pile and up to 4 shared building piles
Shuffle the entire deck
Deal each player a stockpile face-down:
Each player flips the top card of their stockpile face-up
Place the remaining cards face-down in the center as the draw pile
Leave space for 4 building piles in the center (these start empty)
The player to the dealer's left goes first
Each turn follows this sequence:
Draw from the draw pile until you have 5 cards in hand. If you already have 5 (from leftover discard plays), skip this step.
You may play cards onto the building piles in the center. Building piles work like this:
A new building pile must start with a 1 (or a Skip-Bo wild)
Cards are played in ascending sequential order: 1, 2, 3 ... up to 12
When a pile reaches 12, it is completed — shuffle those cards back into the draw pile and the slot opens for a new pile
There can be at most 4 building piles at any time
You can play cards from three sources:
Your hand
The top card of your stockpile
The top card of any of your discard piles
Skip-Bo cards are wild — they can be played as any number in the sequence.
Tip: Always prioritize playing from your stockpile. Your hand and discard piles are tools — the stockpile is the finish line.
When you cannot or choose not to play any more cards, discard one card from your hand onto one of your 4 personal discard piles (face-up). Your turn ends.
You can arrange your discard piles however you like — smart players keep them loosely sorted to set up future plays
If you play all 5 cards from your hand during step 2 without discarding, draw 5 more and continue playing (this can chain multiple times in one turn)
The first player to play the last card from their stockpile onto a building pile wins immediately. The game ends as soon as this happens — no further turns are taken.
Tip: A completed stockpile is the only win condition. You do not need to empty your hand or discard piles.
Skip-Bo (Winner Only) is a first-to-finish wins game with no point scoring. The player who empties their stockpile first wins; everyone else loses.
The official rules include an optional points variant (5 points per opponent's remaining stockpile card, plus 25 for winning, first to 500 wins the match), but this variant tracks only the winner of each game.
When recording matches, simply indicate who won — no scores needed.
Select Skip-Bo and the Winner Only variant
Add all players
Mark the winner (the player who emptied their stockpile)
Submit — all other players are recorded as losses