6 Nimmt! (Take 5) Rules

6 Nimmt! (Take 5) Rules

Game Overview

6 Nimmt! is a card game played with a deck of 104 cards and a rules booklet. You will also need paper and a pencil for scorekeeping.

Objective

The objective of 6 Nimmt! is to avoid accumulating cards. Each card you have to pick up will cost you minus points based on the bullheads on the card. The player with the fewest bullheads at the end of the game wins.

Setup

Before starting the game, you will need paper and a pencil for scorekeeping. Shuffle the cards and deal 10 cards to each player. Each player takes his or her cards up in hand and arranges them according to their numbers, in ascending order. The remaining cards are placed aside.

Four rows are created on the table by placing the top four cards of the remaining pile face-up. Each of these cards is the first card in a row, in which there may not be more than 5 cards, including this first one.

How to Play

The game is played in rounds, and each round consists of the following steps:

1. Playing a Card

Each player takes one card from their hand and places it face-down on the table in front of them. After all players have played a card, they are revealed. The player whose card shows the lowest number goes first, adding their card to one of the four rows. The player with the second lowest number on their card is next, and so on, until all cards played this round have been added to the rows.

2. Adding Cards to Rows

Each card can only be added to one particular row, defined by the following rules:

Rule No. 1: Ascending Order

The number of the card that is added to a row must be higher than the number of the current last card in that row.

Rule No. 2: Smallest Difference

A card must always be added to the row with the smallest possible difference between the current last card and the new one.

3. Getting Cards

If a player cannot play their card according to these rules, they have to pick up cards that score against them.

Rule No. 3: Full Row

A row with 5 cards in it is full. If adding a card would make a row have 6 cards, the player who played that card must take all 5 cards of the full row. Their card then becomes the first in the new row.

Rule No. 4: Lowest Card

If a player plays a card whose number is so low that it does not fit into any row, they must pick up all cards of a row of their choice. Their card then becomes the first card of the new row.

Bullheads = Minus Points

Between the numbers, each card shows from one to seven bullheads, and each bullhead is worth one minus point. Cards containing the figure 5 (5, 15, 25, and so on) have 2 bullheads. Multiples of ten (10, 20, 30…) have 3. Doublets (11, 22, 33…) have 5. The 55 is both a doublet and a card containing a 5, so it carries 7 bullheads — the worst card in the deck.

Put every card you pick up face-down in front of you, in your so-called bullhead stack. You may never take those cards back into your hand to play them.

Scoring and End of Game

The game is over when players have played out all ten cards of their hands. Each player then picks up their bullhead stack and counts their minus points, which are written down before all the cards are shuffled again for a new deal. The game is played over several rounds, until a player has collected 66 or more bullheads. The player who at this point has the fewest bullheads wins the game.

Common Variants

The official rules keep variants simple: you can agree to play to a different score than 66 bullheads, or to a set number of rounds decided in advance.

Why This Game Is So Popular

6 Nimmt! is a simple yet strategic game that is easy to learn but hard to master. Everyone commits to a card face-down at the same time, so every trick is a bet on what the others are about to reveal. The most memorable moments come when a row reaches four cards and the whole table hopes someone else will be the one to lay down the sixth.

Where to Get the Game

You can find the 6 Nimmt! Take 5 card game on Amazon: 6 nimmt take 5 card game on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

Beginners often assume they get to pick the row their card goes into. They don't: ascending order and the smallest-difference rule decide it for them, and the only real decision is which card to commit to. The other classic mistake is sitting on very low cards for too long — a card too low to fit anywhere forces you to pick up a whole row.

FAQ

Can I choose which row my card goes into?

No. The row is dictated by ascending order and then by the smallest difference. The only time you choose a row is when your card is too low to fit anywhere: you then pick up a row of your choice.

What happens if my card would be the sixth card in a row?

You take all five cards currently in that row, and your card becomes the first card of the new row.

How many minus points is a card worth?

One per bullhead printed on it: 2 for cards containing the figure 5, 3 for multiples of ten, 5 for doublets, and 7 for the 55.

Can I play the cards I have picked up?

No. They stay face-down in your bullhead stack until scoring, and never come back into your hand.

When does the game actually end?

Rounds are played until someone reaches 66 or more bullheads; the player with the fewest bullheads at that moment wins. You are free to agree on a different target score or a fixed number of rounds instead.

6 Nimmt! (Take 5) Rules

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