Skip-Bo rules in short: deal each player a 30-card stock pile (20 with five or six players). On your turn, draw until you hold five cards, play cards in order from 1 to 12 onto the shared building piles, then discard one card. The first player to empty their stock pile wins.
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This guide follows Mattel’s official Skip-Bo rule sheet for the standard deck, item 42050. That’s the same item number printed on our own box.
What’s in the Deck
Skip-Bo has 162 cards:
- 144 number cards: twelve each of the numbers 1 through 12.
- 18 Skip-Bo cards. These are wild and can be played as any number.
The colors on the cards don’t matter. The rule sheet never mentions them. The game is for 2 to 6 players, ages 7 and up, according to Mattel’s Skip-Bo product page.
Setup
- Shuffle the deck. Each player draws a card, and the highest card deals. Skip-Bo cards don’t count.
- Deal each player a face-down stock pile: 30 cards with 2 to 4 players, 20 cards with 5 or 6.
- Each player flips the top card of their stock pile face up, without looking at the others.
- Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle. This is the draw pile.
| Players | Stock pile each |
|---|---|
| 2, 3 or 4 | 30 cards |
| 5 or 6 | 20 cards |
| Short game, any count | 10 cards |
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The Four Kinds of Piles
Skip-Bo is easy once you know what each pile is for.
| Pile | Whose is it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Stock pile | Yours | Top card face up. Empty it to win. |
| Draw pile | Everyone’s | Where you draw your hand from. |
| Building piles | Everyone’s | Up to four in the middle. Each runs from 1 up to 12. |
| Discard piles | Yours | Up to four in front of you. Only the top card can be played. |
Only a 1 or a Skip-Bo card can start a building pile. When a building pile reaches 12, it’s removed and a new one can start in its place.
The building piles and discard piles don’t exist at the start. They appear as cards are played.
What You Do on Your Turn
The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
- Draw. On your first turn, draw five cards. On later turns, draw enough to bring your hand back up to five.
- Play. Add cards to the building piles in number order. You can play the top card of your stock pile, the top card of any of your discard piles, or any card from your hand.
- Keep going if you can. There’s no limit on how many cards you play. If you play all five cards from your hand, draw five more and continue.
- Discard. When you can’t play, or don’t want to, put one card from your hand on one of your four discard piles. That ends your turn.
Worth knowing: you never have to play a card. The rule sheet says you end your turn by discarding “if you can’t make a play or just don’t want to.”
If you’d rather watch a turn played out, Gather Together Games has a Skip-Bo video tutorial.
Skip-Bo Card Rules
“What does the Skip-Bo card do?” It’s wild. It can be played as any number from 1 to 12.
- A Skip-Bo card can start a building pile, standing in for the 1.
- It can be played from your hand, your stock pile or a discard pile, like any other card.
- It doesn’t skip anyone’s turn, despite the name. The game was first sold in 1967 by Hazel “Skip” Bowman, according to Wikipedia’s Skip-Bo entry.
Discard Pile Rules
You can have up to four discard piles. You can stack any number of cards on each one, in any order.
Only the top card of each pile can be played. A card under it is stuck until the cards above are gone.
The common assumption: a discard has to go on a pile with a matching or lower number.
What the rule sheet says: any card can go on any of your four discard piles. Stacking them in a useful order is strategy, not a rule.
When the Draw Pile Runs Out
Shuffle the cards from the completed building piles. They become the new draw pile, and play continues.
Winning and Scoring
The first player to play the last card from their stock pile wins. You don’t have to empty your hand or your discard piles.
Scoring is optional. If you want to play several games:
| Winner scores | Points |
|---|---|
| For winning the game | 25 |
| For each card left in each opponent’s stock pile | 5 |
The first player to reach 500 points wins the match.
Partnership Rules
With four or six players, you can play in teams. The rules stay the same, with these changes:
- On your turn, you can play from your partner’s stock pile and discard piles as well as your own.
- Your partner has to keep quiet during your turn. Only you can call the play, such as “Partner, play your 7.”
- A player caught cheating takes two cards from the draw pile into their stock pile without looking at them.
- The game ends when both stock piles of one team are gone.
Mistakes and Penalties
- You drew too many cards. Shuffle the extra cards into your own stock pile.
- You played out of turn and got caught. The illegal turn stops. On your next proper turn, you play without drawing first.
- You played out of turn and nobody noticed until you finished. The turn stands, and play continues from the player to your left.
Once you know the rules, our Skip-Bo strategy guide covers how to stack your discard piles and when to spend wilds. The Skip-Bo 2-player guide has the setup for two, and the Skip-Bo review has our ratings. If your rule sheet is missing, a new Skip-Bo deck comes with one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards do you deal in Skip-Bo?
Deal a 30-card stock pile to each player with 2 to 4 players, and a 20-card stock pile with 5 or 6 players. For the official short game, deal 10 cards each. Players then draw a hand of five on their first turn.
How do you win Skip-Bo?
Be the first player to play every card from your stock pile onto the building piles. Cards left in your hand or discard piles don’t matter.
Can a Skip-Bo card start a building pile?
Yes. A building pile can be started with a 1 or with a Skip-Bo card. Skip-Bo cards are wild and can be played as any number.
Do you have to discard at the end of your turn?
Yes. You end your turn by discarding one card from your hand onto one of your discard piles. If you play all five cards from your hand first, you draw five more and keep playing, then discard when you stop.
What happens when the draw pile runs out in Skip-Bo?
The cards from the completed building piles are shuffled and become the new draw pile.
How many discard piles can you have in Skip-Bo?
Up to four per player. You can stack any number of cards on each in any order, but only the top card of each pile can be played.
Do the colors matter in Skip-Bo?
No. Only the numbers matter. Mattel’s rule sheet doesn’t mention the card colors at all.