Bottom Line
Flip 7 is best for families and casual groups who want a card game they can teach in a few minutes and play with a crowd. Skip it if your group wants real decisions, because almost every turn is the same choice: flip another card or stop. Its biggest strength is the tension of that next flip. Its biggest weakness is that the tension never deepens, so a full game to 200 points can drag.
Flip 7 earns 4/5 Bamboo and 3/5 Pandas from us. It’s worth buying as a cheap filler for big groups and families, and worth skipping if you already own a push-your-luck game you love. We’ve played it a handful of times with groups of four to six, and that’s where this review comes from.
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The Bamboo score is high because the core rule is one sentence: flip cards, and don’t flip a number you already have. It isn’t a 5 because the scoring order and the three action cards take a round to sink in. The Pandas score is a 3 because Flip 7 is fun for a few rounds and then mostly the same.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Players | 3 or more (no upper limit on the box) |
| Best Player Count | 4–6, where we’ve played it: enough players for Freeze cards to matter, short waits |
| Age | 8+ |
| Play time | About 20 minutes per the box; a full game to 200 often runs longer |
| Complexity | Light |
| Solo Mode | No |
| Designer | Eric Olsen |
| Publisher | The Op |
| Popular Upgrades | Deluxe Edition (foil cards, scorepad, pencil) |
| Bamboo Plants | 4/5 — one rule, plus a scoring order to learn |
| Pandas | 3/5 — great tension, little variety |
| Official site | theop.games |
How It Works
Flip 7 is a push-your-luck card game. On your turn you either flip the top card of the deck into your row or stay and bank what you have. If you flip a number you already have, you bust and score nothing that round.
The 94-card deck is the clever part (the full contents are in the rulebook, reproduced on RulesPal). There’s one 1, two 2s, three 3s, and so on up to twelve 12s, plus a single 0. High cards score more, but there are more copies of them, so a row of high numbers is the riskiest row on the table.
Mixed in are three kinds of action card, three copies each:
- Freeze: the player who gets it banks their points and is out for the round.
- Flip Three: the player who gets it must flip three cards in a row.
- Second Chance: saves you from one bust. You can only hold one at a time.
Score modifiers (+2 to +10 and one ×2) boost your round. Flip seven different numbers and the round ends at once, with a 15-point bonus. First to 200 wins.
A typical turn: you have a 3, a 7 and a 10 showing for 20 points. Three other players are still in. You flip again and it’s a 5. Now you’re at 25, and one more 10 or 7 ends your round with nothing. That’s the whole game, every turn: is the next card worth it?
What We Liked
- The next flip is tense every time. Watching someone weigh one more card at 30 points is the best part of the game, and the whole table feels it.
- It teaches in a few minutes. New players are flipping almost right away, and Dized’s interactive rules are handy if someone missed the teach. The How to Play Flip 7 guide covers the few rules that trip people up.
- Action cards create table talk. You choose who gets a Freeze or Flip Three, so a leader who’s on a hot streak becomes a target.
- It scales up easily. There’s no upper player count on the box, and more players don’t add much downtime because turns are a single flip.
What We Didn’t Like
- There’s really one decision. Flip or stay. After a few rounds the choice feels the same, which is why we stopped at 3/5 Pandas.
- A full game to 200 overstays its welcome. The box says 20 minutes, but at four to six players a full game can run longer. Playing to 100 fixes this.
- Luck decides close games. A Flip Three handed to you at the wrong moment can wipe out a careful round, and there’s nothing to do about it.
Who It’s For
Flip 7 is for families with kids around eight and up, casual game nights, and big groups that need something everyone can play at once. It works as an opener or a closer, not the main event.
It’s also a good fit for people who like the push-your-luck feel of dice games but want a card game. If your table already enjoys Skip-Bo or Phase 10, Flip 7 is faster and lighter than both.
Who Should Skip This Game
Skip Flip 7 if your group wants strategy. Players who enjoy Five Crowns or Play Nine for their decisions will find Flip 7 too thin. Skip it too if you hate luck deciding the winner. You can try it free first on Board Game Arena, which hosts an online version.
Who Should Buy This?
Buy it if you want a cheap, small card game for big family gatherings and you don’t own a push-your-luck game yet. It’s a situational game, not a core-collection one. The original edition is the right first buy; the Flip 7 versions guide explains when With a Vengeance or the Deluxe Edition makes more sense.
Check Flip 7 price on Amazon →
Best Player Count
We’ve played Flip 7 with groups of four to six, and it works across that range. With four or more, Freeze and Flip Three cards have someone worth targeting, and there’s always a player still in the round to make the last flips tense.
The box says three or more, but we haven’t played it at three, so we can’t call that count. More players don’t hurt much because each turn is one flip, but a full game to 200 gets longer as the table grows.
Replayability
Every round plays out the same way: flip, weigh the risk, stay or bust. The deck is shuffled each round and the action cards add swings, but the decision itself doesn’t change. That’s why Flip 7 works best in short sessions rather than as a game you play for an hour.
Flip 7 With a Vengeance is the answer if your group wants more. It adds negative cards and steal and swap actions that create far more player interaction, as Zatu’s review lays out. We haven’t played it yet, so our versions page covers it from the rules.
Similar Games
If you like Play Nine, try Flip 7 — Play Nine is a golf-style game where you manage a grid of cards over nine holes; Flip 7 strips that down to one flip-or-stay choice.
If you like Exploding Kittens, try Flip 7 — both are about dreading the next card, but Flip 7 lets you decide when to stop instead of forcing a draw every turn.
If you like Five Crowns, Flip 7 may feel thin — Five Crowns gives you sets and runs to build, while Flip 7 gives you nothing to plan.
For more ideas, see our best card games and best games for groups.
Tips and Tricks
- Count what’s out. Twelve 12s means a 12 in your row is the riskiest card you can hold. If several 12s are already showing around the table, your risk drops.
- Stay at about 25. Our bust odds guide works out that flipping again loses points on average once your numbers total 25 or more.
- Push harder at six cards. With six different numbers, the 15-point Flip 7 bonus makes flipping worth it up to a total of 34.
- Don’t Freeze a big row. Freeze banks the target’s points, which is a gift to someone sitting on 35. Give it to a player with a small row, ideally the overall leader.
A Second Chance means you can’t bust on your next duplicate, so while you hold one, keep flipping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Flip 7 worth buying?
Yes, if you want a cheap, quick card game for families or big groups. It teaches in a few minutes and plays with any number from three up. Skip it if your group wants real strategy, because nearly every turn is the same flip-or-stay choice.
How many players can play Flip 7?
The box says three or more with no upper limit. We’ve played it with four to six, where Freeze and Flip Three cards always have a worthwhile target.
How long does a game of Flip 7 take?
The box says about 20 minutes. A full game to 200 points can run longer with bigger groups. Playing to 100 points is a simple way to shorten it.
Is Flip 7 good for kids?
Yes, from about eight, which matches the box. The only skill is adding up a row of numbers, and the doubling card is the one scoring rule that may need explaining.
Does the ×2 card double the Flip 7 bonus?
No. You double only your number cards, then add the + modifier cards, then add the 15-point Flip 7 bonus last.
What’s the difference between Flip 7 and Flip 7 With a Vengeance?
With a Vengeance adds 13s, replaces the bonus cards with negative ones and adds five new action cards, including Steal and Swap. It’s meaner and more interactive. The original is the better first buy.
Want to Go Deeper?
- Flip 7 Versions Compared — the original, With a Vengeance and the Deluxe Edition, and which to buy. Read it here
- How to Play Flip 7 — the rules in two minutes, plus the scoring order and action-card cases people get wrong. Read it here
- When to Stay in Flip 7 — bust odds for every hand, worked out from the 94-card deck. Read it here
The Verdict
Buy it if you want a quick teach for family gatherings and big groups. Skip it if your group wants decisions to chew on. Try before you buy if you already own a push-your-luck game, because Flip 7 does one thing, and you may already have it.
Flip 7 official site: theop.games
