How to play the Game of Pure Strategy (aka GOPS)

Learn the rules to the playing card game The Game of Pure Strategy (aka GOPS) quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules. While there are many variations to GOPS, this video covers the original base rules.

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RULES:
The object of this 2-player card game is to win the most points. Setup. Sort the deck into four suits. Each player gets one suit of cards. One suit is discarded. And the remaining suit is shuffled and placed face down in the middle of the table, forming the draw deck. Flip the top card of the draw deck faceup on the table. Players look at their own cards but keep them hidden from their opponent.

The face-up center card is called the prize. The Ace is worth 1 point, 2 through 10 are worth their face value, and jack, queen, and king are worth 11, 12, and 13 points respectively. Each player picks one card from their hand and places it face-down on the table as a bid for the prize. King is high and ace is low. When both players have placed their bids, they reveal their cards and the player with the highest ranking card wins the prize, placing it beside them. The bid cards are both discarded face-down and a new prize is flipped and the process repeats.

If the bids of both players are tied, then the bid cards are discarded but the prize remains and another price card is flipped to the table. Players then bid again, and again until there is a winner. The winner then collects all the face up prizes.

Continue this process until all the player’s cards have been played, at which point, no more prizes may be gained. Each player adds up all their prizes and whoever has the highest total, wins.

[geodude]

I can’t believe this game isn’t much more popular. It’s a blast and can be quite hilarious too. One of my all time favorite card games.

[RicardoSF]

Thanks a lot for bringing up this game! I'm from Brazil and have been looking for a simple game of cards to play with my girlfriend but I've only seen very complicated games and rarely one for only two players.

Again, thank you!

[mortsartstudio]

Id love to see more cards games where people get their own individual suits

[mekkler]

I've never heard of it, but it sounds like fun.

[satyamevjayate]

Best 2 players games my fav
1. Kings Corners
2. Trash
3. German Whist
4. GOPS
❤Suggest your favourites

[sarthakshah]

Cool

What we did was - we also flipped 1 card from the 4th color along with the prize, but kept it hidden. So the bid was on both the prize and the hidden card and then calculated the total points from both the colors. Moreover we chose a random card from the 4th color in the beginning which was poison and revealed at the end. So whoever had that number from the prize color will lose 15 points from his total score. Pretty cool ig😅

[LeotheTiger]

Excellent game. One of these days I need to try it.

[AyrtonTwigg]

I have solved this game for up to 10 cards. Any more requires too much memory for my laptop.

(I solved it for the variant where tied cards are discarded).

[cricketguy]

Ey, I got a good game to play.

Genius. How to play. The object of the game is to be a total genius.
Setup. *Be Triple S Games.*

[abartsch]

Why haven't I heard of this sooner. Also would one be able to play with 3 people instead of throwing away that other suit?

[jknifgijdfui]

i feel ace should be able to beat kings and only kings that makes it have value instead of it being automatic loss and makes kings not an automatic win

[ItsMangoTape]

I like to add some rules where, when each person picks a deck, their deck has to be a different *colour* to the other person’s. This I because each person gets their colour responded joker, and can play this at anytime to instantly win a bid. However the tie rules still apply, So DONT WASTE A JOKER!

[aizahsaeed]

What happens if both players bid the same amount on the last two cards? Should they just discard them?

[schlingen]

what happens if both players draw on the last card?

[ArmyWolves]

I love this game...
I have been wondering if there is a game like *Among us* where the _impostors_ have the Jokers and maybe the Kings or Queens are the redeeming cards and something has to happen before the players holding Jokers claim victory... That would be fun if there is such a game or similar

[nomnklatura]

It reminds me of Emperor game from Kaiji

[kctyycb]

But if each player gets a suit of cards from 1-10 then they will always use the highest ranked card in their bids (which will always be down counting from 10)

[zebasiraj]

Can the players bid the cards that they win too???

[grandsonofmustafa]

Why I keep my card hidden when Every player knows which cards I have?

[NikolajLepka]

This feels like For Sale with regular playing cards