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AGES:

 8+        

PLAYERS:

 2-6

OBJECT:

 To score points by playing HIT, THE and DECK 

cards in order, and by getting rid of all of your cards by 
matching the other cards by kind or color.

CONTENTS:

 108 cards (3 sets of purple, green and 

yellow cards, each set containing 3 each of numbers 1 
through 5 and Reverse cards; 6 Wild cards; 6 Search 
cards; 14 each of red cards HIT, THE and DECK).

SET-UP:

 Shuffle the deck thoroughly and deal 7 cards, one 

at a time and face down, to each player. Players hold their 
cards in their hand so that no one else can see them. The 
rest of the deck becomes the draw pile.

PLAY:

 The player to the left of the dealer begins play by 

starting the discard pile next to the draw pile. The player 
starts the discard pile by playing any number card from 
their hand. If the player has no number card to play or does 
not wish to play a card from their hand, the player must do 
what the 

back

 of the top card of the draw pile indicates (see 

WHEN UNABLE OR NOT WANTING TO MAKE A PLAY 
section of the rules). Play progresses to the left, with each 
player playing one card from their hand, if they can, on the 
discard pile.

Playable cards are determined by the top card of the discard 
pile. If the top card is a number card, the player can play 
another number card of matching number or color.

Example: If the top card of the discard pile is a yellow 3, 
the player may play any number 3 card or any yellow card.

There are other special cards that may be played on number 
cards (see SPECIAL CARDS section).

If the top card of the discard pile is a HIT card, the next 
player must play a THE card. Once a THE card is played, 
the next player must play a DECK card. There are occasions 
when a player choses not to play a card in the order 
described above (see WHEN UNABLE OR NOT WANTING 
TO MAKE A PLAY section). When the DECK card is played 
the player must say “HIT THE DECK” and then actually hit 
the deck (discard pile) with the flat of one hand. The player 
then takes the entire discard pile and places it in a neat 
face-up pile directly in front of him or her. This will count 
as a score for the player at the end of the hand.

After the DECK card has been played, the next player starts 
a new discard pile with any number card from their hand 
(see WHEN UNABLE OR NOT WANTING TO MAKE A 
PLAY section).

WHEN UNABLE OR NOT WANTING TO MAKE A PLAY:

 

At the beginning of your turn, if you cannot play a card, or 
do not wish to play a card, then you must follow the 
directions of the symbol on the 

back

 of the top cards of the 

draw pile. If the card back has a number (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) on 
it, you must draw that number of cards from the draw pile, 
and then your turn is over.

Example: You need to play a number card from your hand 
to start a new discard pile, but you have no number cards. 
If the symbol on the back of the top of the draw pile cards 
is a number 3, you must draw 3 cards from the draw pile 
and end your turn.

If the symbol on the back of the top draw pile card is an “F” 
you must Flip this card face up on the discard pile (to 
become the new top card on the discard pile), and end your 
turn. (Note that the “F” card stops a HIT-THE-DECK card 
play sequence, and changes it to something else.)

Example: If a HIT has been played, the next card to be 
played normally must be a THE, but if the next player has 
no THE (or does not wish to play it) and an “F” card is the 
top draw pile card, then the player Flips this card over 
onto the top of the discard pile, thus stopping the HIT THE 
DECK sequence.)

If the symbol on the back of the top draw pile card is a color 
dot you must draw from the draw pile, one card at a time, 
until you draw a card of the color indicated by the dot and 
then you must play it on the discard pile, and end your turn. 
(Note that the play of this card stops a HIT THE DECK card 
play sequence, and changes it to something else.)

THE SPECIAL CARDS:

The special cards are explained as follows.

HIT, THE, DECK CARDS:

 These cards can only be 

played under certain circumstances. The HIT card is 
the easiest to play (and starts the HIT THE DECK 
sequence of card play). A HIT card may be played 
on any number card or on a Reverse card. A THE 
card can only be played on a HIT card. A DECK 
card can only be played on a THE card.

PENALTY:

 After playing a DECK card (thus 

completing the HIT THE DECK sequence), if a 
player fails to say “HIT THE DECK” and hit the 
deck with the flat of one hand, then the player 
must draw two card, as a penalty, and add them 
to his or her hand. To catch the player, you must 
wait until they have taken their hand off the 
DECK pile they just won, then you must say, “You 
didn’t say ‘HIT THE DECK’” before the next 
player has played a card.

SPECIAL CASE:

 If you are in a situation where 

you could play a HIT card, but also have in hand 
a THE and a DECK card, then you can make a 
special play. You must say, “HIT THE DECK” 
while you are playing all three cards from your 
hand. You then take the entire discard pile since 
you were the one who played the DECK card, 
and play continues normally. The only difference 
is that you got rid of three cards in one turn, 
instead of one. Note that, at the start of your turn, 
if a HIT card is the top discard, you can not play 
THE and DECK cards, together as a pair. You can 
only play the THE card in this situation.

REVERSE CARDS:

 A Reverse card may be played on 

any card of matching color, or on another Reverse 
card. If a player plays a Reverse card, the direction 
of play reverses.

Example: If the play is going to the left and a 
player plays a Reverse card, the next player to 
play will be the player on the right, and play 
continues to the right until another Reverse card is 
played, and so on.

In the two-player game, if a player plays a Reverse 
card, that same player gets to take another turn.

WILD CARDS:

 A Wild card can be used in two ways.

1:

 When placed on any number card or any 

Reverse card, the player will call out either 
Yellow, Green or Purple. That is the color of the 
card that the next player must play.

2:

 A Wild card may also be used to replace a 

card in a HIT THE DECK sequence. The Wild 
card can be used as a THE or a DECK after a HIT 
has been played, or as any of the three cards if all 
three are being played at the same time.

A Wild Card cannot be played after a Search card.

SEARCH CARDS:

 This card may be played on any 

number card or any Reverse card, regardless of 
color. If a player plays a Search card, the next player 
must 

draw new cards (ignoring what’s on their 

backs)

 from the draw pile, one at a time, until the 

player draws a number card and plays it, thus 
ending the turn. Play continues normally with the 
next player. (A Wild card does not count as a 
number card.)

ENDING THE HAND:

 When one player gets rid of their 

last card, the hand is over, and players score as explained 
below. After scoring, the player to the left of the dealer 
becomes the new dealer for the next hand, and play 
continues, as explained in the PLAY section.

If the last card from the draw pile is drawn, play continues 
until another player is required to draw. The hand ends 
immediately, with no player going out, and all players score 
only their own DECK piles, as explained below.

SCORING:

 Paper and pencil are needed for scoring. The 

player who goes out scores a point for each DECK pile 
made by him or her, plus one point for each unplayed card 
in all opponents’ hands. Each remaining player scores one 
point for each DECK pile they have in front of them.

WINNER:

 A scorekeeper keeps a running total of each 

player’s score, from hand to hand. When one player 
reaches a total of 50 or more points, the game is over, and 
the winner is the player with the highest score.

1

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3

4

© 2009 Fundex Games, Ltd.

P.O. Box 421309 • Indianapolis, IN 46242

Questions or comments?

Write to us at the address above,

call 1.800.486.9787

or email customerservice@fundexgames.com

www.fundexgames.com

MADE IN USA

For more great games visit:

www.fundexgames.com

INSTRUCTIONS

ITEM # 8360

8360-02-20

H

T
D

R

W

S

THE

HIT

DEck

THE

HIT

DEck

THE

HIT

DEck

THE

HIT

DECK

2

2

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Draw Pile

(Back of Cards)

Discard Pile

®

®

Game Design by

Garrett J. Donner and Michael S. Steer

FUNDEX GAMES, LTD.

COLOR

CMYK

SPOT COLORS

DO NOT PRINT PANTONE 144C! (DIELINE)

FILE NAME:

8360-02-20-I_HitTheDeck.ai

Hit The Deck

8360-02-20

3.1875”W x 3.625”H 

15.75”W x 7.1875”H 

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