description Pairs Overview
Pairs is a compact press-your-luck card game designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson and published by Cheapass Games in 2014. Its standard deck contains 55 cards arranged as a triangular set of numbered ranks, with more copies of higher numbers than lower ones. Players draw and manage cards while trying to avoid taking a matching pair, because pairs determine the points or penalty in the game. The design suits short, informal games for groups that enjoy simple rules and risk-based decisions.
help Pairs FAQ
What is Pairs, and who designed it?
Pairs is a compact press-your-luck card game designed by James Ernest and Paul Peterson. Cheapass Games published it in 2014.
How many cards are in the standard Pairs deck?
The standard deck contains 55 cards. The cards use numbered ranks arranged so that higher numbers appear more often than lower numbers.
How does the triangular deck structure affect Pairs?
The deck has one card of the lowest rank, two cards of the next rank, and progressively more copies of higher ranks. This makes drawing a matching pair increasingly dangerous as the numbers rise.
What does press-your-luck mean in Pairs?
Players decide whether to stop with a safe score or draw again for a better result. Drawing a pair usually creates the main danger, so the game turns risk management into its central mechanic.
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