52 pickup
52 pickup
Main page
2016433

52 pickup

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
52 pickup

52 pickup or 52-card pickup is a supposed card game which consists entirely of picking up a scattered deck of playing cards. It is typically played as a practical joke, where the "dealer" invites unfamiliar players to play a game of "52 pickup" (implying it is a legitimate card game), only to throw all the cards into the air so they land strewn on the floor, and instructs other players to pick them up.

The Encyclopedia of American Folklore (1960) describes it as a "popular American prank", noting that it works best on younger children who are eager to be involved in play and less likely to ask questions prior to the game. The game is also popular in Germany as 32 heb auf.

The game requires at least one player who is familiar with the game (the prankster) and one player who wants to be initiated into the game. The prankster presents a deck of cards, and "unnecessary" cards such as jokers may be removed to give the impression that a legitimate game will be played. The prankster, as "dealer", then throws the entire deck into the air so the cards land strewn on the floor. The other player must then pick them up, usually needing them gathered into a deck with all the cards facing the same direction.

One variant has the "dealer" hold up the deck of cards in one hand in a grip similar to the grip one might use to shuffle the cards. The deck is usually pre-arranged to have a few black cards on the bottom. The "dealer" instructs the other player(s) to call out "smoke" if they see a black card, and "fire" if they see a red. They hold up the deck and take the cards one by one off the bottom as the other player(s) call out "smoke" ... "smoke" ... "smoke" ... and, with the first red card, "fire!" On hearing "fire", the "dealer" riffles the cards (as if to shuffle them) into the air, "firing" the entire deck of cards toward the other player(s).[citation needed]

The prank is sometimes renamed to adjust for deck sizes other than 52 or to fool someone who is already familiar with the game under its normal name.[citation needed]

Another version of the prank can be played where one player declares "52-card pick up" and is then granted power to throw each of the 52 cards individually at any of the opponents.

By introducing additional rules, the task of picking up the cards can be made into a solitaire game. A popular rule of this kind is that only cards from the top of the heap may be removed, and that they must be removed in sets that form poker combinations.[citation needed]

Similarly, a competitive element can be introduced, e.g., when one player must pick up the cards in red suits and another those in black suits. If the cards are substituted with more robust and easily distinguishable objects such as plastic spoons in various colors, the game becomes appropriate for a group of very young children to train locomotive, object control, and recognition skills. Letter or word cards can be used for older children.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.