Blink Card Game

Overview

The Blink game is a card game which can be played by kids and adults. The aim of the game is to be the first player to run out of cards. The first player to achieve this is termed the winner. Most times, it takes less than 2 minutes to complete each round of the game. Thus, it can be said to be a fast game.

BLINK is the game of fast matching and sharp observation! Without taking turns, two players race one another to see who can match the shape, color, or count on their cards to either one of two discard piles. Blink™ is the lightning-fast game where two players race head-to-head to be the first to play all of their cards! Using sharp eyes and fast hands, players quickly try to match the shape, count or color on the cards.

Objective

The objective is to be the first player to run out of cards.

Blink Card Game Rules

• Each player is dealt 30 cards
• A player can look at the card in hand
• A player can only play one card at a time
• A player may have up to three cards in hand at a time.
• Most times, the game is played for three rounds or five rounds before a winner can be determined.

Number of Players Needed

Blink Card Game Online

Requires two players to commence the game

Equipment

• A pile of card
• A rulebook

Setting up the Game

The card deck is made up of 60 cards. To setup the game, one of the players has to shuffle the deck, and then deal the cards into equal draw piles for each player. That means that each player is to get 30 cards. The cards are to be dealt face down. After dealing, each deck is placed close to each player. Each of the players are expected to draw three cards from their deck to form a hand.

How to Play Blink Card Game

How To Play Blink

The game begins when each player simultaneously turns the card they placed in the center of the table. There are no turns in the game. Each player tries to play cards from their hands as fast as they can on the center pile. For a card to be played, the card must match at least one character trait of the card on the pile. It can be the shape, number or color. Each of the players get to refill the hands in their hands by drawing from the pile.

Winning the Game

The players continue with the game until one of the players run out of card. That includes both cards in hand and cards in the draw pile. The first player to achieve this becomes the winner of the game.

Three and Four Player Blink

We mentioned earlier that this game is best played by two players. But a variation can be introduced if there are more players available. For a three player game, the card deck can be shared into 20 cards for each player instead of 30 cards. While for the four player variation, two players get to play against each other. The winners advance to play in another round to determine the winner.

Blink is a fast paced quick thinking game that is fun for all ages. Our players range from ages 5 to well into their 80's. It’s a game of speed, observation, and quick thinking. A single game can be played in just a couple of minutes. It is intended to be a two player game, but can easily be modified for more players. It is claimed to be the world’s fastest game and it may very well be.

The game seems so simple yet quickly proves challenging for all ages. Don’t be too confident though. Have you ever been schooled by a preschooler? As adults we are clogging our brains with information about work, home, and life all while our preschoolers are spending their day working with shapes, colors, and numbers. This game reinforces what they are learning in school each and every day. You’ll be amazed how fast they can process the information and play a card.

Quick reflexes and quick response time are critical to winning. Playing Blink is an excellent way to improve hand and eye coordination. It has also proven to be a great way to keep kids occupied while at the same time releasing some energy.

The box recommends ages 7 and up, but we have found that younger children gravitate to it quite naturally. When playing with the younger kids we tend to deal them less cards to help even the playing field and keep it fun for everyone.

The version we purchased came in a handy metal box. The packaging along with the ease of play makes this a great travel game. It can easily be played in the car or taken on trips. It's great for camping, a lazy day at the beach, and it has been used to entertain while in the waiting room at the doctors office.

Beware though this game is addicting. The thrill of competition blended with the speed of play can keep you going for hours without even knowing it. We highly recommend this game as an addition to any family game night. It would also make the list of great family reunion games.

Blink has quickly become one of our favorite games and the wear on the cards shows it. Despite every attempt to keep everything together we have managed to misplace the instructions and when card game rules and instructions become misplaced there is a tendency to rewrite them from memory. As you can imagine this is not always the most accurate.

To help set things straight here are the rules based on the official rule sheet found in the most recent edition of Mattel's game Blink.

What's in the Box

• • 60 Symbol Cards
• • Metal Travel Case
• • Rules Sheet

Object of the Game

Be the first player to successfully play all their cards.

Setting up the Game

1. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them face down to form two equal draw piles.

2. Place a draw pile in front of each player.

3. Take the top card from each draw pile and place it face down between the players. These cards should be placed so they are accessible to both players.

4. Players take the top three cards from their draw pile and form a hand. Players may look at the cards in their hand.

Playing the Game

1. Simultaneously players turn over the card that they placed in the center of the table signaling the beginning of the game.

2. Players race to play cards from their hand on either of the piles. In order for a card to be played it must match at least one of the characteristics, color, shape, or count, of the card on which it is being played. For instance a card with four brown stars could be played on any card with brown (color), or on a card with stars (shape), or on a card with four symbols (count).

3. Players may have up to three cards in their hand at a time and refill their hand by drawing from their draw pile.

4. Play continues until one player is completely out of cards from their hand and draw pile.

Winning the Game

The first player that successfully plays all their cards wins BLINK.

BLINK Notes:

1. Players may not play more than one card at a time.

2. On occasion when neither player can match the top cards on either of the piles, play is paused and —

Blink Card Game Instructions

• if players have cards left in their draw piles they each take the top card from their pile and places it on their center pile.

• if one or both players has already used their entire draw pile, each player picks one card from their hand and they simultaneously place them face up on their center pile. Play resumes based on the new cards on top.

• if all players are down to a single card left in their hand and no draw piles, the game ends as a tie.

3. Because BLINK is the world’s fastest game, many players prefer to play a best-of-three, or best-of-five, match to determine the winner.

BLINK is a registered trademark of Mattel.

Next time you are in need of a quick game to entertain the children or you have the opportunity amongst friends pull out Blink and play a few rounds.

Download the official printable rules from Mattel

Cached

Here is a fun video of Blink being played. Notice in the second round the game has been modified slightly to accommodate three players.

Return to Card Games from Blink
Return to Rules and Instructions from Blink