A game for any number of players. There are many variations to this game – here is one of the most popular versions. The object is to pick up sticks, one by one, from where they have fallen at random, without moving any other stick. Each stick has a value. The player who collects the highest value of sticks in each round is the winner.

Decide the order of play and who is going to start. This player begins by holding all the sticks firmly in his or her fist. The sticks should be held vertically so that one end touches the floor or table that is to be the playing surface. The player then releases their grip quickly so that the sticks fall in a pile.

From this moment they must not be touched except by the player whose turn it is. This person proceeds by removing one stick at a time without moving any other sticks in the pile. His turn continues until he disturbs a stick(s) other than the one he was trying to pick up. He then adds the value of all the sticks he has successfully picked up to find his score and the next person takes their turn.

Sticks may be removed in any way by hand or by flicking them off the pile with another stick. The multi coloured master and the yellow sticks have special cuts in them to help you do this.

Stick values:

Red = 2
Blue = 2
Green = 2
Black = 5
Yellow = 7
Multi coloured = 10