How many cards do you deal in Skip-Bo?

Each player gets a stockpile of 30 cards with 2 to 4 players, or 20 cards with 5 or more players, per Mattel's rules. Only the top stockpile card is turned face up. Players don't get a hand on the deal; everyone draws 5 cards from the draw pile at the start of their first turn.

What is a Skip-Bo card?

A Skip-Bo card is a wild card. It can stand for any number from 1 to 12, so you can use it to start a building pile or fill a gap in one. A standard Skip-Bo deck has 162 cards: twelve each of the numbers 1 through 12 plus 18 Skip-Bo wild cards.

How many discard piles can you have in Skip-Bo?

Each player can have up to four discard piles in front of them. You end every turn by putting one card from your hand on any of them. On later turns you can play the top card of any discard pile onto a building pile, but you can't move cards between discard piles.

What happens when you run out of cards in your hand in Skip-Bo?

If you play all 5 cards from your hand during a turn, you draw 5 more cards immediately and keep playing. Your turn only ends when you discard a card, so emptying your hand is usually a good thing. The game itself only ends when someone empties their stockpile, not their hand.

What happens when the draw pile runs out in Skip-Bo?

Shuffle the completed building piles together and use them as the new draw pile. That's why completed piles are set aside rather than thrown out. When a building pile reaches 12, it's removed from the center and saved for this reshuffle.

How do you score Skip-Bo?

The winner of each game scores 25 points plus 5 points for every card left in the opponents' stockpiles. Cards in hands and discard piles don't count. Play more games until someone reaches 500 points, according to Mattel's instructions. For casual play, most families skip scoring and just play single games.

Can you play Skip-Bo with 2 players?

Yes. Skip-Bo works well with two, each player starting with a 30-card stockpile. Games take a bit longer because each player has more cards to clear, so many pairs use a shorter stockpile, such as the 10-card short game from Mattel's rules.

Skip-Bo Rules: How to Play and Score

1Object of the game

Be the first player to play all the cards in your stockpile. Your hand and discard piles are tools for getting stockpile cards out, not the goal. Only the stockpile counts, so a turn that plays three stockpile cards is better than one that empties your hand. In a multi-game match, you also want to win games while opponents still hold big stockpiles, because each card left in their stockpiles is worth 5 points to you.

2Setup

Shuffle the 162-card deck. Deal each player a stockpile face down: 30 cards each with 2 to 4 players, 20 cards each with 5 or more players.
Each player turns over only the top card of their stockpile and leaves it face up on top of the pile. Keep the rest of the stockpile face down and don't look at it.
Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle of the table as the draw pile. Leave room in the center for four shared building piles, and room in front of each player for up to four personal discard piles.
Mattel's rules have the youngest player go first. Play then moves to the left.

3The play

Draw from the draw pile until you hold 5 cards. On your first turn that means drawing all 5.
Start a building pile with a 1 or a Skip-Bo card. You can have at most four building piles in the center at once, and they are shared by all players.
Add cards to any building pile in exact order: a 2 on a 1, a 3 on a 2, and so on up to 12. Suits and colors don't exist in Skip-Bo, only numbers.
Play from three places: your hand, the top card of your stockpile, and the top card of any of your discard piles. When you play your stockpile's top card, turn the next one face up right away.
A Skip-Bo card is wild and counts as whatever number you need, including the 1 that starts a pile.
If you play all 5 cards from your hand, draw 5 more immediately and keep playing.
End your turn by discarding one card from your hand onto one of your four discard piles. You can't discard from your stockpile, and you can't move cards from one discard pile to another.

4End of a hand

When a building pile reaches 12, it's complete. Move it to the side of the table so a new pile can start in that space. When the draw pile runs out, shuffle the completed piles together to make a new draw pile. A game ends the moment one player plays the last card of their stockpile. If you're playing a single game, that player wins. In a match, score the game, collect all the cards, reshuffle, and deal new stockpiles.

5Scoring

A single game needs no scoring: the first player to empty their stockpile wins. For a longer match, Mattel's rules score each game for the winner only.

For	Points
Winning the game	25 points
Each card left in each opponent's stockpile	5 points
Points to win the match	500

Cards left in hands and discard piles don't count. Only stockpile cards matter. For example, if you go out while your two opponents have 6 and 3 cards left in their stockpiles, you score 25 + (9 × 5) = 70 points.

6Winning

The first player to get rid of every card in their stockpile wins the game. In a scored match, keep playing games until someone reaches 500 points; that player wins the match. In partnership play, a team wins when both partners have finished their stockpiles. Ties are rare because only one player can go out per game, but if two players pass 500 on the same game, the higher total wins.

7A worked hand

Your stockpile shows a 7 and has 12 cards. The building piles show 5, 11, and 2, and the fourth space is empty. After drawing, your hand is 3, 6, 8, 12, and a Skip-Bo card. Your discard piles show a 4 and a 10. Play the 6 from your hand on the 5, then your stockpile 7 on top of it. The next stockpile card is a 1, so start a new pile with it in the empty space. Now you see a 9 on your stockpile. Play the 8 from your hand on the 7 pile, then the stockpile 9, then the 10 from your discard pile. Play the 12 from your hand on the 11 pile; that pile is complete, so set it aside. Play the 3 from your hand on the 2 pile, the 4 from your discard pile on it, and your newly revealed stockpile 5 on top. Only the Skip-Bo card is left in your hand. Play it as a 2 on the 1 pile. Your hand is empty, so you draw 5 more cards and keep going. You've already cut your stockpile from 12 cards to 8.

8House rules

The rules above are the version most US players use. These are the variations you are most likely to run into; settle them before the first deal.

Short game: Mattel's sheet suggests dealing a stockpile of only 10 cards to each player for a faster game. Some families use 10 to 15 cards when playing with young kids.
Partnership play: With 4 or 6 players, partners sit across from each other and may play from their own and their partner's stockpile and discard piles. Partners may not discuss moves, and the team wins when both stockpiles are empty.
Playing with regular decks: Without a Skip-Bo deck, some people shuffle several standard decks together, treat aces as 1, jacks as 11, queens as 12, and use kings or jokers as wild. This is close to the traditional game Spite and Malice.
No discarding Skip-Bo cards: Some groups forbid putting a Skip-Bo card on a discard pile so wild cards stay in circulation. The Mattel rules let you discard any card.
Must play a stockpile card if you can: A stricter house rule requires you to play your stockpile's top card whenever it's legal, even if you'd rather save it.

9Mistakes people make

You draw back up to 5 cards at the start of every turn, not just when your hand is empty.
Only a 1 or a Skip-Bo card can start a building pile, and there are never more than four building piles in play.
A turn always ends with a discard from your hand, unless you just played the last card of your stockpile and won.
You can only play the top card of a discard pile, and you can't move cards between your discard piles or discard from your stockpile.

10Playing better

Play your stockpile first whenever you can. Every other move is only useful if it sets up a stockpile play now or later.
Keep your discard piles organized. Stacking descending runs, like 9 then 8 then 7, lets you play several discards in a row later.
Hold Skip-Bo cards for your stockpile. Using a wild card just to empty your hand is often a waste if it doesn't free a stockpile card.
Watch the next player's stockpile card. Avoid building a pile to one below it, and try not to discard a card that sets them up.
Spread your discards across all four piles so you always have options, and bury cards you're unlikely to need soon under ones you will.
If you can empty your hand, it's usually worth doing, since you draw 5 fresh cards and your turn continues.

Skip-Bo: questions people ask

How many cards do you deal in Skip-Bo?: Each player gets a stockpile of 30 cards with 2 to 4 players, or 20 cards with 5 or more players, per Mattel's rules. Only the top stockpile card is turned face up. Players don't get a hand on the deal; everyone draws 5 cards from the draw pile at the start of their first turn.
What is a Skip-Bo card?: A Skip-Bo card is a wild card. It can stand for any number from 1 to 12, so you can use it to start a building pile or fill a gap in one. A standard Skip-Bo deck has 162 cards: twelve each of the numbers 1 through 12 plus 18 Skip-Bo wild cards.
How many discard piles can you have in Skip-Bo?: Each player can have up to four discard piles in front of them. You end every turn by putting one card from your hand on any of them. On later turns you can play the top card of any discard pile onto a building pile, but you can't move cards between discard piles.
What happens when you run out of cards in your hand in Skip-Bo?: If you play all 5 cards from your hand during a turn, you draw 5 more cards immediately and keep playing. Your turn only ends when you discard a card, so emptying your hand is usually a good thing. The game itself only ends when someone empties their stockpile, not their hand.
What happens when the draw pile runs out in Skip-Bo?: Shuffle the completed building piles together and use them as the new draw pile. That's why completed piles are set aside rather than thrown out. When a building pile reaches 12, it's removed from the center and saved for this reshuffle.
How do you score Skip-Bo?: The winner of each game scores 25 points plus 5 points for every card left in the opponents' stockpiles. Cards in hands and discard piles don't count. Play more games until someone reaches 500 points, according to Mattel's instructions. For casual play, most families skip scoring and just play single games.
Can you play Skip-Bo with 2 players?: Yes. Skip-Bo works well with two, each player starting with a 30-card stockpile. Games take a bit longer because each player has more cards to clear, so many pairs use a shorter stockpile, such as the 10-card short game from Mattel's rules.

SKIP-BO is a trademark of Mattel, Inc. This page describes the rules for players and has no connection with the trademark owner.

Sources

Checked by Morgan Hale against the sources below. Last reviewed September 28, 2026.

Skip-Bo card game instructions (42050), Mattel. Read September 28, 2026.
Skip-Bo, Wikipedia. Read September 28, 2026.

Also on the table: Phase 10, UNO, Solitaire (Klondike), Speed.