A Vonderful Goot Game!
I would like to submit for your consideration a card game that I have played for the majority of my life. It is a game that can and has been played with regular decks of playing cards, though it is more fun, in my humble opinion, with the cards made specifically for the game.
What is this game that has had such longevity that it hasn’t changed at all over the decades, whether you are referring to the rules or even the box it comes in?
As the back of the box says:
Dutch Blitz is such vonderful goot fun
For young folks – and old vones too.
Vhy you should see the vones who plays:
They gets in such a stew.Easy to learn – exciting to play.
For two or three or four.
And this for sure is vone such game,
That ain’t gonna be no bore.So now, sit down with your friend or kin,
And try this game to play.
Chust bet that vhen you get started vonc’t,
You’ll play for most the day!
As I said earlier, this game hasn’t changed at all over the years.1 The box is the same. The art is the same. The rules are the same. It’s a perfectly formed game, and one that I’ve enjoyed immensely. When I was at my FLGS,2 I was extremely excited to see this game sitting on the counter and immediately snatched up two boxes so I could introduce it to my kids.3 My lovely wife had already played this a few times with my parents, so she was as happy as I when I brought this home and slapped it on the table. We were playing in minutes.
“What’s this game all about?” you might say. It’s actually very simple. Each player has a deck of cards, consisting of four colors, and each color has 10 cards, numbering 1 – 10. The back of the decks are also differentiated by differently colored designs (green pump, red carriage, yellow bucket, and blue plow), so that each player can easily tell which cards are his or hers on the table.
“Why would you need to do that?” Well, because you’re all going to be building Dutch piles in the middle of the table. Have you ever played SkipBo? It’s very similar, but there’s no limit to the amount of Dutch piles that are being built. And, everyone is building off of everyone else’s. At the same time!
There are no turns in this game! Everyone is playing at the same time, as quickly as they can.
When you set up the game, you’re going to shuffle your individual deck. You’ll then deal onto the table three cards (five if it’s only a two player game), side by side, to form your Post piles. These are used to help move cards around. Then, you’ll deal out ten cards, face down, until you have your Blitz pile. Top card you’ll turn face up. This Blitz pile is the key to the game, in that this is the pile you’re trying to get rid of, whether by playing out on the Dutch piles in the middle of the table or by moving them onto your Post piles.4 What’s left in your hand is the Wood pile.
Now, you just wait for your opponent is ready, then someone counts down5 and you begin. At this point it’s similar to Solitaire, as you count out three cards from your Wood pile, flip them over, and see if the card plays. Do this as fast as you can, and when you’ve finally moved that tenth card off your Blitz pile, yell “BLITZ!” And believe me, you’ll yell it.
This is a frantic, fun game!
As for the number of players. While you can play with two, and it’s still fun, you can on occasion become “stuck,” where neither one can make a play. This never happens when 3 or 4 are playing. Also, you can play with more than four. Just get another set of Dutch Blitz cards, mark the back of the new set with X’s to differentiate from the other sets, and you’re off. Play with six or eight people is even more fun.
You can also play this game with regular decks of cards. Just make sure the backs are different and that you take out the Jacks through the Kings. This is harder, though, since you have to look at the symbols instead of just the color of the card. This is one huge advantage of the Blitz cards themselves.
The recommended age for this game is 8 and up, and for the most part I’d agree. It’s not that younger kids can’t count or tell the colors apart, it’s a question of whether they can move fast enough to get their cards out on the table. We’ve taught all the kids to play and have fun by handicapping ourselves, letting the kids put out only 5 cards in their Blitz pile, and then building up from their as they get used to the game.
I’d suggest this game to anyone who likes fast-paced, fun, and very competitive game play. When you say GO, you can’t stop. A single hand of this game usually lasts 5 minutes or so, with a full game6 lasting a half-hour at most.
Given that this is a card game, it’s also very handy and portable. Easy to take anywhere and pull out for a game.
- It’s been around since 1960. [↩]
- Underhill’s Games in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, to be exact. [↩]
- I have a few. [↩]
- Stacking them in descending numerical order, and by alternating between boys and girls as indicated on the card, again similar to Solitaire. [↩]
- Ready, Set, GO!! [↩]
- Where you keep score. Scoring is simple, the cards left in your Blitz pile count for -2 each. The cards out on the Dutch piles count for 1 point each. Add up and write it down. Play until someone hits 100. And it’s not uncommon to sit in the negative numbers for awhile, as you get your behind paddled. [↩]
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Tags: card game
Episode 0048: The Great Old Pumpkin
Great article. I too enjoy a good game of Dutch Blitz, and since you have been to THE STORE (i.e. Underhill’s Games), I have to inquire – have you seen the “retired” demo copy that was used repetitively during various store functions and overall board-game mayhem?
If not, lets just say that it is well used, and the “substance” (i.e. dirt, grime, body oil, etc) that is on the cards is enough to make a street urchin cringe.
But what great fun indeed! Just be mindful of broken fingers, although without the bell ala Halli Galli, busted fingernails are less frequent. Much shouting galore!