User:Trippletdiddle/Heads of State

Heads of State informally known as 'Captain', is a game of chance played with state quarters. The game involves three or more players and one contractor (dealer). The players must try to guess the correct face and state of the hidden coin(s) to accumulate points. The first player to eleven points wins the pot. The contractor must choose a single combination (traditionally Heads of Virginia) and use that combination for the entire game. The contractor's goal is to reach six points before any of the other players reach eleven.

Required to Play

 * One contractor (dealer), and three or more players
 * One different state quarter for every player, excluding the contractor (one of which is state Virginia)
 * One plastic cup
 * One leather wallet
 * Book(s): One book for 3-5 players, two books for 6-8 players, three books for 9-11 players, etc.

How to Play
Players:

Each player is given a guess card, with two columns, on which to write their predictions. The states of all coins are written down and made available for all players to see. After one coin is randomly chosen by the contractor, flipped, and placed inside the cover of a book (hiding the face and state from the players), the remaining coins, states hidden from the players, are spun like tops on the table for three seconds each. During this time, the players look at the spinning coins as closely as possible. By discerning which state the coin is, the player can eliminate possible states for the hidden coin, and increase his/her chance of guessing correctly. Once all coins have been spun, the players write down their predictions on their guess cards. In the first column, the player writes either a 'H' for heads or a 'T' for tails. In the second column, the player writes the first letter of the state that they predict is that of the hidden coin. If there are two state quarters that begin with the same letter, then the first two letters are used (For example; Wisconsin and Wyoming would be 'Wi' and 'Wy' respectively). All cards are then given to the contractor. Once all cards are in, the contractor reveals the hidden coin to be either heads or tails. Cards with the wrong face automatically loose, unless all cards have the wrong face. In this case the face is ignored. Of the remaining cards, the player who correctly guessed the state wins. If more than one player guesses the correct state, then a coin is flipped for each player. The player calls either heads or tails while the coin is in the air. Each player calls a flip. Players who call incorrectly are eliminated. This continues until all but one player is eliminated. If all players call incorrectly in one round, nobody is eliminated, and a new round of flips begins. Those who were previously eliminated are still eliminated. The player who wins receives one point, which is added to a game score card.

The Contractor:

Calling the Contractor
During the course of the game, players may decide to call the contractor. This is done by knowingly guessing the same face and state combination as the contractor. In the event that the hidden coin is the contractor's pick, the player is placed in a double or nothing situation. A coin if flipped, which the player calls in the air. If the player's call is correct, he/she receives two points instead of one. If he is incorrect, the player looses a point (-1).

In the event that the contractor wins two calls, he is awarded an extra pick. In order for a player to guess either pick, they must call the contractor. The contractor will continue to receive an additional pick every time he wins a call after the first. So, he will be awarded an additional pick every won challenge after the first.