How to Play Sequence
Play a card, place a chip, make five in a row: the official Sequence rules, the Jacks, and how to win.
Sequence is a board and card game for 2 to 12 players. The board shows every playing card except the Jacks, twice. On your turn you play a card from your hand and put one of your chips on a matching space. The aim is to make a Sequence: five of your chips in a row, across, down or diagonally. Two players or two teams need two Sequences to win; three players or three teams need one. The Jacks are the twist: two-eyed Jacks are wild and one-eyed Jacks remove an opponent’s chip.
Sequence Rules at a Glance
| Sequence | |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 to 12: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 or 12. More than 3 players play in 2 or 3 teams. |
| Equipment | Game board, 104 cards (two standard decks, no jokers), 50 blue, 50 green and 35 red chips. |
| Goal | 2 players or teams: two Sequences. 3 players or teams: one Sequence. |
| Sequence | Five chips of your colour in a row: across, down or diagonal. |
| Corners | The four corner spaces are free and count for every player. |
| Your turn | Play a card, place a chip on a matching space, draw a card. |
| Jacks | Two-eyed Jacks are wild; one-eyed Jacks remove an opponent’s chip. |
How to Set Up Sequence
- Pick teams and colours. Up to three people can play on their own; more than three must split evenly into two or three teams. Teammates sit alternately with their opponents. Two sides use blue and green; red is only for a third side.
- Choose the dealer. Everyone cuts the cards and the lowest card deals (Aces are high). The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
- Deal the cards according to the number of players, and put the rest face down as the draw pile.
| Players | Cards each |
|---|---|
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 or 4 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 |
| 8 or 9 | 4 |
| 10 or 12 | 3 |
How to Play Sequence
- Play a card. Choose a card from your hand and put it face up on your own discard pile, where everyone can see it.
- Place a chip. Put one of your chips on a space showing that card. Each card appears twice on the board, so you can use either one, as long as it is empty.
- Draw a card. Take the top card of the draw pile. If you forget and the next player has already played and drawn, you lose that card and play the rest of the game a card short.
- Make Sequences. Five of your chips in a straight line, including diagonals, make a Sequence. A corner space counts as one of your chips, so a line through a corner needs only four.
- Win. Play goes clockwise until a player or team has the Sequences they need. When the draw pile runs out, shuffle the discard piles into a new one.
The Jacks: One-Eyed and Two-Eyed
There are eight Jacks in the deck and none on the board. In a standard deck, the Jacks of spades and hearts are shown in profile with one eye; the Jacks of clubs and diamonds have two.
| Jack | What it does |
|---|---|
| Two-eyed Jack (clubs, diamonds) | Wild. Discard it and put your chip on any open space on the board. |
| One-eyed Jack (spades, hearts) | Anti-wild. Discard it and remove one opponent chip from the board. That is your whole turn: you can’t put your own chip on that space this turn. |
A one-eyed Jack can’t remove a chip that is part of a completed Sequence. Once a Sequence is made, it can’t be broken. You can play a Jack on any turn when it suits you.
Dead Cards and Other Rules
- Dead card: if both spaces for a card in your hand are already covered, the card is dead. On your turn, discard it, say so, and draw a replacement (one per turn), then play as normal.
- Two Sequences can share a chip. In a two-side game, one chip from your first Sequence can be part of your second, so two Sequences can take only nine chips. A straight line of nine of your chips counts as two.
- No table talk. Teammates can’t coach each other. If someone hints, every player on that team discards a card of their choice.
- Jokers are not used.
Sequence Rules Questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many cards do you get in Sequence? | 7 with 2 players, 6 with 3 or 4, 5 with 6, 4 with 8 or 9, and 3 with 10 or 12. |
| Can 5 or 7 people play Sequence? | Not by the official rules: the player count must divide evenly into two or three teams. |
| How many Sequences do you need to win? | Two with 2 players or teams; one with 3 players or teams. |
| Do the corners count? | Yes. Each corner is a free space for every player, so a line through it needs only four of your chips. |
| Can you remove a chip from a finished Sequence? | No. A completed Sequence is safe from one-eyed Jacks. |
| Can you use a two-eyed Jack to block? | Yes. You can put your chip on any open space, including one an opponent needs. |
| What happens when the draw pile runs out? | Shuffle all the discard piles together to make a new draw pile. |
| Who invented Sequence? | Douglas Reuter. It was published by Jax. |
Sequence Strategy
- Play towards the corners. A free corner saves you a chip, and a Sequence through one needs only four of yours.
- Save your two-eyed Jacks. A wild card is most valuable as the last chip of a Sequence, or to block an opponent who has four in a row.
- Use one-eyed Jacks to break four-in-a-rows. Remove the chip that would complete an opponent’s Sequence, before it is finished and safe.
- Build lines that cross. A chip that sits on two of your potential lines creates two threats at once, which is hard to block.
- Watch the discard piles. Each card has two copies in the deck and two spaces on the board. Once both copies have been played, a space for that card that opens up again can only be taken with a two-eyed Jack.
- Turn in dead cards. A card with no open space wastes a slot in your hand; swap it at the start of your turn.
Sequence by the Numbers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Spaces on the board | 100: 96 card spaces (48 cards, each twice) and 4 free corners |
| Possible lines of five on the board | 192 (12 of them through a free corner) |
| Cards in the deck | 104, including 8 Jacks |
| Chance a card you draw is a Jack | 1 in 13 |
| Chance your opening hand has at least one two-eyed Jack | 25% with 7 cards, 21% with 6, 11% with 3 |
| Chance your opening hand has any Jack | 44% with 7 cards, 39% with 6, 22% with 3 |
| Fewest of your chips for two Sequences | 9 (or fewer with corners) |
Sequence Variations
- Announcing Sequences: an optional rule says you must call out a Sequence when you make it, or it doesn’t count until your next turn.
- Corner rule: instead of being free for everyone, a corner can be claimed by a team with four chips lined up against it, by giving up a turn.
- Other editions: Sequence for Kids, Sequence States and Capitals, Sequence Numbers, Jumbo, Travel and Deluxe editions mostly change the board’s size and theme.
- Sequence Dice: a spin-off that uses two dice instead of cards. A roll of 10 removes an opponent’s chip, and 11 lets you place a chip on any open space.
More Games to Try
If you like Sequence, try Clue and Sorry! for family board games, or card games such as Kings in the Corner, Spades and Euchre for teams.
Sequence: frequently asked questions
How do you play Sequence?
What do the Jacks do in Sequence?
How many cards do you deal in Sequence?
How many players can play Sequence?
Do the corners count in Sequence?
What is a dead card in Sequence?
Can two Sequences share a chip?
Are jokers used in Sequence?
Fadi Hayek
Author & Casino Expert
After going through several successful experiences with several industry pioneers, Fadi Hayek has managed to excel in the world of content for online gaming by providing unique content for several projects that allowed him to obtain the necessary experience to launch his career. Last but not least, Fadi also holds several certificates, including but not limited to content marketing and iGaming.
