How to Play Pig (Card Game)

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Are you looking for a quick matching game that's fun to play with kids and adults? Pig, or Piggy, is a really simple card game that only takes a few minutes to teach and leads to a night of fun. When you play Pig, you're racing to make a 4-of-a-kind in your hand and to touch your nose before the other players. If you're the last person to touch your nose, you're the Pig and you're out for the round. If you're excited to try Pig out with your friends, keep reading for the basic rules and some easy variations you can try!

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Gameplay

1
Set out 4 cards of the same value for each player. You can play Pig with 3–13 players. Search through the deck and pull out sets of 4 cards that have the same value. You can choose any sets to use in your game, and set the rest of the cards aside.^{[1]
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- For example, if you’re playing with 4 players, you can pull out the 4 Aces, 4 Jacks, 4 Queens, and 4 Kings to use during the game.
2
Shuffle the sets of cards together. Choose a player to be the dealer and have them mix the sets of 4 cards together to make a single deck. Make sure the cards are shuffled thoroughly.^{[2]
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3
Deal 4 cards out to each player. The dealer deals cards from the top of the deck one at a time to the players until everyone has 4 cards. Players can look at their hands, but keep the cards hidden from everyone else you’re playing with. Now you’re ready to start the game.^{[3]
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4
Pass 1 card at a time to the player on your left. Everyone plays at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for your turn. Look at the cards in your hand and choose 1 that you don’t want to keep. Put the card you don’t want face-down to your left so the person sitting next to you can easily reach it.^{[4]
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- Since the goal of the game is to eventually have a 4-of-a-kind in your hand, if you already have 2 or 3 cards with the same value, hold onto them.
5
Pick up cards on your right that were passed to you. The player on your right will set down the cards they don’t want next to you. Take 1 card and put it into your hand. You can only ever have 4 cards in your hand at a time, so if you want to pick up another one, pass a card you don’t want to your left.^{[5]
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- Try to pick up and pass cards as fast as you can so you can be the first person to have 4 cards of the same value.
6
Touch your nose if you get 4 cards with the same value in your hand. As soon as you have a 4-of-a-kind, stop passing or picking up cards. Put your finger on the tip of your nose to show that you’re the first person who got a matching set of cards.^{[6]
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- Don’t say anything out loud when you touch your nose—it’s okay to be sneaky!
7
Put your finger on your nose if you see another player touch their nose. As soon as you see someone else touch their nose, rush to put your finger on your nose too even if you don’t have a matching set of cards.^{[7]
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- Look up from your hand of cards every few seconds to check what the other players are doing. Someone might be sneaky when they touch their nose so the other players don’t notice.
8
Eliminate the last player to touch their nose from the game. The person whose last to put a finger on their nose is the “Pig” and sits out for the rest of the game.^{[8]
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- It can be really funny to make the player who lost the round oink like a pig when they realize they’re the last person to touch their nose.
9
Remove a set of 4 cards before shuffling to start a new round. Collect all the cards you were playing with and set aside 4 cards of the same suit. That way, you still only have 1 set of cards for each player. Reshuffle the cards and deal them out to the players still in the game to start the next round.^{[9]
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10
Play rounds and eliminate players until there’s only 1 person left. Each time you eliminate a player, the deck gets smaller and the game gets more fast-paced. The last person standing after the final round is the winner!^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Variations

1
Play with the full deck as a stockpile for a more random game. Shuffle the entire deck and deal 4 cards to each player. The dealer keeps the deck of cards in front of them to make the “Stockpile.” After the dealer passes one of their cards, they draw a new one from the Stockpile to refill their hand.^{[11]
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- The player to the right of the dealer just sets the cards they don’t want into a discard pile. If the dealer manages to run out of cards in the Stockpile, then they take cards from the discard pile.
2
Grab spoons from the middle of the table instead of touching your nose. Put spoons out in the middle of the table so you have 1 less than the number of players. When someone makes a 4-of-a-kind in their hand, they’ll take a spoon from the center of the table. As soon as you see someone take a spoon, try to grab one as fast as you can. If you don’t get a spoon, then you’re out for the round.^{[12]
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- Try to be sneaky when you’re taking a spoon so everyone doesn’t rush to grab a spoon at the same time.
3
Eliminate players after they spell the word “PIG” if you want a longer game. Instead of immediately eliminating a player when they lose a round, write down the letter “P” under their name. If they lose another round, give them the letter “I”. Once they lose a third round, write down a “G” to finish spelling the word “PIG” and eliminate them from the game.^{[13]
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- If you want an even longer game, spell out the word “DONKEY” before eliminating a player.