How to Play Michigan

Intro

Michigan, also known as Boodle or Stops, is a Matching-type game for 3-8 Players. It is the progenitor of a whole genre of card games, known as “Stops Games.”

Stops Games are a type of Matching game in which Players shed cards in sequential order. If no Player can do so, a “Stop” occurs, and that Player creates a new sequence.

The Steps

The Deck

Michigan is played using two copies of the Standard Anglo-American 52-card Deck.

The game forms a special deck. The Dealer will take the entirety of one of the two decks, as well as the A♥, K♣, Q♦, and J♠ from the second deck, and keep them separate. The remaining cards of the other deck are discarded.

Placing Bets

Before the Deal begins, The Dealer will place the four cards listed above into the center of the Play area, face up. These are called the boodle cards.

Each Player will place an equal wager, the Ante, onto each card. The Dealer’s wager will always be doubled. Chips can be used.

For example:

1. Players 1, 2, and 3 all place four Antes onto each card for a total of $20 each.
2. The Dealer then puts $10 on each card for a total of $40.

Once each Player, and the Dealer, have placed the appropriate Ante onto each of the four face-up cards, the Deal can begin.

The Deal

Players are dealt one card at a time starting from the left of the Dealer until the deck is completely depleted.

Depending on the number of Players, cards may be dealt unevenly with some at the table having more in their hand than others.

The Widow’s Hand

The Dealer should always add one additional Non-Existent “Player” to the Deal. This extra hand will be dealt out as though it was a Player and is called the Widow’s Hand.

• Once the Deal is complete, the Dealer is given the option to swap their hand with the Widow’s Hand.
• If the Dealer does not take this opportunity, then another Player at the table may do so immediately after the Dealer rejects it.
• Players that wish to swap their hand with the Widow’s hand must pay an additional Ante directly to the Dealer.
• If No Players take the Widow’s hand, it is simply left discarded.

Gameplay

Once the Widow’s hand has been taken or rejected, the game can begin, with the Player to the left of the Dealer taking their first turn.

The Player taking the first turn of the game is allowed to plant a “Seed.”

Seeds

Seeds are the lowest-ranking card of a particular suit in the Player’s hand. Players do not need to play the lowest-ranking card in their hand necessarily, only the lowest-ranking card of the suit.

So, a Player with a 5♦ and a 2♣ can choose which card they want to Play.

Making Moves

Once a Seed has been planted, Players then add cards in sequential ascending order, 2 – Ace.

Players each take their turn, adding as many cards to the Pile as they can per turn.

• If a Player can make a move, they must do so.
• If a Player does not have the appropriate card, their turn is skipped.
• If another Player does have the appropriate card, they shed their card and the turn order continues from them normally.
• If no Players have the right card, then a “Stop” occurs.

Stop

When a Stop happens, the one who played the Stopping card is allowed to plant a new Seed of their choosing. This card can be any suit, so long as it is the lowest card of that suit in the Player’s hand.

Turn order continues normally until another Stop occurs.

If a Player plays an Ace, completing a particular pile, then a Stop occurs, as no Players possess cards higher ranking than Ace.

One extra copy of the A♥, K♣, Q♦, and J♠ are still in the deck. While it’s possible for all of them to be in the Widow’s Hand, this is unlikely.

When these cards are shed by a Player, that Player collects all of the Ante’s on that respective face-up in the center of the play area. This is the minor winning condition of the game, shedding any of these four cards.

The major winning condition is emptying the hand. The first Player to completely shed all of their cards and empty their hand wins all of the remaining Antes in the center of the Play area.

Ending

The game finishes when all of the Antes have been collected individually, or when one Player empties their hand of cards.

Rules

Below you can find an overview of the rules for Michigan:

• Seeds must be the lowest card of that suit in your hand.
• The Dealer always pays a Double Wager into the Pot. The Dealing position can move around the table between games.
• The Deal must always include one extra hand, known as the Widow’s hand. Either the Dealer and another Player may swap their hand for the Widow’s Hand, but Players must pay an Ante directly to the Dealer for this right.
• If no Players can make a legal move, or an Ace has been played to complete the pile, then a Stop occurs.

Example Scenario

Players in Michigan are allowed to play multiple cards at once if they are able. Suppose that a new Seed has been started and that it is your turn with the following top card:

8♠

Now looking in your hand, you find a 9♠, 10♠, and J♠.

Not only are you allowed to play all three cards at once, albeit in sequential order into the pile, but the Jack of Spades is also one of the special cards that offers a payout.

Not only has the hand shed three cards, which is a large advantage in its own right, but you are also entitled to one-quarter of the total pot.

Tips

Tip 1

If you have the right to make a new seed, choose the option with the most cards in your hand.

Suppose that you have a 3♣ and a 5♦.

If you had three ♣ cards in your hand, but six ♦ cards, the 5 is the better choice to play even though the 3 is a lower card. It increases your odds of shedding more cards in the long run.

Tip 2

If your hand is largely mixed up, without any strong leanings towards a specific suit, or without any of the 4 Payout cards, consider swapping your hand with the Widow’s Hand, if you can.

The Dealer pays double the Ante price just for the privilege of taking the Widow’s hand for free. This alone conveys just how strong of an advantage the Widow’s Hand can be.

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