Rules for the Game

Click here to go to the Frequently Asked Questions

Overview:
Welcome to The Horse Race Game, a game of heart-pounding chance where the stakes are what you make them and the fun is a clean sweep. You may play with Fun Money provided in this kit or ante up cash if you're playing in the privacy of your home (where legal).

The OBJECT of the game is to WIN THE JACKPOT and make the most money by holding the Horse Card that crosses the finish line first in each race.

The OBSTACLE is that your roll of the dice might match the SCRATCHED horses dropped from the race, which costs you money.

The game may be played by groups of up to 15 and each race lasts 10-15 minutes. You may set the number of races to determine a winner (eg. 10) or set a time to count out winnings. Just like a day at the real races, the player with the most money WINS.

Get Started!

1. LINE UP all 11 plastic Horse Game Pieces on the numbered squares (2-12) along the START LINE marked on the board. You will notice that some of the 'Horses' have to travel fewer squares to get to the CHAMPION CIRCLE. This is to handicap for the increased odds of rolling a 6,7 or 8!

2. DIVVY up the FUN MONEY among all players OR set your entry fee if playing with cash/coin. Choose a Dealer for the first race.

3. DEALER COLLECTS $1 FUN MONEY ENTRY FEE (or pre-determined cash amount) from each player and places it in a dish (not provided.) This is now the JACKPOT.

4. GET READY TO DEAL. If the Dealer is dealing to fewer than SEVEN players, first split the deck evenly and set the excess cards aside. There are 44 cards in the deck, made up of 4 duplicates x 11 Horses. You may wish to keep two of each Horse Card in the split deck for even play and odds. The game is more exciting if each player has four or fewer cards, so you may wish to reduce the deck further if playing with 3 or 4 players.

5. DEAL ALL the cards out (but NOT the cards you set aside if you split the deck -they are out of play) FACE UP to each player. Don't worry if some players have more cards than others, it will even out after a few races.

6. PLAY THE SCRATCH ROUND. In real racing, horses 'scratch' or drop out of the race. The first four players now take turns on FOUR scratch rolls to
determine which Horse Cards get dropped from the race. The FIRST person left of the dealer ROLLS THE DICE. ALL PLAYERS must surrender the Horse Card that matches the number rolled. DEALER PLACES these cards in the "PLACE 1ST ROLL HERE" position on the game board. Now the roll moves to the next left, and continues until all four Scratch spots on the game board have been filled and all cards matching those rolls have been collected.

Dealer must also REMOVE SCRATCHED HORSE GAME PIECES from the starting line positions, as they are out of the race.

*NOTE: IF A PLAYER has run out of Horse Cards because EACH card SCRATCHED, they're out of the race and HAVE TO PAY to the JACKPOT 5X the entry fee (eg. 5 X $1 entry fee = $5 FUN MONEY)

IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU WILL NOTICE THAT EACH SCRATCH POSITION ON THE BOARD HAS A 'MULTIPLIER': x1, x2, x3, x4. THIS DETERMINES THE PAY PENALTY IF A PLAYER ROLLS A MATCHING SCRATCH NUMBER DURING THE RACE.

7. LET THE RACE BEGIN! The next person to the left of the last Scratch roll begins the race, with one roll per player, per turn. Each roll of the dice during the race will be either a SCRATCH roll that matches the number of a Horse Card in the scratch spots, or a RACE roll that will match one of the Horse Game Piece positions still in the race.

ON A SCRATCH ROLL, the roller must pay the JACKPOT the MULTIPLIED amount on the matching Scratch Position. For example, if #12 Slippery Sam is in the 2nd Roll (x2) Scratch spot on the board and the roller rolls a 12, he/she has to pay $2 fun money to the JACKPOT.

ON A RACE ROLL, the roller may move the matching Horse Game Piece FORWARD ONE square. For example, if Starting Line Position #5 contains a Horse Game Piece and the roller rolls a 5, the Horse Game Piece moves forward one space. This benefits ALL PLAYERS HOLDING THE #5 Miss Kris card (if she wins!).

8. THE WINNING HORSE CARD is the position that first moves off the board into the CHAMPION CIRCLE. Any players HOLDING THE CARD split the JACKPOT evenly. Leftovers remain in the pot for the next race.

For example, after several rolls, the #5 position on the board is rolled into the CHAMPION CIRCLE. The player(s) holding Horse Card #5 Miss Kris win the JACKPOT.

For the next race, the deal moves to the left.

9. ENDING THE RACE GAME. There are several ways to end the race game and announce an Official Winner.

A) You may establish a pre-determined number of races, eg. 10, and tally the winnings and the end of the 10th race.

B) You may play until a single player has RUN OUT OF MONEY, in which case it's the last race. The loser surrenders their cards, the game continues to a winning finish, and the winnings are tallied.

C) You may also play to a set time.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q: Does everyone have to pay when someone rolls the dice and matches a scratch?

A: No, only the person rolling the dice pays the pot.