Stacker's Deck

The stacker's deck is a card deck designed for the popular gambling game Stacker's Smile. The deck features ten species numbered 1 through 10 as well as the Shadow, a card unique to the stacker's deck that can be whatever the player wants it to be.

Structure

The stacker's deck is separated into ten species: bear, cat, horse, fish, cow, wolf, falcon, goat, squid, and crow. Each species has ten cards Since there are several producers of the decks as well as unique versions, exact designs vary from detailed illustrations to simple images. Every deck also includes a Shadow, a card that represents chaos and change. In Stacker's Smile, it is usually used as a 10, the highest-scoring card.

The Game

Stacker's Smile is played with 2-6 players who pay a certain amount to play. This money acts as lives as well as a reward for each round's winner. Every player is dealt ten cards, the rest of the deck is placed in the center of the table, and the first card is flipped face-up to begin the discard stack. In low-stakes games, the cards are dealt in a rotation moving counterclockwise, but high-stakes have a separate person who deals the cards, keeps score, and watches the game. If there is a separate dealer, a chip is passed around to denote the "dealer" player.

You never want to play this game with my brother. He will get Stacker's Smile every round. Even if you aren't using lots of money, even if you're very careful, he win will.

— Asphalt on Stacker's Smile

The gameplay begins with the person to the right of the "dealer". The player can choose whether to take the next card of the deck or the first card of the discard stack. They include it in their hand and discard one they no longer want. When a card is discarded, any player who wants it can pay to get it. If no one wants it, it is the next player's turn. The cycle continues until the deck runs out.

When the deck runs out, the round is complete. Cards are counted up and scored. Cards of the same species are added together and cards of the same value are multiplied. The highest hand one can get is the "Stacker's Smile" the game is named after, which is composed of either ten 10s or nine 10s and the Shadow. Once the points have been counted, the player with the lowest hand must pay into the center an amount proportionate to the difference between them and the player with the highest hand, the ratio of which is decided at the beginning of the game. Some variations of the game force all players except the highest scorer to pay up. Once the players have paid, the winner of the round takes all the money from the center as their own.

The dealer moves to the right and the next round begins. When a player runs out of money, they exit the game. If a player runs out of money while buying a card from the discard, they are allowed to finish the round. The game continues until only one player remains with any money, winning the game and all the money that was paid in. A rule in many variations states that a player who receives "Stacker's Smile" can end the round immediately by placing their cards on the table and declaring "Stacker's Smile".

by Lilliana Casper

Common Shadow card design by Lilliana Casper

Item type

Miscellaneous

Creation Date

159 APC

Rarity

Uncommon

Base Price

5 silver; special editions cost up to 300 silver

History

The game of Stacker's Smile emerged on Zenricho sometime around 10 BPC. It slowly grew in popularity on that planet before spreading to others. Originally, the game was played with slips of paper or with combined decks, but in 59 APC the first designs of the 101-card deck were created by a card manufacturer and released to the public. Following this release, more manufacturers began to produce the decks and sell them. The price for a basic deck is generally affordable, but special editions can cost up to 300 silver or even more. The deck is stored in a small box to protect it from damage. With the deck now available to all, many other games have emerged that use its cards with different rules.