The Game of 50 States

Play what you capture. Capture to win.

Start with seven cards each, drawn from one deck of fifty states. High cards win.

Choose one card and press Confirm to see the computer’s choice. The highest card wins the match–and the winning card is discarded from the game. But the winner captures the losing card–which will be playable in the next round. The round continues until one player has played all their cards.

Use unplayed and captured cards to make the next hand. Game matches continue until either player runs out of playable cards. The last player holding cards wins the game.

Meet your rival: a randomly chosen fictional steward of the cards.

Random makes random choices. Probability considers possible hands. Strategic weighs future captures using public history. These are different playing styles, not a proven difficulty ranking.

Optional and off by default. Both opening seven-card averages stay fixed. Probability and Strategic may use them when shown. Your style and score setting stay locked for this game.

Your cards are dealt when you press Play.

Global Leaderboard coming soon. Stay tuned!

Your trophies

Underdog awards: win a completed seven-card game starting at least 35 total rank points behind for I, 70 for II, or 105 for III (average gaps of 5, 10 or 15). Each win earns only its highest qualifying tier: I for 35–69, II for 70–104, III for 105 or more. Each style and tier has one shield to earn. Repeat wins do not award it again or unlock lower tiers; previously earned shields and first-earned dates stay. Based on exact opening totals, with Deal Score on or off. No awards for losses or unfinished games; older games are not backfilled. These are challenge thresholds, not a guarantee that every deal is winnable.

Streak milestones: 3, 5, 10, 25 and 50 games. Win-rate milestones: 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%. Milestone badges are permanent; only the highest earned streak and win-rate badge in each style is shown. Streaks count consecutive completed games within that style, starting with this update. Recorded older games count toward win rates; unsupported old win totals do not. No earlier badge awards or dates are inferred. Win-rate badges require at least 25 recorded games and are checked when another game completes.

Each style has its own trophies: Random bronze, Probability silver and Strategic gold. Existing Strategic awards keep their counts and earned dates as Gold; Probability starts fresh. Ten stars of one color become one medal of that color; ten medals become one shield, and ten shields become one flag. Colors never mix. Earlier Relaxed wins remain Bronze. Lifetime totals and old records are preserved; earlier Expert records remain unassigned.

One same-color star per win. A same-color flag represents 1,000 wins in that mode.

Your rival record

Finish a game to start your rival record.

Recorded completed games by rival and selected style
RivalGamesWinsWin %

Game rules

Meet your rival: a randomly chosen fictional steward of the cards.

  1. You and the computer each receive seven random cards from the same fifty-card deck. The other thirty-six cards sit this game out.
  2. Choose a card from your hand, then press Confirm to reveal both choices. The computer commits before you choose. It cannot see your hand or selection; it uses its own cards, public results, and initial Deal Scores only when enabled. Random always plays randomly. Probability estimates possible hands. Strategic weighs possible future outcomes; with Deal Score on it also samples possible opening hands. Visible initial scores allow both sides to deduce possible remaining cards. A one-decimal seven-card average identifies the original total, but does not reveal a chosen card.
  3. The higher number wins the match. That winning card is discarded from the game; its owner captures the lower card for the next round.
  4. Keep playing until either current hand is empty. Any unplayed cards stay with their owner—only the winning card spent in each match is discarded.
  5. Combine your retained, unplayed cards with your captures to make your next hand. A player with no captures can still continue if they have retained cards. Only a player with an empty combined hand is out; the other player wins.
  6. Every card has a unique statehood rank, so every match has a winner.
  7. A win adds one star only to the style selected when the game began: bronze for Random, silver for Probability and gold for Strategic. Ten same-color stars become one same-color medal, ten medals one shield, ten shields one flag. There are no mixed-color conversions. Existing Relaxed wins remain Bronze and existing Strategic wins become Gold.