ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flip-It™, a highly interactive, strategic card game based on a street game played since centuries B.C., is being rolled out across the United States and the internet. In Flip-It™, players predict the value of thrown cards, with the winner correctly predicting the outcome. The colorful game utilizes decks of 104 specialized cards and may be played by two to four players ages 8 and up. Flip-It™ is available online at Amazon.com and E-Bay for $14.95, and will soon be sold in retail stores.
Players conceal a guess card, then throw their play cards, which are numbered from zero to five. The player whose guess card is closest to the total of all players' play cards wins the round and the guess cards. A champion is determined when one player has collected all the guess cards, or by points assessed for each winning hand. Bonus points are awarded for the most difficult point totals. Flip-It™ is usually accompanied by enthusiastic shouting and vociferous coaxing for a winning result.
Flip-It™ is the first card adaptation of the raucous street game, Morra (Moritio), a derivation which means “the flashing of fingers” in Italian. Morra, which was popular among Roman and Greek soldiers, preceded Christ by centuries, and spread throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. The Chinese version of Morra is hua quan, meaning “fist quarrel.” Another counterpart, “odds and evens” or “choosies,” has appeared on U.S. playgrounds for more than a century.
“Flip-It™ is fascinating and has advantages over Morra,which is still popular on Italian streets. Flip-It™ is designed for up to four players, while the finger game is limited to two,” said Robert Sotile, Flip-It's inventor and purveyor of the Buddy System family of products, including Flip-It™ and The Buddy System® ice cream cone holder. “Almost everybody worldwide is familiar with some version of Morra, so learning to play Flip-It™ should be a cinch.”
Future plans for Flip-It™ will consist of sponsored tournaments, phone apps and online play, Sotile said.
Sotile, of Rochester, N.Y., developed the patent-pending card game, which earned rave reviews in focus groups from gaming experts, students and toy industry executives. Manufactured by U.S. Playing Card Company, the website is www.flipitcardgame.com.