Pick-up Sticks
Pick-up Sticks
Pick-up sticks is a traditional game of manual dexterity with roots extending back several centuries. It has various names, including spillikins, jackstraws, and Mikado. Although the exact origin is unknown, it became a household amusement in Europe and North America in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The game is fairly simple, and is played as follows:
THE OBJECT: To gather the greatest number of sticks without stirring any other stick in the pile.
TO BEGIN: Gather the sticks upright in one hand, with their lower ends resting upon a table.
Release them gently, allowing them to fall into a scattered and overlapping heap.
MANNER OF PLAY
1. Players take turns removing one stick at a time from the heap.
2. A player may lift, slide, or carefully draw away a chosen stick.
3. If no other stick is disturbed, the player keeps the stick and plays again.
4. Should any other stick move, the turn ends and play passes to the next player.
5. Continue until all sticks have been gathered.
RECKONING THE SCORE: Each stick counts as one point. The player with the greatest number wins. For a colored set, players may instead agree upon values before play begins.
A TRADITIONAL VARIATION: By agreement, a stick already won may be used as a tool to lift another. In carved Jackstraws sets, a small hook was sometimes provided for this purpose.