Suggested Mini-Game: Red or Black

  • You will need a deck of cards. Remove the jokers unless you plan to play the variation that includes them.
  • Shuffle the deck and place five cards face down on the table. They can remain there for the duration of the class.
  • One by one, have students take turns flipping the cards. Each student may flip one card of their choice. Before they turn over the card, the student must state whether they think it is a red card (Hearts and Diamonds) or a black card (Clubs and Spades).
  • If they guess correctly, they receive one point. Whether or not they guess correctly, flipped cards are removed from play and are replaced by another face down card from the deck.
  • VARIATION: Include the two jokers in the deck before shuffling. As they are neither red nor black, anyone flipping a joker loses five points.
  • VARIATION: Anyone who guesses correctly receives one point and may flip another card. They may continue flipping cards for each correct guess. If they manage to guess correctly five times in a row, they receive five bonus points.