UNO. The timeless, exquisite game of vibrant colors and mind-boggling numbers that has taught so many humble Americans the only word of Spanish they know…
Well, let’s face it: it's boring! There’s really not much strategy and it’s slow-moving (apologies to all the die-hard Uno fans out there). But wait, I come with good news of great joy! Enter Spicy UNO!
This revolutionary new set of rules makes your classic Uno game competition for all your game-night favorites like poker or even Avalon! “Spicy UNO is the new chess!” says self-proclaimed UNO expert Jason Rivera.
So I know, I know. I haven’t said how to play yet. But chili out. I don’t want to be nosy and jalapeño business, but take heat of my warning. Once you play spicy UNO, you never go back. Normal UNO just never has the same flavor again. So take some thyme to think about it because the rules are cumin up.
To play Spicy UNO you follow all traditional UNO rules. You still match the same number or same color. However, there are a bunch of additional rules that you need to look out for as you play. I’ll first list the rules that are dependent on the number played in the center:
4: If a 4 is played, everyone needs to slap the center pile. The last person to slap draws a card.
5: Shhh! You cannot speak until a 7 is played. If you speak, you draw a card (there’s considerable debate in the spicy UNO community if you draw a card for every word or phrase that you utter).
7: You can speak again if you were being quiet from a 5. If you could already speak, nothing else happens.
1: You choose who you want to switch hands with! They can do nothing about it (insert maniacal laugh).
0: Everyone passes their hand in the direction of the game of flow.
Those are all the rules dependent on the numbers. If it seems like too much to remember, start with just a couple rules (I recommend adding them in in the order I wrote them, top down).
The non-number dependent rules are as follows:
If there is ever a time where the card that was just played in the center matches exactly with a card in your hand, you can play it out of turn. This means both the color and the number are the same. The order of play also follows you and continues to the person next to you.
This next rule is dependent on you playing that if you cannot play a card, you draw from the center pile until you get one (instead of just taking one card). In this rule, if you cannot play a card, people can offer you a card facedown on the table. You can choose whether to accept the offered card or not. It could be a card you can use to play (preventing you from having to draw until you get one), or it could be a total fake (making you take that extra card and still having to draw until you get one).
That’s all! Easy right? Just kidding, it will take some getting used to but I promise that it will really enhance your experience. And plus you get to watch that one person still talk after a 5 is played and then continue to exclaim “What?” and “Why am I getting these cards?” as the pile of cards in front of them grows bigger.
If that person is you, I’m very sorry, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
“Spicy UNO is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.”
- Jason Rivera
visionary, inventor, philanthropist