Review: Flip 7

Introduction & Overview

The best card game of all time! Collect cards to score their points. But beware! If you reveal a duplicate value, you lose it all!

This is how Flip 7 is introduced, designed by Eric Olsen (A Lott Axolots, Booty Dice). First published in 2024 by The Op Games in an English edition. Illustrations are handled by O’Neil Mabile (25 Words or Less).

It is published in Spanish by Mercurio Distribuciones (the game contains text, though reading is not strictly necessary to play). It supports games for 3 or more players, with a suggested minimum age of 8 and an approximate duration of around 20 minutes. The retail price is €15.95. For this review, a copy of the French version by Catch-Up Games was used.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 14.8×10.2×3.6 cm (a small rectangular box similar to Picnic), we find the following components:

• 94 Cards (62.5×88 mm):
  • 79 Number Cards
  • 6 Bonus Cards
  • 9 Action Cards
• Rulebook

How to Play

Flip 7 is a filler game featuring a deck of cards numbered from 0 to 12, containing as many cards of each value as the value itself (except for zero, of which there is only one card). Additionally, the deck includes special cards (such as second chances, bonus cards, flipping three consecutive cards, or cards that knock rivals out of the round). On each turn, the active player must decide whether they want to be dealt a new card or stay. If they reveal a card that does not match any numeric value already present in their play area, they will get another turn later on. Otherwise, they bust and are eliminated for the remainder of the round. The round ends when all players have stayed or busted, or when a player manages to reveal a seventh distinct number card (earning an extra bonus for doing so), beginning a new round without reshuffling the deck (the discard pile is only reshuffled to form a new deck when it runs out). Each non-eliminated player scores their points. The end of the game is triggered when one or more players reach or exceed 200 points.

Key Concepts

Let’s begin with the Number Cards. In the deck, we will find cards with values ranging from 0 to 12. For each value, there are as many copies as the number itself (one 1, two 2s, three 3s, etc.), with the exception of 0, of which there is also a single card. The goal of the players in each round is to try to collect seven number cards of distinct values. Players will reveal cards one by one, deciding when to stop, because revealing a duplicate card of the same value causes the player to lose everything they have accumulated in that round.

The deck also includes a set of Bonus Cards that increase the total value of your cards with no risk, since each bonus card is unique.

Finally, the deck contains Action Cards. Whenever a player reveals one of these cards, they must decide how to resolve its effect.

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

1. A player is chosen to act as the dealer.
2. The dealer shuffles the card deck and places it in front of them.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

Starting with the player to the dealer’s left and proceeding clockwise, the dealer deals one card face up to each player, including themselves.

Once all players have a card, the dealer asks each player whether they want another card or prefer to stay, starting again with the player to the left and proceeding clockwise:

• If they stay, the player will take no further turns for the rest of the round, locking in their accumulated points.
• If they hit, the dealer gives them a new card. The player busts and is eliminated if the new card is a number card matching a value already in their play area, forfeiting any further turns this round. If the player holds a Second Chance card, they discard it along with the duplicate card and will remain in the round for future turns.

If a player receives an action card, they must resolve its effect immediately:

• Freeze: The player chooses a player (which can be themselves) who must automatically stay.
• Flip 3: The player chooses a player to be dealt 3 cards by the dealer (which can be themselves). If, after revealing all 3 cards, the player has no duplicate number cards in their play area, they will take future turns as normal when their turn comes around.
• Second Chance: The player keeps the card and is protected from a future bust. If a player already has a Second Chance card in their area and receives another, they must choose an active player to receive it.

The round ends once every player has either stayed or busted. Surviving players add the points accumulated in their play area to their score track (if a player holds a x2 multiplier card, it doubles the sum of the number cards before adding the bonus cards). Alternatively, the round ends immediately if a player collects seven distinct number cards in their play area, scoring a 15-point bonus.

All revealed cards are set aside into the discard pile, and the remaining deck is passed to the player on the left, who becomes the new dealer for the next round. If the deck runs out, the discard pile is shuffled to form a new draw deck.

Game End

The game end is triggered at the conclusion of a round in which one or more players reach or exceed 200 points, with the player having the most points declared the winner. In case of a tie, victory is shared.

Personal Opinion

Many of you might not know this, but push-your-luck is one of my absolute favorite mechanics. I would almost say my favorite when it comes to fillers or party games. Few mechanisms can generate so much tension and second-guessing in such a simple and elegant way. The key lies in fear: the fear of losing something you already have and worked hard to earn.

Admittedly, it is a tricky mechanism to blend with others—mostly because losing something that took heavy effort just because you got greedy can be intensely frustrating. But when it comes to light, breezy games whose sole purpose is to provide quick fun, it works wonderfully.

Today we are talking about a filler that has generated quite a bit of buzz—not only from those who enjoyed it and praised its strengths, but also from many who dismissed it mercilessly. Let’s see what makes Flip 7 such a polarizing title.

Flip 7 is a title with a core push-your-luck mechanic that strongly (perhaps a bit too much) recalls Reiner Knizia’s lineage of games built around this system. I am talking about Cheeky Monkey (here is its tocho-review), Pelusas / Flinke Pinke, Hit, and similar spin-offs. On each turn, we can draw a card; most cards show numeric values, with the twist that there are as many copies in the deck as the card’s value (one 1, two 2s, three 3s, and so on).

Here, the goal is to accumulate as many cards in our play area as possible without duplicating any number. Thus, whenever our turn arrives, we must decide whether to take another card or stay with what we currently have.

If we stay, we bank the sum of our card values and add that amount to our overall score. Otherwise, we receive a new card. If this card has a value distinct from everything we already hold, we are safe. But if we are dealt a card with a number already present in our lineup, we bust and score zero points for the round.

The overarching goal is to reach or exceed two hundred points to trigger the end of the game, with the winner being whoever has the highest score after that round concludes. In essence, a premise straight out of great classics like Can’t Stop (here is its tocho-review), where that endurance race dynamic is front and center.

So where do the fundamental differences in Flip 7 lie compared to the titles mentioned? Essentially, there are two. The first is card memory. The deck is not shuffled between rounds. As long as the deck has not been completely exhausted, every card revealed is one that cannot appear again until the deck runs out and is reshuffled.

Consequently, even if you start a round by receiving a 12 (statistically the most likely duplicate because there are twelve copies), it might actually be safer to hold that 12 than, say, a 7 if previous rounds have already seen nine 12s revealed while no 7s have shown up yet, making the odds of drawing a 7 far higher than drawing another 12.

True, most players will play purely on gut feel rather than maintaining a strict mental count of discarded cards. But the possibility is there, and for those who enjoy card counting, it adds an extra layer of appeal compared to other push-your-luck titles where information is either scattered or driven purely by raw chance.

The other distinguishing feature of Flip 7 is its special cards. On one hand, there are the bonus cards, which are easy to track since there is only one copy of each. The x2 multiplier is particularly sweet if you manage to bank your score. On the other hand, the action cards inject a layer of direct player interaction rarely seen in games of this style. Whenever a player draws one of these cards, they must choose another player (or themselves) to receive its effect.

The most punishing one forces a player to stay immediately, preventing them from taking any more turns this round, while the most thrilling is the one that forces a player to draw three consecutive cards—a double-edged sword. More often than not, a duplicate will show up and bust them, but if all three are safe, that player takes a giant leap forward, especially since collecting seven distinct values immediately ends the round and awards a fat bonus.

The third one, the Second Chance card, does not boost player interaction directly—it is simply a safety net that gives you breathing room in a round. However, holding it paints a target on your back; if an action card shows up, opponents will likely target the player with the Second Chance just to neutralize their advantage, even if they aren’t leading. Rivalry gets the best of us! These might seem like minor tweaks, but they are substantial enough to give Flip 7 a very entertaining dynamic. Unless you dislike the genre, it is a game that should land very well at the table.

Additionally, it scales smoothly because the deck is generous, and player interaction outside of action cards boils down to a race dynamic, making it work across any player count. In fact, the box interestingly specifies no maximum player count, making it a great pick for large gatherings. Naturally, with more players, the deck cycles faster (making card counting trickier).

Regarding replayability, this is one of those addictive titles—a hallmark of great push-your-luck games. It is hard to play just one round, and it can easily hit the table with high frequency. While luck determines the card flow, it remains suspenseful, fast, and engaging, making it an easy recommendation to pull off the shelf.

Moving on to production quality, the deck features good cardstock with a linen finish and nice snap. Sleeving is recommended to prevent wear and marking. The box of the edition I own features foil accents that make it pop on the shelf (along with enough room to store sleeved cards). The rulebook is clearly structured with no ambiguities. Visually, it is purely functional graphic design—clean, but nothing outstanding.

And let’s wrap this up. Flip 7 is a push-your-luck filler that distinguishes itself from its peers thanks to an added touch of control (since the deck does not shuffle between rounds, enabling card counting) and the inclusion of action cards that foster direct player interaction. Beyond that, it is simple, snappy, fun, and accessible to any group. It might not be the definitive push-your-luck title, but it delivers on its promise effectively. For all these reasons, I give it a…