Tap 4

• Designers:Marilyn Dick and Dorene Mills 
• Publisher: The Op Games
• Players: 2-6
• Age: 10+
• Time: 20 minutes
• Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4vvKj5l
• Played with review copy provided by publisher

Get ready for an exciting and strategic card game – Tap 4!

To play, the first player puts down a card, preferably their highest point card. Players take turns laying down cards equal to or lower in value than those on the top of the “Stack” (the play area in the center).

You can play cards from your hand or those on the table. When a player completes a set of 4 or more identical cards or plays a “TAP IN” card, they shout “TAPPED” (and for extra fun, give the table a tap), move the “Stack” out of play, and continue their turn.

Watch out for special “Trick cards” like the “TAP IN” card, which acts as a wild card to grab the “Stack.” The “TAPPED OUT” card gets passed to a player, causing them to lose their next turn.

The goal? Be the first to eliminate all your cards to win the round. The player with the lowest score after a series of rounds becomes the ultimate “TAP FOUR WINNER.”

The deck is 114 cards, 8 copies for ranks 1 to 12, 11 Tap In cards and 7 Tap Out cards.  This huge deck is shuffled and each player is dealt a hand of 19 cards.  Before you look at your cards, deal four cards face down in a row and then cover each of those with a face up card from your hand.  These are your Piles.  Now, the remaining 11 cards are your starting hand and you’re allowed to look at those.

Cards will be played to the Stack, this is a pile in the center of the table.  A key rule is that players can only play cards of an equal or lesser value to the stack.  There are generally three options on a player’s turn:

1] Play one or more cards with the same number to the Stack, of equal or lesser value to the card currently on top.  Cards can come from your hand, your piles or a combination of both.  If your play makes a set of 4 or more cards in a row of the same rank, you “Tap the Stack”.  You discard the entire stack and then you get another play where you can play any set to start a new stack.  At some point, you have to play your face down cards from your piles.  You never get to look at them, so you’ll only be able to flip them up and see what they are when you choose to play them.   If the flipped card is higher than the current top card in the Stack, you have to pick up the entire Stack.

2] Play a Tap In or Tap Out card – A Tap Out card can be used two ways.  You can discard one to skip your turn, and play simply goes to the next player.  Alternatively, you can play a Tap Out card in front of another player to force them to skip their next turn.  If you do this, you must be able to play a card legally to the Stack.  A Tap In card also has two uses.  You can play it to the stack to automatically Tap the Stack.  Clear the Stack and then play anything you like.  You can also use a Tap In card to negate a Tap Out card that has been played on you.

3] Pick up the Stack – If you cannot or choose not to play a card OR if you play a facedown card which is higher than the current stack, you must pick up the entire stack and add it to your hand.

The round ends when someone plays their last card (from both their hand and their piles).  Players tally up the points in the cards left in their hands and piles – number cards being worth their rank, Tap In = 20, Tap Out = 30.  If someone has reached 150 points, the game ends and the player with the fewest points is the winner.  If not, shuffle the cards and deal another hand.

My thoughts on the game

Following the success of last year’s game, Flip 7, The Op Games has brought another dead simple card game to the market.  Tap 4 (again, like Flip 7) honestly sounds a bit dull and frivolous to a gamer who is reading the rules, but dang it, it’s one of those games that everyone just seems to like.

The game is fairly easy to learn, though non-gamers may take a minute to learn and remember the different options for the Tap In and Tap Out cards.  Otherwise, it’s pretty easy to play cards to the stack, making sure they are equal or lower.  If you’re forced to take a big stack, it’s often not too big of a deal as you’ll have plenty of opportunity to start a pile with those high cards and hopefully have enough to tap the stack and keep playing. 

Players will have to use their judgement when to play off their own piles, especially the face down cards.  Obviously, flipping over a random card when the current stack number is high is the best time.  If you wait too long and only have those cards as your options, you might be in a bad spot and forced to pick up a huge stack.

The Tap Out cards do have a targeted attack, but the game needs that as a way to slow down a leader.  Also, for players who might not be as savvy, it gives them a way to catch up.  It’s not great to just tell someone else to skip a turn, but it is what it is. And in the end, it’s not a horrendous penalty.

The hands move quickly and usually after maybe four or five hands, someone has reached the game end threshold.  That’s just about enough time for me with Tap 4 – but it’s an enjoyable enough way to spend time with friends and family.  When that sort of group is looking for something different from Uno, SkipBo, or Flip 7 – this would be a good one to pull out.

Until your next appointment,

The Gaming Doctor

Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4vvKj5l