Rules
The classic Mikado game consists of 41 sticks. They are coded with different values that have a total of 170 points and are around 15 cm long.
| Name | Traditional wood type | Coding | Point value | Number of sticks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikado | walnut | blue | 20 pts | 1 |
| Mandarin | cherry | yellow/black, middle wide two narrow stripes on the ends | 10 pts | 5 |
| Bonzen (jp. bouzu) | oak | orange, five stripes | 5 pts | 5 |
| Samurai | beech | green, three stripes | 3 pts | 15 |
| Kuli (cn. guli) / Worker | ash | red, two stripes | 2 pts | 15 |
The sticks are bundled and taken in one hand that touches the table/ground. The release creates a circular jumble. Now one stick after another should be taken up without moving/touching others. The take away could be by hand, possibly through pressing on a stick's tip or if one has already picked up a special stick (Mikado/Mandarin), it could be used as a helper, possibly to throw up another stick.
It is allowed to stand up on but not to leave the own place. A bad throw could be rerun and the rules should be kept strict in respect to moving sticks to enjoy the game.
On a fault the turn ends (the last stick taken is not counted). The next player bundles and drops the sticks again. After several rounds, normally five, the one with the highest score is the winner.
Read more about this topic: Mikado (game)
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