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POWER POKER FOOTBALL ® — OFFICIAL RULES
WELCOME TO POWER POKER FOOTBALL® — WHERE TEXAS HOLD’EM MEETS FOOTBALL STRATEGY.
Using a standard 52-card deck, every poker hand represents one football down. The offense uses its cards to gain yards, earn first downs and score touchdowns. The defense tries to push the offense backward, force turnovers and take possession.
And just like football, every yard matters.
The game mat tracks it all. The green markers move with the football, while the red markers show the ten yards needed for a first down. The numbered columns let you track every yard gained or lost.
Around the field, you'll find the different Play Action areas, the Used Game Chips area, the Benched Player area, the five-step hand sequence, and quick-reference scoring values you’ll use throughout the game.
And don't worry about memorizing anything. You don't have to. Everything you need to play is right here on the game mat.
Every hand follows the same five-step sequence. Learn this repeating rhythm, and the game quickly starts to flow.
First comes the pre-flop action. One offensive player gets the opportunity to bluff with a Black Ace, while one defensive player has their own opportunity to bet on a Red Ace appearing on the flop.
Next comes the flop, where the quarterback deals the first three community cards and offensive yardage can begin moving the football dramatically downfield for the dealing quarterback.
Then comes the ground game. Before the fourth community card, Run and Tackle Play Actions give the offense and defense opportunities to battle for important ground-game yards.
Next, the passing game opens up. Before the fifth community card, the offense can look to the air while the defense can counter with coverage or pressure the quarterback with a blitz.
Then the final community card is dealt and we determine the winning poker hand.
That's when the Bet-to-Win and Clutch Play can turn an ordinary down into something much bigger. Yardage can change dramatically, touchdowns can be scored, and the defense may even come away with an interception.
We'll teach you exactly how each of those plays works when we get to them.
And if the defense stops you from making that first down, you’ve got another football decision to make: punt—or take a shot at the field goal?
That's the rhythm of Power Poker Football.
Follow the panels. Follow the field. Celebrate every yard and just play football.
Before long, you won’t be thinking about the rules—you'll be thinking about your next play.
GAME ITEMS:
Next, let’s take a quick look at the game items. Power Poker Football includes one Dealer Play Action Mat. This mat stays with the current dealer and is where Play Action cards are placed. You’ll use one standard deck of playing cards. The two green line-of-scrimmage markers move with the football, while the two red first-down markers stay fixed to mark the ten yards needed for a first down. Use the wood Down Marker to track the current down, and the wood Quarter Marker to track the quarter. The suggested play time is to play 2 drives per quarter. One through four for the fist half and two drives per quarter one through four for the second half. For shorter games just play first score wins with one chance to tie. Each player receives three colored Game Chips. All Game Chips go to the Used Game Chips area on the game mat when their activity or action ends, unless a specific rule says otherwise. Each player also receives one heavier Bet-to-Win Chip. The Bet-to-Win Chip is separate from your regular Game Chips. We’ll show you how it works when we get to Bet-to-Win and Clutch Play. Finally, there are two yellow penalty flags — one for each team — used when a penalty is called during the game. That’s it. Everything you need to play Power Poker Football is all right here.
THE YARDAGE MARKERS:
Now let’s see how to track yardage on the field. First, use the green marker to show the football’s ten-yard field position. Next, use the colored numbered column beside that field position to show the exact yardage. For example, if the green marker is at the 30-yard line and the numbered column shows 4, the football is at the 34-yard line. The red first-down markers show the ten yards needed for a first down and stay fixed for the entire hand. During the hand, the football may move beyond the first-down marker and then move back again. Don’t move the red markers until the hand is completely finished. When possession changes, no math is needed. Follow the hash marks straight across to the opposite yard line. For example, the 47-yard line becomes the 53-yard line. Remember: green marker for the ten-yard field position, numbered column for exact yardage, red markers for the first down, and straight across when possession changes.
PANEL 1 — PLAY BEGINS
Power Poker Football® is played by 2, 4, 6, or 8 players, divided evenly between offense and defense and seated alternately around the table.
Each player begins with 3 Game Chips and 1 separate Bet-to-Win Chip. Use a standard 52-card deck.
Each player draws one card. High card becomes the first offensive QB Dealer. Only offense deals every hand.
The opening drive begins at offense's 20-yard line.
The QB Dealer deals 2 face-down hole cards to every active player and places 1 face-down Clutch Play card in the center.
QB Audible
Immediately after the two hole cards are dealt, the QB Dealer may spend 1 Game Chip to call an Audible.
The QB Dealer discards both hole cards and draws 2 replacement hole cards. Those replacement cards must be played.
Only the QB Dealer may Audible.
Downs and First-Down Markers
Every poker hand represents one football down. Offense has four downs to gain 10 yards.
The green markers show the current football/line-of-scrimmage position. The red first-down markers establish the 10-yard target and remain fixed throughout the hand.
A first down is determined only after the entire hand and any applicable Clutch Play have been completely resolved.
When offense earns a first down, reset the red first-down markers for the next 10-yard target.
Turn Order
Play generally moves clockwise to the next eligible player, offense or defense. When a Play Action uses a different order, that rule specifies it.
Bet-to-Win
After the flop, any eligible player may call Bet-to-Win on their turn. Bet-to-Win cannot be called if no other player remains in the poker hand.
Once Bet-to-Win is called, eligible players may match it when their turn comes.
When everyone is ready to show their cards, conduct one Final Call go-around. This is the final opportunity for eligible players to call or match Bet-to-Win.
After all eligible players have decided, Bet-to-Win closes and the cards are shown.
Bet-to-Win is separate from winning the poker hand.
QB Dealer and Possession
If offense wins the poker hand and possession does not change, the offensive winner becomes the next QB Dealer.
If defense wins the poker hand without gaining possession, offense retains the football and the deal moves clockwise to the next eligible offensive player.
When a defender causes a change of possession, that defender becomes QB Dealer when their team takes offense unless another rule specifically provides otherwise.
After a score, the other team begins its next drive at its own 20-yard line.
After another change of possession, the new offense begins where possession changed unless the applicable rule specifies another location.
When changing field direction, follow the field markings straight across to the corresponding yard line.
PANEL 2 — RUNNING BACK BLAST
“Running Back Blast.
Running Back Blast gives offense a chance to gain five yards—a quick blast up the middle—by claiming to have a Black Ace before the flop. Only one Running Back Blast can be called per hand.
This is the first Play Action and is called only by offensive players. Starting with the QB Dealer, each eligible offensive player gets a chance to call Running Back Blast by claiming they have a Black Ace in one of their hole cards. They can be telling the truth or bluffing.
Once somebody makes the claim, starting with the first eligible defender in turn clockwise from the QB Dealer, each eligible defender gets a chance to challenge the call.
If nobody challenges and all turns have passed, offense gains five yards and the claimed card stays hidden.
If challenged and the player shows a Black Ace, offense gains five yards, and the challenger chooses and discards one of their own hole cards.
If the player was bluffing, offense gets no yards, and the bluffing player chooses and discards one of their own hole cards.
If nobody on offense calls Running Back Blast, move on to the next Play Action, Blitz Sack Fumble.”
PANEL 3 — BLITZ SACK FUMBLE
“Blitz Sack Fumble.
Blitz Sack Fumble lets defense bring the pressure by risking a Game Chip for a chance to turn a Red Ace five-yard sack into a turnover on the QB flop. Only one Blitz Sack Fumble can be called per hand.
After the hole cards are dealt and before the flop begins, an eligible defender may spend one Game Chip and bet that a Red Ace will appear on the flop. Game Chips, once used throughout this game, are always placed in the Used Game Chip Area regardless of a Play Action’s outcome. Defense gets only one Blitz Sack Fumble bet per hand.
A Red Ace always sacks and pushes offense back five yards on any flop. The Blitz Sack Fumble bet is what gives defense a chance to dislodge the ball and create a loose-ball fumble.
If a Red Ace appears and Blitz Sack Fumble was called, the QB Dealer reveals one recovery card from the top of the deck. Any Red card means defense recovers the fumble. Any Black card means offense keeps the football and play continues in the hand.
If two Red Aces appear, offense is sacked for a ten-yard loss, but defense gets only one recovery attempt on a loose-ball fumble per hand.
If no Red Ace appears, offense has held onto the ball and there is no fumble opportunity.
If defense recovers the ball with a Red reveal card, possession changes immediately, and the defender who made the bet becomes the next QB Dealer. The defensive team then takes over on offense, repositioning the green yardage markers and red first-down markers directly across the field via the in-line hash marks—no math is needed.”
PANEL 4 — YARDAGE SCORING FLOP
“Yardage Scoring Flop.
The Yardage Scoring Flop gives offense a chance to move the football while giving defense a chance to force a turnover.
The QB Dealer turns the three flop cards face up one at a time, from left to right. Completely resolve each card before turning over the next one.
For offensive yardage, a Black Jack gains five yards, a Black Queen gains ten, and a Black Ace gains twenty. Black numbered cards and Red cards score no offensive flop yardage. Yardage gains are moved right away.
Every Red Ace immediately sacks offense five yards, and those yards are moved right away.
If a Blitz Sack Fumble was called and a red ace appears refer to the previous Blitz Sack Fumble rule.
Watch out for GAME CHIP RELOAD. If all three flop cards are black numbered cards, the offense immediately gets all of their used Game Chips back immediately. Play then continues on. If all three flop cards are red numbered cards, the defense immediately gets all of their used Game Chips back immediately. Play then continues on.
Play then goes to the next Play Action: Power Run.”
PANEL 5 — POWER RUN
“Power Run.
Power Run lets each offensive player have the option to hit the running lane by using one Black numbered hole card to move the football forward by that card’s yardage. The player, must use a game chip to call this.
Power Run and Power Tackle are separate Play Actions that alternate around the table. Offense gets its Power Run opportunity, then defense gets its Power Tackle opportunity, continuing around the table until everyone has had their turn. Each Play Action stands on its own—a Power Tackle does not require a Power Run first.
After the flop, on an eligible offensive player’s turn, they may call Power Run. Choose one Black numbered hole card and discard it to the Dealer Play Action Mat. Place one game chip to the used game chip area. The offense gains that card’s face value in yards.
Keep your other hole card and stay active in the poker hand.
If the Power Run reaches the goal line, don’t score the Touchdown yet. Ignore any extra offensive yards and place the football at the goal line.
One next eligible defender gets one chance to answer with Power Tackle.”
PANEL 6 — POWER TACKLE
“Power Tackle.
Power Tackle lets each defensive player have the option to make a backfield tackle by using one Red numbered hole card to push offense back by that card’s yardage. The player, must use a game chip to call this.
Power Tackle is independent of Power Run. On the defender’s turn, they may Power Tackle whether or not the offensive player before them used Power Run.
On an eligible defender’s turn, choose one Red numbered hole card and discard it to the Dealer Play Action Mat. Place one game chip to the used game chip area. Push the offense back by that card’s face value.
Keep your other hole card and stay active in the poker hand.
There is one special goal-line rule. If a Power Run reaches the goal line, only one next eligible defender gets one Power Tackle attempt to stop a Power Run touchdown. If there is no eligible defensive player, next in turn (benched player) or a next eligible player is without a game chip, the Touchdown is scored.
If that Power Tackle pushes offense out of the end zone, ignore any extra defensive yardage and put the football at the one-yard line. Play then continues.
If it does not push offense out of the end zone, offense scores the Touchdown and the hand ends.”
PANEL 7 — FOLD-TO-PASS
“Fold-to-Pass.
Fold-to-Pass lets an offensive player give up their poker hand, put the ball in the air, and try to gain passing yardage. Each offensive player can Fold-to-Pass during the hand if they choose.
After the fourth community card is turned face up, the QB Dealer acts first. Then Play Actions continue normally clockwise to the next defender to Fold-to-Blitz, then to the next offensive player to Fold-to-Pass, and so on.
On an eligible offensive player’s turn, they may Fold-to-Pass. That player folds out of the poker hand and attempts one pass.
Before the pass card is revealed, all defensive players in turn get an added Play Action. This added Play Action is a choice, in turn, to cover the pass by calling King Zone Pass Coverage. See the King Zone Pass Coverage rule.
When a Fold-to-Pass is called, the QB Dealer reveals one pass card from the top of the deck.
A Black numbered card completes the pass for its face value. A Black Jack gains five yards, a Black Queen ten, and a Black Ace twenty. A Black King or any Red card is incomplete.
Resolve the pass, and then normal clockwise play continues.”
PANEL 8 — KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE
“King Zone Pass Coverage.
King Zone Pass Coverage lets defense tighten up the secondary, limiting completed passes and turning any color King into an interception.
After a Fold-to-Pass is called and before the pass card is revealed, the defensive players get a chance to activate King Zone Pass Coverage.
Starting with the first eligible defender in turn, each eligible defender gets a chance to spend one Game Chip. The first defender to spend the chip activates the coverage.
While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, every completed pass is limited to five yards, and any color King revealed during a pass is an interception.
On an interception, possession changes immediately, and the defender who activated the coverage becomes the QB Dealer when their team takes over on offense on the other side of the field.
King Zone Pass Coverage stays active until offense makes a first down, possession changes, or a QB Dealer calls for a Hail Mary pass.
Calling a Hail Mary pass immediately ends King Zone Pass Coverage and sends its Game Chip to the Used Game Chip Area. This is an offensive strategy to break the tight defensive coverage while also getting a chance at a deep pass for a Touchdown. See the Hail Mary pass rule.”
PANEL 9 — HAIL MARY
“Hail Mary.
Hail Mary is still a pass play, with the same regular passing yardage, but it gives the QB Dealer an added chance at an immediate Touchdown and a way to break King Zone Pass Coverage.
Only the QB Dealer can call a Hail Mary. Offense must be at midfield or beyond, and King Zone Pass Coverage must have carried over from the previous hand and still be active when Hail Mary is called.
After the fourth community card is turned face up, the QB Dealer may call Hail Mary instead of Fold-to-Pass.
The QB Dealer spends one Game Chip and folds out of the poker hand. Calling Hail Mary immediately ends King Zone Pass Coverage before the Hail Mary card is revealed. This opens up the passing game for the QB Dealer’s Hail Mary and for offensive players later in the hand. Both Game Chips go to the Used Game Chip Area.
The QB Dealer then reveals one Hail Mary card. A Black numbered card completes the pass for its face value. A Black Jack gains five yards, a Black Queen gains ten, and a Black Ace is an immediate Touchdown. A Black King or any Red card is incomplete.
If the pass is completed, move the football by the completed-pass yardage. If it is incomplete, no yardage is gained. Then normal play continues clockwise.”
PANEL 10 — FOLD-TO-BLITZ
“Fold-to-Blitz.
Fold-to-Blitz lets a defender give up their poker hand, commit to rushing the quarterback, and try for a five-yard sack.
After the fourth community card is face up, an eligible defender, in turn, may Fold-to-Blitz.
The defender folds out of the poker hand, and the QB Dealer reveals one Blitz card.
A Red Jack, Queen, King, or Ace produces a five-yard sack. Any Black card or Red numbered card means the blitz fails.
If the sack drives offense into its own end zone, it is a Safety unless a Safety Stop prevents it.
Resolve the blitz, then normal clockwise play continues. When this Play Action round is finished, turn the fifth community card face up.”
PANEL 11 — WINNER OF THE HAND / CLUTCH PLAY
“Winner of the Hand / Clutch Play.
The winning poker hand can produce big yardage gains or losses for both teams, with Clutch Play giving a Bet-to-Win winner a chance to make it even bigger.
After the fifth community card and all Play Actions are finished, each remaining player makes their best five-card poker hand. Best hand wins. An exact tie is settled with a one-card high-card draw.
If offense wins, move the football forward using the Winning Hand yardage ON THE GAME MAT LABEL:
High Card — 2 yards
Pair — 4 yards
Two Pair — 6 yards
Three of a Kind — 8 yards
Straight — 10 yards
Flush — 20 yards
Full House — 30 yards
Four of a Kind — 40 yards
Straight Flush — 50 yards
Royal Flush — 60 yards
If defense wins, push offense back using the same yardage through ten yards. A Straight and every stronger hand push offense back ten yards maximum.
A defensive poker-hand win by itself does not change possession.
Clutch Play happens only when the same player wins both Bet-to-Win and the poker hand.
For an offensive winner, a Black Jack, Queen, or King doubles the Winning Hand yardage, and a Black Ace is a Touchdown.
For a defensive winner, a Red Jack, Queen, or King doubles the defensive Winning Hand yardage, and a Red Ace is an interception.
Finish all Winning Hand and Clutch Play movement before checking for a first down.”
PANEL 12 — BENCHED PLAYERS
“Benched Players.
Bet-to-Win raises the stakes—lose the bet, and you’re headed to the bench for the next hand.
If you participate in Bet-to-Win and lose, you sit out the next complete hand.
A benched player is out of the next hand completely.
After sitting out one complete hand, you’re back in the game.
The Bet-to-Win winner gets their Bet-to-Win Chip back.
If an entire team ends up benched, that team gets a five-yard misconduct penalty before the next hand, and all of its players return to play.”
PANEL 13 — DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND
“Defensive Goal Line Stand.
Defensive Goal Line Stand lets defense dig in near the end zone and try to stop offense from scoring.
It can be used only when offense starts the hand at the opponent’s ten-yard line or closer.
Before the cards are dealt, an eligible defender may spend one Game Chip to activate Defensive Goal Line Stand for that hand.
If any King appears among the five community cards, the hand ends immediately and defense takes possession at the current line of scrimmage. The player who called Defensive Goal Line Stand becomes the next QB Dealer.
Anything completely resolved before the King still counts.
If no King appears, finish the hand normally. The Game Chip is used, and Defensive Goal Line Stand ends after that hand.”
PANEL 14 — THE KICKING GAME
“The Kicking Game.
On fourth down, the QB Dealer makes the football decision—go for the first down, Punt for field position, or kick a Field Goal for three points.
Punts and Field Goals use High or low Play.
Turn over the first kicking card. If it’s a King, the kick is blocked immediately. There is no kicking yardage, and possession changes at the original line of scrimmage.
If it is not a King, a Punt starts with twenty automatic yards and a Field Goal starts with ten.
Every correct High or low prediction adds another five yards.
For a Field Goal to be good, the kick must reach or cross the goal line and the kicker must make at least one correct High or low prediction.
A good Field Goal scores three individual points. A missed Field Goal gives the opponent possession at the original line of scrimmage. Be sure to mark the original line of scrimmage with the two red markers.”
PANEL 15 — HIGH OR LOW PLAY
“High or Low Play.
High or Low play puts the kick in the player’s hands, building kicking distance five yards at a time with each correct prediction.
After the first kicking card, predict whether the next card will be higher or lower. Ace is always high.
Each correct prediction adds five yards. That new card becomes the current card, and you predict again.
A wrong prediction normally ends the kick, but you may spend one Game Chip to keep it going. You can do this again after another wrong prediction as long as you still have a Game Chip.
During a Punt, two consecutive cards of the same value end the Punt immediately and trigger a Punt Return. You cannot spend a Game Chip to continue after a Punt Return occurs.
During a Field Goal, a matching card is neutral. Add no yardage and keep playing High or Low.”
PANEL 16 — DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN
“Defensive Punt Return.
Defensive Punt Return gives the receiving team a chance to turn the field around and run the Punt back toward the kicking team’s goal line.
When matching High or low cards trigger the return, the Punt ends at that spot and the direction of play reverses.
The next eligible defensive player in turn from the QB Dealer becomes the Punt Returner. Don’t reshuffle the deck.
The QB Dealer reveals one Punt Return card.
A Black numbered card returns the Punt for its face value. A Black Jack returns it five yards, a Black Queen ten, and a Black King zero. Any Red card is zero yards.
A Black Ace is an automatic Punt Return Touchdown.
If return yardage reaches or crosses the goal line, that’s also a Touchdown.
Otherwise, possession changes where the return ends, and the Punt Returner becomes the next QB Dealer.”
PANEL 17 — EXTRA POINT AND TWO-POINT CONVERSION
“Extra Point and Two-Point Conversion.
After the Touchdown, the scoring player gets one more scoring opportunity—go for one point or take a shot at two.
Reshuffle the deck and place four cards face down. Turn them over one at a time.
For the Extra Point, find one Jack, Queen, or Ace—Red or Black—before a King and score one individual point.
For the Two-Point Conversion, find two Jacks, Queens, or Aces—Red or Black—before a King and score two individual points.
Numbered cards have no effect. Any King ends the conversion immediately.
As soon as you make the Extra Point or Two-Point Conversion, stop. The remaining face-down cards are not revealed.
After the conversion, the other team starts its next drive at its own twenty-yard line.”
PANEL 18 — SAFETY / STOP
“Safety and safety stop.
A safety lets defense score by driving offense back into its own end zone, while Safety Stop gives offense a chance to escape to its one-yard line.
If defensive yardage or a sack pushes offense into its own end zone, the hand ends, defense gets the Safety, and possession changes.
The defender credited with the Safety scores two individual points and becomes the QB Dealer when their team takes offense.
If a Red Ace sack causes the Safety and nobody called Blitz Sack Fumble, the next eligible defender in turn from the QB Dealer gets the two Safety points and becomes the next QB Dealer.
If Blitz Sack Fumble was called, the defender who made that call gets the two points and becomes the next QB Dealer.
Offense can protect itself with Safety Stop. Before the cards are dealt, an eligible offensive player may spend one Game Chip to activate it for that hand.
If a Safety would occur, Safety Stop prevents it. No Safety points are scored. Put the football at offense’s one-yard line, move the Safety Stop chip to the Used Game Chip Area, and continue the hand.
If Safety Stop isn’t needed, its Game Chip still goes to the Used Game Chip Area after the entire hand is over.”
PANEL 19 — PENALTIES
“Penalties.
A team throwing that Penalty Flag keeps the game clean and fun, adds a few laughs along the way, and moves the football five yards against the team that committed the violation.
Penalties are five yards, but a penalty can never directly score. If the penalty would carry the football across a goal line, stop it at the one-yard line instead.
Penalties include dealing without the Dealer Play Action Mat, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move game chips when required or having an entire team benched.
For minor mistakes or an accidentally exposed card, just correct it by agreement and keep playing.”
PANEL 20 — WINNER / OVERTIME
“Winner / Overtime.
When regulation ends, the team’s individual scores come together for Team Victory, and the winning team’s top scorer takes MVP Victory.
Add the individual scores for each team. The team with the higher combined score wins Team Victory.
The highest-scoring player on the winning team wins MVP Victory. A player on the losing team cannot win MVP.
If the team scores are tied, go to overtime. All individual scores carry over.
Each team draws a card. High card determines the first offensive team and QB Dealer.
Then play Power Poker Football normally.
Overtime is sudden victory—the first team to score wins the game.
After that, the highest-scoring player on the winning team wins MVP Victory. If there’s an MVP tie, settle it with a one-card high-card draw.”
That concludes the Power Poker Football quick learn panel tutorial. Thank you. Enjoy the games.
Permine MVP.
Be sure to go to www.centerpiecegames.com for all game info, replacement pieces and scoresheets
Power Poker Football ® ™ © is protected under copyright and trademark laws Licensing rights are held by Centerpiece Games, Woburn, Massachusetts (exclusively) Copyright 2026 (all rights reserved) Made in the United States of America. Go to www.centerpiecegames.com for all game info. Enjoy the game!
DEDICATION: This game is dedicated to The North Woburn Gamblers – 1941. A sandlot football team bonded through friendship, competition, and the love of the game. Can you find the football?
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.
REGULATION PLAY Regulation consists of 8 offensive drives divided into 4 quarters, with 2 drives per quarter. Use the wood quar-ter marker to track drives 1–4 during the first half and drives 5–8 during the second half. At the end of regulation, the highest-scoring team wins the Team Victory and the highest-scoring individual player wins the MVP Victory. If two teammates tie, both teams tie, or players from opposing teams tie, play goes to overtime. GAME FLOW Each hand represents 1 football down. Only offensive players deal in Power Poker Football®. The quarterback dealer acts first on most play actions. The offense has 4 downs to gain 10 yards for a first down. Reaching or crossing the first-down marker awards a first down only after the entire hand, including any Clutch Play, has been completed. After a first down is awarded, reset the first-down markers and continue with a new set of downs. If the defense stops the offense after 4 downs, possession changes direction across the field. If an offensive player wins the hand and possession remains unchanged, that player becomes the next dealer. If a defensive player wins the hand but possession remains unchanged, the deal passes clockwise to the next of-fensive player. A defensive player who causes a change of possession through their own play action becomes the next offen-sive dealer. Move the red first-down markers only at the very end of the hand, including after any Clutch Play flip. GAME CHIPS — USE THEM WISELY Game Chips may be used to activate King Zone Pass Coverage, declare a Hail Mary Attempt, activate a Goal Line Stand, save a failed High or Low prediction, or continue an eligible kick or return play. The heavier Bet-to-Win chip is used to declare a Bet-to-Win. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle do not require Game Chips and cannot be canceled with Game Chips. New players are encouraged to practice one shaded rules section at a time. Once comfortable, combine all sec-tions for a full regulation game. PLAY BEGINS At the start of every hand, the quarterback deals 2 face-down cards to every active player and places 1 Clutch Play card face down in the center of the game mat. A player may Bet-to-Win in turn at any eligible time during the hand. Once a Bet-to-Win is placed, it cannot be changed or withdrawn. The player is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. RUNNING BACK BLAST — OFFENSE Before the flop begins, the quarterback dealer or any eligible offensive player may declare a Running Back Blast. Only 1 Running Back Blast may be called during a hand. The offensive player must possess, or bluff possession of, a black Ace. Any defensive player may challenge the call. If challenged and the offensive player reveals a black Ace, the offense gains 5 yards and the challenging de-fender must discard 1 handheld card. If the offensive player cannot reveal a black Ace, the offensive player instead discards 1 handheld card. After the Running Back Blast opportunity is completed, play proceeds to the defensive pre-flop action. BLITZ SACK / FUMBLE BET — DEFENSE Before the flop begins, 1 defensive player may spend 1 Game Chip to bet that a red Ace will appear during the flop. If a red Ace appears, the offense immediately loses 5 yards and the dealer flips 1 reveal card to determine pos-session. A red reveal gives the defense immediate possession and ends the hand. A black reveal allows the of-fense to retain possession and the hand continues unless another applicable red Ace must be resolved. If 2 red Aces appear during the flop, each causes a 5-yard loss, for a total possible loss of 10 yards. Only 1 fumble may occur, so a second red Ace does not produce an additional possession reveal. If the defense recovers possession, the hand immediately ends and the defensive player who made the Blitz Sack/Fumble Bet becomes the next offensive dealer. If no red Ace appears during the flop, the Game Chip is lost. After the offensive and defensive pre-flop play actions are completed, proceed to the Yardage Scoring Flop. THE YARDAGE SCORING FLOP The offensive quarterback dealer slowly reveals 3 community cards from left to right. Flop cards always re-solve from left to right during scoring. Only black scoring cards move the offense forward. Black numbered cards score their face value. A black Jack scores 10 yards, a black Queen scores 15 yards, and a black Ace scores 20 yards. Any King revealed during the flop immediately stops all additional offensive flop yardage. Each red Ace revealed during the flop moves the offense backward 5 yards. If the offense reaches the goal line at any time during the game, the hand immediately ends with a touchdown, except when a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line. A Fold-to-Run touchdown is resolved under the Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle rules. After the Yardage Scoring Flop, players continue in normal turn order and may check, Fold-to-Run, Fold-to-Tackle, or place a Bet-to-Win chip when eligible. Fold-to-Run and Fold-to-Tackle are independent play actions made in turn. Neither action requires the oppos-ing team to Fold first. A player who places a Bet-to-Win chip is locked into the poker hand but may still use eligible Game Chip play actions. LOADING THE BOX If all 3 flop cards are red numbered cards, the defensive team immediately recovers all previously used Game Chips from the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-RUN — OFFENSE In turn, an offensive player may Fold-to-Run. The player places both hole cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat, then reveals the black numbered cards only. Black numbered cards score Run yards at face value. If both cards score, add their values together. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. If the Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, stop the runner at the goal line and ignore any excess Run yards. Do not award the touchdown until the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle. If that defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-TACKLE — DEFENSE In turn, a defensive player may Fold-to-Tackle. The player chooses 1 of their 2 hole cards and places it face up on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The other hole card is placed face down. Only a red numbered card scores Tackle yards, at face value. All other cards score 0 yards. The player is then folded out of the poker hand. When a Fold-to-Run reaches or crosses the goal line, the next defender in turn is given one opportunity to Fold-to-Tackle before the touchdown is awarded. If the defender scores any Tackle yards, move the runner back from the goal line by that amount and the touchdown is not scored. If the defender declines to Fold-to-Tackle or scores 0 Tackle yards, the touchdown is scored. FOLD-TO-PASS — OFFENSE Starting with the quarterback dealer and continuing in turn, any eligible offensive player may Fold-to-Pass by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. A red numbered card, red picture card, or red Ace results in an incomplete pass. A black numbered card completes the pass for yardage equal to the card's numerical value. A black Jack com-pletes the pass for 10 yards. A black Queen completes the pass for 15 yards. A black King is a dropped pass for no gain unless King Zone Pass Coverage is active, in which case it results in an interception. A black Ace completes the pass for 20 yards. Add completed passing yardage to the offense's current field position. If the completed pass reaches or crosses the goal line, score a touchdown. The folding player takes no further action during the hand. HAIL MARY ATTEMPT A Hail Mary Attempt may be declared only after the offense has reached midfield, the 50-yard line or beyond. Before the Fold-to-Pass dealer reveal, the folding offensive player must spend 1 Game Chip and announce the Hail Mary Attempt. If a black Ace is revealed, score an immediate touchdown instead of the normal 20-yard pass gain. Any other pass-completion card awards its normal Fold-to-Pass yardage. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot stop a Hail Mary touchdown produced by a black Ace. Other Hail Mary re-sults are resolved according to the applicable King Zone Pass Coverage rules. Only 1 Hail Mary Attempt may be declared during a hand. KING ZONE PASS COVERAGE — DEFENSE When an offensive player declares a Fold-to-Pass, any defensive player may immediately spend 1 Game Chip and place it on their end-zone King location to activate King Zone Pass Coverage. While King Zone Pass Coverage is active, any King revealed during a Fold-to-Pass is an immediate intercep-tion. All other completed passes are limited to a maximum gain of 5 yards, even when a higher-valued com-pletion card is revealed. An interception immediately changes possession and ends the hand. The defensive player who activated King Zone Pass Coverage becomes the next offensive dealer following the interception. King Zone Pass Coverage cannot be activated unless a pass is attempted and cannot stop a Hail Mary touch-down on a black Ace. King Zone Pass Coverage remains active until the offense makes a first down or possession changes. Remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when a first down is made or following a change of possession, and move it to the Used Game Chips area. FOLD-TO-BLITZ — DEFENSE Starting with the first eligible defensive player in turn from the dealer, a defensive player may Fold-to-Blitz by folding out of the poker hand and placing their handheld card or cards face down on the Dealer Play Action Mat. The dealer flips 1 reveal card face up. Black cards result in a failed blitz. Red numbered cards have no effect. A red Jack, red Queen, red King, or red Ace results in a successful blitz and moves the offense backward 5 yards. Subtract any Blitz yardage from the offense's current field position. The folding defensive player takes no further action during the hand. FINAL BET-TO-WIN ROUND After the final community card is revealed, the remaining eligible players may place their Bet-to-Win chip into the center of the game mat. A player who Bets-to-Win risks becoming benched if they lose the hand but gains access to the Clutch Play card if they win. Once a Bet-to-Win is made, it cannot be withdrawn. A player may not Bet-to-Win last if all other players have already folded out of the hand. WINNER OF THE HAND The best 5-card poker hand wins the hand. Ties are decided by a high-card reveal. An offensive winner moves the football forward according to the offensive Winning Hand Chart. A defensive winner pushes the offense backward according to the defensive Winning Hand Chart. Unless possession changes, an offensive player who wins the hand becomes the next dealer. CLUTCH PLAY If a player Bets-to-Win and wins the hand, that player reveals the face-down Clutch Play card. For an offensive winner, a black picture card doubles the winning-hand yardage. A black Ace scores an imme-diate touchdown. For a defensive winner, a red picture card doubles the defensive winning-hand yardage. A red Ace results in an immediate interception. An interception immediately changes possession, and the defensive player causing the interception becomes the next offensive dealer. After the Clutch Play is completely resolved, determine whether the offense has reached or crossed the first-down marker. BENCHED PLAYERS A player who Bets-to-Win and loses the hand becomes benched and must sit out the entire next hand. Place that player's heavier Bet-to-Win chip in the Benched Player area of the game mat. A benched player may not participate in the next hand, use Game Chips, or deal. If an entire offensive or defensive team becomes benched at the same time, that team receives a 5-yard mis-conduct penalty and all of its benched players immediately return to play. DEFENSIVE GOAL LINE STAND When the offense is inside the opponent's 10-yard line, any defensive player may activate a Goal Line Stand for that hand only by spending 1 Game Chip before the deal begins. Place the chip on the King location on the game mat. While Goal Line Stand is active, any King appearing among the 5 community cards immediately ends the down with no further offensive advancement. THE KICKING GAME Only on 4th down may the dealing quarterback choose to punt, attempt a field goal, or go for the first down normally. All kicking uses High or Low Play. HIGH OR LOW PLAY Begin by flipping 1 card face up. The kicking player predicts whether the next card will be higher or lower in value. An Ace is always high during High or Low Play. Each successful prediction adds 5 yards. If the first card revealed is any King, the kick is immediately blocked. A punt that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 20 kick yards before High or Low predictions begin. A matched pair during a punt produces a defensive punt return. A punter may intentionally make a prediction intended to fail on a long punt to reduce the possibility of producing a return. A field goal that avoids a first-card King automatically gains 10 kick yards, but the kicker must still make at least 1 successful High or Low prediction for the field goal to score. A matched pair during a field goal has no special effect, and play continues with another prediction. A failed prediction normally ends the kick attempt. However, the kicking player, or the next eligible defensive punt-return player to make a call, may spend an available Game Chip to void the failed prediction and contin-ue the sequence. If a field-goal attempt reaches or crosses the goal line through successful High or Low predictions, the kick is good and scores 3 points for the kicking offensive player. If the field-goal attempt fails, the opposing team takes possession at the original line of scrimmage. Before a field-goal attempt begins, use the 2 red markers on the game mat to mark the original line of scrim-mage. DEFENSIVE PUNT RETURN During a punt, if 2 consecutively revealed cards match in value, regardless of suit, the defense immediately earns a punt return. The return reverses field direction toward the kicking team's goal line. The player next to the offensive dealer becomes the return player. The dealer flips 1 card to determine the entire return. A black numbered card produces return yardage equal to its numerical value. A black Jack produces a 10-yard return. A black Queen produces a 15-yard return. A black King produces no return yardage. A black Ace pro-duces an immediate touchdown. Any red card produces no return yardage. If no return yardage is gained, the receiving team begins its possession at the location where the punt ended. After the return, the return player becomes the next quarterback dealer for the receiving team. If a black Ace is revealed, the return player scores the touchdown and may attempt the applicable conversion under the normal conversion rules. EXTRA POINT AND 2-POINT CONVERSION After a touchdown, reshuffle the deck and place 4 cards face down. For an extra-point attempt, the first revealed Ace or picture card scores 1 point unless a King appears first. For a 2-point conversion, 2 Aces or picture cards must be revealed before a King appears. Any King immediately stops and fails the conversion attempt. SAFETY A safety awards 2 points to the defensive player who caused the safety. That player also receives the next deal when the defensive team becomes the offensive team following the safety. SAFETY STOP: Any offensive player out of turn before the hand starts, can put a game chip prior a game play action that may result in a safety. If a play action anytime during the hand causes a safety, the ball is placed on the one-yard line instead of scoring 2 points for the defense. After a safety stop, the chip is removed to the used game chip area. Play then continues as normal. Only one safety stop can occur per hand. PENALTIES All penalties are 5-yard penalties and never result directly in a score. If penalty yardage would carry the foot-ball across a goal line, place the football at the 1-yard line instead. Official penalties include forgetting to place the Dealer Play Action Mat in front of the current dealer, dealing cards to a benched player, forgetting to move the first-down markers when required, forgetting to remove the King Zone Pass Coverage chip when its coverage ends, or an entire team becoming benched. Minor mistakes and accidental card exposure are not penalties and may be corrected by table agreement. Throw the penalty flag and have some laughs. DUAL VICTORY PLAY Team Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring team. MVP Victory is awarded to the highest-scoring individual player. OVERTIME If either the team totals or the MVP-leading individual scores are tied at the end of regulation, overtime be-gins. All players remain active and reset their individual scores to zero. A high-card draw determines the first offen-sive team and dealer. Overtime continues until the first score occurs. The first player to score during overtime wins the MVP Victory and secures the Team Victory.