Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
In Mexican Standoff, the players — western heroes that they are — aim to take as many tricks as possible during the eleven rounds of the game, in addition to collecting as many points as possible.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Push Your Luck
Choose whether to secure current gains or risk them for a larger reward.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Set Collection
Gather related items that become more valuable when scored together.
Trick-taking
Play one card each and award the trick according to suit and rank rules.
Ladder Climbing
Play increasingly strong combinations until opponents cannot or choose not to respond.
Read the full game description
In Mexican Standoff, the players — western heroes that they are — aim to take as many tricks as possible during the eleven rounds of the game, in addition to collecting as many points as possible. Unlike most games, lower-valued cards are worth more as the deck contains fewer of them. The players can challenge each other, as well as the sheriff, to the Mexican standoff. After a duel, only one player is left standing, and this player takes several tricks at the same time. The player who fights a duel at the most appropriate time and collects the largest points — as well as the highest number of special bandit cards — will be the final one standing when the game ends.