6 nimmt! (Take 5) Card Game

Setup: 104 cards, four rows and ten-card hands

6 nimmt! (also known in some markets as Take 5 or 6 Takes!) is Wolfgang Kramer’s simultaneous-selection card game, published by AMIGO. The classic game supports 2–10 players, ages 8+, in about 45 minutes for a full match.

1. Shuffle all 104 numbered cards (1–104).
2. Deal 10 cards to each player, who may arrange their hand in order.
3. Reveal four additional cards in the center, each beginning one of four rows.
4. Set aside the remaining undealt cards until the next round, and prepare paper for recording penalty points.

Each row may contain at most five cards before the next placement triggers a take. No player chooses a permanent personal row.

How to play: reveal and resolve from lowest to highest

Everyone chooses one card from their hand and places it face down. Reveal all the chosen cards simultaneously. Then resolve them one by one, starting with the lowest numbered card and ending with the highest.

Each revealed card must be placed in its legal row according to the rules below. The board changes after every placement, so a card that looked safe before the reveal might become the sixth card or be forced into a different row by the time its turn comes.

Repeat this simultaneous selection process ten times, until every player has played all ten cards. Then score the round.

Which row must take your card?

A played card must be higher than the current last card of a row. Among the rows whose last card is lower than yours, you must place it into the row with the smallest positive difference. In other words, use the row ending in the highest number still below your card.

Worked example: the four rows end in 12, 37, 43 and 58. You reveal a 44. Although 44 is greater than 12, 37 and 43, it must go after 43 because 44 − 43 = 1 is the smallest positive gap.

You cannot simply select a different row because it has fewer cards or fewer penalty bullheads. You only get to choose a row when your card is too low for all four rows.

What happens when you play the sixth card?

Every row holds a maximum of five cards. If your number must join a row that already contains five cards, you must first collect all five into your personal face-down bull pile. Your newly played card becomes the first card of a new row in that same position.

Example: the closest legal row for your 63 contains 14, 26, 38, 44 and 57. You must take those five cards and leave your 63 on the table. The bullheads on the five cards you collected become penalty points at the end of the round; the 63 does not go into your bull pile.

Collected cards do not return to your hand and cannot be replayed that round.

What if your card is lower than every row?

When your revealed card is smaller than all four row-ending values, it fits nowhere under the ascending-order rule. You then choose any one of the four rows, collect its cards into your bull pile, and place your low card as its new first card.

Example: rows end in 12, 37, 43 and 58, and you play a 3. You can choose the row containing only 37 if it has the fewest bullheads, even though it is not numerically closest to 3. Your 3 replaces that row as its first card.

This is one of the rare situations in which a low card is tactically useful: you can deliberately accept a cheap row instead of risking a larger penalty later.

Bullhead scoring: what does each number cost?

The icons printed on each card are negative points. Ordinary cards are worth one bullhead, with these exceptions:

Example: a row containing 7, 15, 22, 40 and 55 is worth 1 + 2 + 5 + 3 + 7 = 18 penalty points. A row of five ordinary cards would be worth only 5.

A row’s number of cards determines when it is taken; the bullhead total determines how costly it is to take.

How rounds and the 66-point match ending work

Once all ten cards from each player’s hand have been played, count the bullheads in each player’s collected bull pile and add those to their running penalty total. Shuffle all 104 cards, deal new hands and set out four new starting cards for another round.

Continue playing complete rounds until at least one player has 66 or more penalty points. Then the player with the fewest total points wins. Ties for the lowest score are shared wins. The threshold is a trigger, not an automatic loss for the first person to cross it.

Groups can agree in advance to play a fixed number of rounds or another end-score target.

Official Pro Variant for 2–6 players

AMIGO’s rulebook includes a more predictable drafting variant. Use only number of players × 10 + 4 consecutive cards starting at number 1. For example, with three players, use cards 1–34; with four, use 1–44.

Put all selected cards face up and have players take turns drafting individual cards until each has ten. The four remaining cards become the starting cards of the rows. Play by the standard simultaneous-reveal and sixth-card rules.

Because the full pool is known, careful hand construction and tracking matter more. This is a separate optional rule set; standard 6 nimmt! deals hands randomly from the full 104-card deck.

Eight original 6 nimmt! strategy ideas

• Read row endings rather than row beginnings. Your card is forced behind the closest lower ending, not whichever row looks open.
• Watch four-card rows. One additional safe placement fills the row; the following card triggers collection.
• Calculate bullhead costs. A short row containing 55 may be more expensive than a longer row of ordinary numbers.
• Think about processing order. Other players’ lower revealed values resolve before your card and can alter your destination.
• Use low cards selectively. If you cannot fit anywhere, deliberately take the lowest-cost row, potentially avoiding a larger future pickup.
• Don’t assume a numerically close card is safe. A gap of one can still force a sixth-card pickup.
• Count known cards where practical. Played numbers and collected bull piles can make remaining possibilities more predictable, particularly at small player counts.
• Adapt to match scores. Near the 66-point finish, a player already behind may need to take measured risks while the leader prefers avoiding large bullhead rows.

These are editorial conclusions drawn from the published rules, not claims of firsthand playtesting.

Frequently asked 6 nimmt! rules questions

How many players can play 6 nimmt!?

Two to ten in the standard AMIGO rules.

How many cards do players receive?

Ten each per round.

How many rows are on the table?

Four, starting with one card each.

Can I choose which row receives my card?

Usually no. It must go after the closest lower row-ending number. You choose only when your card is lower than all four row endings.

Do you take the sixth card?

No. Take the five existing cards; your sixth card starts the replacement row.

Does card 55 have seven bullheads?

Yes, the most in the classic deck.

Are bullheads good points?

No, they are penalty points; lowest total wins.

When does the match finish?

At the end of a round after someone reaches at least 66 accumulated penalty points.

Is there a more tactical version?

Yes. The official 2–6-player Pro Variant drafts cards from a reduced, known deck.

Is Take 5 the same as 6 nimmt!?

Take 5 is a regional title used for the same core card-game design. Always check edition-specific variant rules.

Official sources and editorial scope

• AMIGO official English rulebook: classic rules and Pro Variant
• AMIGO official 6 nimmt! product details

Official rulebook reviewed October 11, 2026. Original worked examples and strategic analysis; no claim of personal playtesting. Optional variants are separated from classic rules. Editorial policy and corrections.