Hand and Foot is a card game that has earned the title of the WORST board game I ever played. Disregarding its terrible name, which seemingly infects players with a disease just by participating, this scathing review aims to caution potential players about the pitfalls of this game, emphasizing its lack of strategy and excessive time commitment.
Components and Rules
The game demands five decks of 54 cards each, totaling a whopping 270 cards, including jokers. The game is played in teams of two. Players are dealt two sets of 13 cards, named after extremities – the Hand and the Foot. The objective is to create melds by playing sets of 3-7 cards of the same rank. Rounds continue until a player exhausts all their cards. Points are awarded and deducted based on Melds and cards left in hand. For the full rules (because who doesn’t love a good rulebook read?), check here.
Gameplay & Strategy
Despite its appearance as a game, Hand and Foot reveals itself to be a mere card organizer in disguise. The illusion of choice is shattered as players realize the limited decision-making involved, primarily revolving around drawing and playing cards to match existing melds. The game lacks strategy, leaving players waiting for opportunities to contribute to melds and drawing cards repetitively. It’s like watching a magician pull endless rabbits out of a hat, only instead of rabbits, it’s cards.
It’s like watching a magician pull endless rabbits out of a hat
Time Ratio
One of the most significant drawbacks of Hand and Foot is its time commitment. If board games were movies, this would be the extended director’s cut that no one asked for. Taking approximately 2 hours to play. The game’s extensive duration becomes a major deterrent, especially when more engaging alternatives like Rummy 500, which is mechanically similar and more strategic, are available. Not to mention the 100’s of other better games released each year, see our Top Games from 2023. Two hours later, you’re left pondering life’s great mysteries, like why you didn’t play a quicker, more entertaining game.
This would be the extended director’s cut that no one asked for
Why Would Anyone Play this Game
I can only imagine that anyone who is reading this review is someone who already got swindled into a similar situation as myself. I was trying to make new friends and introduce them to modern board games. In the process, they mentioned this game they love. After introducing and playing Welcome To… Your Perfect Home, an excellent and quick flip n’ write game, they wanted to play Hand and Foot. Trying to be kind, I reluctantly agreed to play the game. Little did I know I just jumped straight into the pits of board game hell. Somehow, my wife convinced me to be kind and play this horrid game two more times on other occasions.
The one benefit from this game is that it requires so little thinking that one can easily carry on a conversation without having to think about how to win the game. This game is strategically just like Candy Land but takes 2 hours long. If you, by any chance, find yourself in a similar situation, I would highly recommend trying to sway the group to play one of these games similar games instead.
Final Verdict – DO NOT PLAY
I strongly discourage playing Hand and Foot under any circumstances. Hand and Foot‘s lack of strategic depth, marathon-like duration, and overall monotony make it unbearable. With numerous superior card games available, I advise you to explore the alternatives. Games that offer actual gameplay beyond organizing 270 cards for 2 hours. This review is to serve as a warning or a place to validate your own opinions on this game. DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME!
Similar Games
- A similar mechanic with more strategy and less time commitment – Rummy 500
- Auto-play cards with some deck management – Challengers!
- Draw and Play game that plays under 15 mins – Sea Salt and Paper
