GOPS (Game of Pure Strategy)

GOPS, also known as Goofspiel, stands for The Game of Pure Strategy.

Players start with exactly the same hand, rather than a hand dealt by chance. You are dealt all of the spades and your opponents is dealt all of the hearts, so both players have one of each card value. All of the diamonds are played for during game, and the suit of clubs is not used.

Play against your AI opponent in either 'easy' or 'hard' mode!

GOPS (Goofspiel) is played using cards from a standard deck of cards. Each suit is ranked A (low), 2, ..., 10, J, Q, K (high).

Play proceeds in a series of rounds. The players make "closed bids" for the top (face up) prize by selecting a card from their hand (keeping their choice secret from their opponent). Once these cards are selected, they are simultaneously revealed, and the player making the highest bid takes the competition card. Rules for ties in the bidding vary, possibilities including the competition card being discarded, or its value may "roll over" to the next round, so that two or more cards are competed for at once with a single bid card. The cards used for bidding are discarded, and play continues with a new upturned prize card. After 13 rounds, there are no remaining cards and the game ends. Players earn points equal to sum of the ranks of cards won (i.e. ace is worth one point, 2 is two points, etc., jack 11, queen 12, and king 13 points).