The Gang

Today's review is of the 2024 release, The Gang. For 3-6 players, it takes 20 minutes.

Overview

The Gang is cooperative Texas Hold-em Poker, where your goal is not to get the best hand but to correctly and cooperatively order your hands (from strongest to weakest) without revealing your cards. The game is played over rounds, each with four steps [my terms]. A round:

- First step: each player is dealt two cards (known only to them) and chooses a white chip (ranked one to six) corresponding to their hand's perceived strength. If two players want the same rank, they debate without revealing their cards.

- Second step: the dealer reveals the flop (the first three community cards). Players take a yellow chip (ranked one to six) corresponding to their hand's perceived strength based on this new information. Players debate as before if there are conflicts.

- Third step: the dealer reveals the turn (the fourth community card). Players take an orange chip for ranking and debate as before.

- Fourth step: the dealer reveals the river (the fifth community card). Players take a red chip for ranking and debate as before.

game in progress; image from here

And the end of these steps, players must agree on their ranking. Once agreed, cards are revealed from weakest to strongest hands. If the players get the order correct, they win that round. If they do not, they get one strike. Then cards are returned, shuffled, and a new round begins. The players collectively win if they win three rounds before losing three.

Review

Cooperative Poker?! Definitely a new concept for me. This is a fun party game. The different ranking chips taken at each step help players speculate on others' hands ["hey, he thinks his hand strengthened considerably with the 10 just played. Maybe he has a 10."]. Of course, those familiar with Texas Hold'em and strength of hands will do much better at judging their own hand's value (the game comes with reference cards to help novices). And games like this are best enjoyed with close friends in my opinion. Still, it is a winner.

Rating: A