Happy Salmon

Why it's in our library

Happy Salmon gets a whole table moving and laughing together, with no waiting around for a turn.

How to play

The goal is to be the first player to get rid of your whole deck of action cards.

Each player takes the deck in one color, shuffles it and holds it face down. Everyone starts at the same moment. Turn up your top card so you can see it, and start calling out its action, loudly. While you call, listen for another player calling the same action. When two players match, they do that action together straight away.

There are four actions: a high five, a fist bump, trading places with your partner, and the salmon move, where partners slap each other's forearms back and forth like a flapping fish.

After the action, both players get rid of the card they just used and turn up their next one. If nobody is calling your action, put your card at the bottom of your deck and try the next card, so no one gets stuck.

Expect a lot of calling over each other and moving around the table. The round ends as soon as one player gets rid of their last card and calls out that they're done. That player wins.

A note for grown-ups at the table: remind everyone to keep the slaps gentle and to watch their footing when they swap places.

Good for