How to Play Slamwich

Slamwich is a food-themed card game that can be played by children and adults of all ages. Vaguely similar to slapjack, this goal of this game is for a single player to collect all 55 cards in a special bread-shaped deck. Players gain cards by slapping the central card stack whenever they detect a certain pattern, which allows them to add that pile to their own hand of cards. Since this is a fast-paced game, it only takes a few rounds to get the hang of Slamwich!

Part 1
Part 1 of 2:

Starting Gameplay

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    Identify the food, thief, and muncher cards before you start the game. Take a look at the cards as you remove them from the box. First, take note of the 44 total food cards, which are decorated with different kinds of sandwich toppings, such as peanut butter, jelly, pickles, and eggs. Next, find the 3 thief cards and the 8 muncher cards, which are special action cards in the game.[1]
    • Thief cards have a running child in a striped shirt and bandana on them. Muncher cards depict a child eating a sandwich, and also have numbers 1-3 in the top left corner.
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    Choose 1 player to shuffle and deal the cards. Pick one of your players to divide the cards between the other players. While this isn’t a super important role, you’ll need a dealer to determine the order of gameplay later on. Don’t worry—the dealer only has to shuffle and distribute the cards at the beginning of the round.[2]
    • Make sure you have at least 3 players before starting. You can play with up to 6 people.[3]
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    Deal an even number of cards face-down to all players. Distribute all 55 cards as evenly as possible between the players. As they receive their cards, make sure that all players keep their cards in a face-down pile in front of them. Place any extra cards face-up in the center of the table before starting gameplay.[4]
    • If there are no extra cards, then proceed to start the round.
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    Flip over a single card on your turn and add it to the center stack. The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by flipping the top card on their stack so it's face-up in the center of the table or play area. Make sure that the card is not flipped over until everyone can see it.
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    Continue gameplay in a clockwise direction. Add a card to the center pile when it’s your turn. Take the topmost card of your personal pile and flip it face-up onto the pile in the center of the table. As you place the card down, make sure that everyone can see the card at the same time.[5]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 2:

Winning the Game

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    Slap the center deck when 2 identical cards are placed consecutively. Keep an eye on the different cards that are placed in the middle pile to see if a “Double Decker,” or 2 identical cards, are placed down. Once any ingredient card is placed 2 times in a row, slap the pile before anyone else does. If you’re the first player to hit the center pile, then you get to keep all of the cards. Place those unshuffled cards face-down at the bottom of your pile.[6]
    • This type of card combination works with any 2 cards in the deck, including thief and muncher cards.[7]
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    Whack the middle pile when you see a Slamwich. Keep your eyes peeled for the cards in an A-B-A pattern, otherwise known as a Slamwich. Once you see 1 ingredient sandwiched between 2 cards of the same ingredient, be sure to slap the center pile as quickly as possible.[8]
    • For instance, if a peanut butter card, a jelly card, and another peanut butter card are discarded in that order, then any player would be welcome to slap the center pile to claim the pile.
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    Yell “Stop Thief!” and hit the center pile when a thief card is discarded. Keep your reflexes sharp whenever a thief card is placed in the middle pile. Once you spot this card, be the first player to yell “Stop Thief!” before slapping the center pile. The first player to successfully yell this phrase and slap the center pile gets to keep the entire stack. If a player hits the center pile without yelling the proper catchphrase, then they don’t get to keep the cards.[9]
    • Be careful not to hit any other players by accident when Thief cards are put down.
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    Overrule the muncher card by placing down a Double Decker or Slamwich. A muncher card entitles the discarding player to the entire center pile. To stop this from happening, have the player left of the muncher put down the number of cards specified on the muncher card. If these new discards create a Double Decker or Slamwich, then a different player (including the initial muncher) can claim the center deck by being the first one to slap the card stack. Thief cards also cancel out the effect of a muncher card.[10]
    • Muncher and thief cards function the same way as regular ingredient cards. If the player left of the muncher happens to set down a #2 muncher card on top of a pre-existing #2 muncher card, then a Double Decker is created, and any player can slap it.
    • If the next player puts down a muncher card with a different value, then the muncher gameplay shifts to the left. Now, the player left of the newest muncher discards the number of cards specified on the most recently placed muncher card.
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    Add the center pile to your hand if your muncher card is uncontested. If you put down a muncher card and none of the next player’s discards lead to a thief, Double Decker, or Slamwich, then you’re entitled to the entire center card pile. As is the case with regular slapped decks, add the center cards to the bottom of your own pile without shuffling them.[11]
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    Lose a card if you slap the center stack of cards incorrectly. If your reflexes are too trigger-happy and you end up slapping an invalid card combination, you end up losing a card. In this event, take another card from the top of your pile and place it face-up in the middle pile. Continue the game with the player to the left, and keep going clockwise around the player circle.[12]
    • You only lose a card after your initial error. Once your turn comes around again, you’re free to discard as usual.
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    Continue gameplay until 1 player has all of the cards. Aim to collect as many cards as possible during a game of Slamwich. As the game goes on, keep your reflexes as sharp as possible. While you can’t see your cards as you discard them into the pile, take advantage of thief and muncher cards whenever possible.[13]
    • If you run out of cards at any point, you’re out of the game.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How many cards does each person get?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You deal out all of the cards, so there shouldn't be any left after you are done dealing them out.
  • Question
    How many cards are there of each type of food?
    Josh C
    Josh C
    Community Answer
    There are 4 cards of each type of food. There are 11 types of food, which is 44 food cards total. The food cards are bacon, hot dogs, peanut butter, jelly/jam, pickles, cheese, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, egg, and salad.
  • Question
    How many cards are in the game Slamwich?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There are 56 cards in total. 44 food cards, 3 thief cards, 8 muncher cards, and one rules of play card.
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References

  1. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  2. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  3. ↑ https://www.wired.com/2009/03/4-great-games-f/
  4. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  5. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  6. ↑ https://www.wired.com/2009/03/4-great-games-f/
  7. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  8. ↑ https://www.wired.com/2009/03/4-great-games-f/
  9. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  1. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  2. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  3. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  4. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf
  5. ↑ https://gamewright.com/pdfs/Rules/Slamwich-RULES.pdf

About This Article

Janice Tieperman
Co-authored by:
Janice Tieperman
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman. Janice is a professional and creative writer who has worked at wikiHow since 2019. With both a B.A. and M.A. in English from East Stroudsburg University, she has a passion for writing a wide variety of content for anyone and everyone. In her free time, you can find her working on a new crochet pattern, listening to true crime podcasts, or tackling a new creative writing project. This article has been viewed 170,682 times.
7 votes - 57%
Co-authors: 24
Updated: February 13, 2022
Views: 170,682
Categories: Card Games
Article SummaryX

Slamwich is a fun food-themed card game where players race to be the first one to collect all of the cards in the deck. A Slamwich deck contains 44 food cards, 8 muncher cards, and 3 thief cards. To play the game, first choose one player to be the dealer. You can play with 3-6 people. Have the dealer deal all 55 cards in the deck face-down as evenly as possible to all of the players. Place any leftover cards face-up in the center of the table. Each player should keep their cards face-down in a pile in front of them. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. On a player’s turn, they flip the top card on their pile face up and place it in the middle of the playing area. Then, the player to their left goes next. Play continues clockwise around the circle. In order to win cards, players must slap the center pile when certain combinations appear. Whoever slaps the pile first gets to collect all of the cards in the pile and place them face down at the bottom of their personal pile. Players can slap the pile when 2 identical cards are played consecutively, called a “Double Decker,” or when 1 card is sandwiched between 2 identical cards, called a “Slamwich.” Players should also slap the pile and yell “Stop thief!” whenever a thief card is played. If a player plays a muncher card, they automatically collect all of the cards in the pile. However, the player to their left gets a chance to stop them by playing the number of cards specified on the muncher card. If those cards make a Double Decker or Slamwich, the first player to slap the center pile wins the cards. A thief card also cancels out a muncher card. If a player slaps the pile by mistake when there isn’t a combination present, they must take one card from their pile and place it face up on the center pile. The game continues until one player collects all of the cards and wins! For more tips, including how to use muncher and double decker cards in Slamwich, read on!

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