# Sequence (game)
**Sequence** is a board and card game for 2 to 12 players, designed by Doug Reuter and published by Jax Ltd. in 1982, in which players play cards from their hands to place colored chips on a 10 × 10 board of playing-card spaces and race to complete lines of five chips in a row.[1](https://coopboardgames.com/cooperative-board-game-reviews/sequence/) • [2](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2375/sequence) It combines a standard card deck with a board that maps every card to two spaces, and it has spawned a family of editions including Sequence for Kids, Jumbo Sequence, Sequence Dice, and Sequence Stacks.[3](https://www.asmodeenordics.com/product/sequence/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Designer / publisher | Doug Reuter; Jax Ltd., 1982[1](https://coopboardgames.com/cooperative-board-game-reviews/sequence/) |
| Players / age / time | 2–12 players, age 7+, about 10–30 minutes[2](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2375/sequence) |
| Board | 10 × 10 grid; every card except Jacks appears exactly twice; four corner spaces are free for everyone[4](https://sequencearena.com/rules) |
| Equipment | 104 Sequence cards; 48 blue, 48 green, and 48 red marker chips[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf) |
| Jacks | Two-eyed jacks (clubs and diamonds) are wild; one-eyed jacks (spades and hearts) remove an opponent's chip[6](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq) |
| Winning condition | Two players or teams need two sequences of five chips; three players or teams need one[6](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq) |
| Complexity | BoardGameGeek weight 1.31 / 5, community rating 6.2[2](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2375/sequence) |
## The board and equipment
The board is a 10 × 10 grid of miniature playing cards. Every card in the deck except the Jacks appears exactly twice, so each card played can usually be matched to one of two board spaces.[4](https://sequencearena.com/rules) The game uses two standard 52-card decks shuffled together, giving 104 cards; Jacks are never printed on the board.[7](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play) The official rules list 104 Sequence cards and 48 marker chips in each of three colors: blue, green, and red.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf) The red chips are used only when three teams are playing.[3](https://www.asmodeenordics.com/product/sequence/)
The four corner spaces are free spaces shared by all players. They are not printed with a card, no chips are placed on them, and any sequence passing through a corner needs only 4 of the player's own chips rather than 5.[4](https://sequencearena.com/rules) • [7](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play) • [8](https://www.rowyale.games/how-to-play) More than one player may use the same corner as part of their sequence.[9](https://jatek.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/sequence-junior-jatekszabaly.pdf)
## Course of play
On a turn, a player selects a card from their hand, places it face up on a personal discard pile, puts one of their chips on a matching open space on the board, and draws a replacement card from the draw pile.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf) Play proceeds clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the dealer.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf)
**Hand sizes** vary with the player count: 7 cards in a two-player match and 6 cards with 3 or 4 players.[7](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play) The official rules deal 5 cards each for 6 players and 3 cards each for 12 players.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf)
**Dead cards.** If both board spaces matching a card in hand are already covered, the card is dead. The player discards it, draws a replacement, and then plays their normal turn.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf)
**The Jacks** are the game's special cards and are not printed on the board:[7](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play)
- Two-eyed jacks (clubs and diamonds) are wild: the player places a chip on any empty space that is not a free corner, and still draws a replacement card afterward.[6](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq) • [7](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play)
- One-eyed jacks (spades and hearts) remove an opponent's chip from the board, with the restriction that a chip which is part of a completed sequence cannot be removed.[6](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq) • [10](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/how-to-play)
Joker cards are not used in the play of the game.[11](https://manuals.plus/m/6e6294d9d90207e6fd58f0021a4063515fe9066cf138cd0de821d2c3b6a9e979.pdf)
## Winning
A sequence is a connected line of exactly 5 chips of one color, running horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.[4](https://sequencearena.com/rules) With two players or two teams, the first side to complete two sequences wins; with three players or teams, one sequence wins.[6](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq) When two sequences are required, a player may use one space from the first sequence as part of the second.[5](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf) Extending a row beyond 5 chips can create a second sequence in the same direction; for example, a straight line of nine chips can form two five-chip sequences sharing one chip.[4](https://sequencearena.com/rules) • [18](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c4gCJTojL.pdf)
Because chips in a completed sequence are locked against one-eyed jacks, finishing a line also protects it, and much of the game's tactics lie in blocking an opponent's nearly complete line while building toward two sequences at once.[10](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/how-to-play)
## History and publication
Doug Reuter developed the concept in the United States in the mid-1970s, and in June 1981 he granted Jax Ltd. an exclusive license to manufacture, distribute, and sell the game worldwide; it reached stores in 1982.[12](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/7c4463e3-109c-48af-b9be-98e22cdf2116/downloads/31331100131.pdf) • [13](https://lacasadelaeducadora.com/blogs/nuestro-blog/la-historia-de-sequence) The name SEQUENCE is a registered trademark of Jax Ltd., Inc., under registration number 1922191.[14](https://trademarks.justia.com/744/71/sequence-74471703.html)
## Editions and variants
The game has been extended into a line of editions. Sequence for Kids, published by Jax in 2001 and invented by Random Games & Toys, replaces cards with pictures and asks for a line of 4 chips.[15](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6381/sequence-for-kids) • [16](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/board-game-sequence-for-kids-jax-ltd-inc/tAFSseQf7Xb9Xg?hl=en) Its rules use Unicorn cards to place a chip anywhere and Dragon cards to remove an opponent's chip.[9](https://jatek.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/sequence-junior-jatekszabaly.pdf) Other editions listed by the publisher include Sequence Junior, Sequence Travel, Sequence Stacks, which reimagines the game as a pure card game, and Sequence Queens.[3](https://www.asmodeenordics.com/product/sequence/)
## Reception
On BoardGameGeek the game carries a community rating of 6.2 with a complexity weight of 1.31 out of 5, and it is described as a light, luck-influenced family game whose outcome depends partly on the draw of cards but which offers enough decision points for casual and social play.[2](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2375/sequence) Reviewers characterize it as a blend of luck and strategy suited to families and mixed groups, with card luck able to override strategic decisions in close games.[1](https://coopboardgames.com/cooperative-board-game-reviews/sequence/) • [17](https://zatu.com/en-us/blogs/reviews/sequence-board-game-review)
## References
1. [Sequence Board Game Review, Co-op Board Games](https://coopboardgames.com/cooperative-board-game-reviews/sequence/)
2. [Sequence (1982), BoardGameGeek](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2375/sequence)
3. [Sequence Board Game, Asmodee Nordics](https://www.asmodeenordics.com/product/sequence/)
4. [How to Play Sequence, Sequence Arena](https://sequencearena.com/rules)
5. [Sequence Game Instructions, Jax / Nordic Games rules PDF](https://www.nordicgames.is/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Sequence_Rules_EN.pdf)
6. [Sequence Game FAQ, Stratza Games](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/sequence-faq)
7. [How to Play Sequence, Sequence Rivals](https://www.sequencerivals.com/how-to-play)
8. [How to Play Sequence, Rowyale](https://www.rowyale.games/how-to-play)
9. [Sequence Junior instructions PDF](https://jatek.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/sequence-junior-jatekszabaly.pdf)
10. [How to Play Sequence, Stratza Games](https://sequence.stratzagames.com/how-to-play)
11. [Sequence Game Instructions, JAX Games manual](https://manuals.plus/m/6e6294d9d90207e6fd58f0021a4063515fe9066cf138cd0de821d2c3b6a9e979.pdf)
12. [Sequence board game rules PDF](https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/7c4463e3-109c-48af-b9be-98e22cdf2116/downloads/31331100131.pdf)
13. [La historia de Sequence](https://lacasadelaeducadora.com/blogs/nuestro-blog/la-historia-de-sequence)
14. [SEQUENCE Trademark of Jax Ltd., Inc., Justia Trademarks](https://trademarks.justia.com/744/71/sequence-74471703.html)
15. [Sequence for Kids (2001), BoardGameGeek](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/6381/sequence-for-kids)
16. [Board game: Sequence for Kids, Jax Ltd., Google Arts & Culture](https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/board-game-sequence-for-kids-jax-ltd-inc/tAFSseQf7Xb9Xg?hl=en)
17. [Sequence Board Game Review, Zatu Games](https://zatu.com/en-us/blogs/reviews/sequence-board-game-review)
18. [m.media-amazon.com](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81c4gCJTojL.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Board games › Modern designer board games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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