Mikado Spiel - Pickup Sticks

In a game of pick-up sticks, there are typically 30 or more sticks and at least two players. At the beginning of game play, the bundle of sticks is randomly distributed or dropped so the sticks end up in a tangled pile. The more tangled the pile, the more challenging the game. In some versions of the game any sticks not touching at least one other stick are removed. The first player (sometimes the youngest) attempts to remove a single stick at a time, without moving any other stick. If the player succeeds, that player's turn continues. If a player moves another stick, the turn immediately passes clockwise to the next player.

The object of the game is for a player to pick up more sticks than picked up by any other players. In more complex games, different-colored sticks are worth different numbers of points, and the winner is the person with the highest score.

In some versions of the game, the next player can opt to begin a turn by asking the player after that to pick up all the sticks and randomly remake the pile.