What card values are in Skyjo?
Classic cards use values from -2 to 12, including zero and negative cards.
Values in play
The keypad and diagrams should support -2, -1, 0 and every whole number from 1 through 12. Negative cards reduce a round total, while zero adds nothing.
Distribution matters
Not every value necessarily appears equally often. Strategy calculations must use a documented deck distribution rather than assuming a uniform chance across -2 to 12.
Editorial caution
Where the precise count of each card is published, cite a reliable source and make the methodology reproducible. Do not describe an inferred or community-reported count as if it appeared in the official English rule leaflet.
Scorekeeper behaviour
The tap-card till should show every legal value for the selected edition and allow repeated taps. It should not limit the number of a value unless the user chooses an optional validation mode.
The Classic deck, as counted
The 150-card Classic deck: five −2 cards, fifteen 0 cards, and ten each of −1 and every value from 1 to 12. The mean card value is about 5.07.
The negative and zero cards
The cards worth having. Fifteen zeroes make 0 the most common single value in the deck.
| Player | Round | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Value −2 | 5 | cards |
| Value −1 | 10 | cards |
| Value 0 | 15 | cards |
Everything from 1 to 12
Ten copies of each. 120 cards in total.
| Player | Round | Counts as |
|---|---|---|
| Each of 1 to 12 | 10 | cards |
| Subtotal | 120 | cards |
| Whole deck | 150 | cards |
Every probability on this site is derived from these counts, by hand, and is reproducible.
Written in our own words and checked against the official rulebook. Skyjo.co.uk is an independent guide, not affiliated with Magilano. Spot an error? Tell us and we fix it.