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''This is the article about the game. For the wheel arrangement, see
Classic Mikado consists of 41 sticks, coded with different values that have a total of 170 points and are around 15 cm long.
The sticks are bundled and taken in one hand that touches the table or ground. The release creates a circular jumble. Now the players take turns, in which one stick after another should be taken up without moving or touching others. The take-away could be by hand, possibly through pressing on a stick's tip or if one has already picked up a special stick (Mikado/Mandarin), it could be used as a helper, possibly to throw up another stick.
On a fault the turn ends (the last stick taken is not counted). The next player bundles and drops the sticks again. After several rounds, normally five, the one with the highest score – the total of the values of the sticks picked up – is the winner.
A player is allowed to stand up on but not to leave their own place. A bad throw could be rerun and the rules should be kept strict in respect to moving sticks to enjoy the game.
During a player's turn:
*the sticks are rebundled and dropped again (traditional);
*the stack is taken over as is from the previous player (casual);
*the person to the left of the player turn rebundles and drops the sticks for the player, thus eliminating the potential for a doctored drop.
Sticks allowed as pick-up helpers:
*Mikado (traditional);
*only the Mikado if the player has at least one of all other sticks (Kuli, Samurai, Bonzen, Mandarin);
*Mikado / Mandarin (simplified);
*Mikado / Mandarin / Bonzen (casual);
*any stick already picked up (very casual).
A stick taken when picking it up makes another stick in the stack move:
*is not added to the player's score and dropped back (stack take-over variant);
*is not added (traditional);
*is added to the player's score.
Scoring:
*the exact sequence of Kuli, Samurai, Bonzen and Mandarin may double the points of a turn;
*a player who does not use the correct helper may lose all points of the current turn.
''This is the article about the game. For the wheel arrangement, see 2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...
.''
Mikado is a pick-up sticks
Pick-up sticks, pick-a-stick, jackstraws, jack straws, spillikins, spellicans, or fiddlesticks is a game of physical and mental skill in which a bundle of sticks, between 8 and 20 centimeters long, is dropped as a loose bunch onto a table to ...
game originating in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, played with a set of same-length sticks which can measure between .
In 1936, it was brought from Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
(where it was called Marokko) to the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and named pick-up sticks. This term is not very specific in respect to existing stick game variations. The "Mikado" name may have been avoided because it was a brand name of a game producer. The game is named for the highest scoring (blue) stick "Mikado
Mikado may refer to:
* Emperor of Japan or
Arts and entertainment
* ''The Mikado'', an 1885 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan
* ''The Mikado'' (1939 film), an adaptation of the opera, directed by Victor Schertzinger
* ''The Mikado'' (1967 f ...
" (Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...
).
The best time to play Mikado is said to be: ''When your mind is calm but you're in need of company''.
Rules
Classic Mikado consists of 41 sticks, coded with different values that have a total of 170 points and are around 15 cm long.
The sticks are bundled and taken in one hand that touches the table or ground. The release creates a circular jumble. Now the players take turns, in which one stick after another should be taken up without moving or touching others. The take-away could be by hand, possibly through pressing on a stick's tip or if one has already picked up a special stick (Mikado/Mandarin), it could be used as a helper, possibly to throw up another stick.
On a fault the turn ends (the last stick taken is not counted). The next player bundles and drops the sticks again. After several rounds, normally five, the one with the highest score – the total of the values of the sticks picked up – is the winner.
A player is allowed to stand up on but not to leave their own place. A bad throw could be rerun and the rules should be kept strict in respect to moving sticks to enjoy the game.
Rule variations
During a player's turn:
*the sticks are rebundled and dropped again (traditional);
*the stack is taken over as is from the previous player (casual);
*the person to the left of the player turn rebundles and drops the sticks for the player, thus eliminating the potential for a doctored drop.
Sticks allowed as pick-up helpers:
*Mikado (traditional);
*only the Mikado if the player has at least one of all other sticks (Kuli, Samurai, Bonzen, Mandarin);
*Mikado / Mandarin (simplified);
*Mikado / Mandarin / Bonzen (casual);
*any stick already picked up (very casual).
A stick taken when picking it up makes another stick in the stack move:
*is not added to the player's score and dropped back (stack take-over variant);
*is not added (traditional);
*is added to the player's score.
Scoring:
*the exact sequence of Kuli, Samurai, Bonzen and Mandarin may double the points of a turn;
*a player who does not use the correct helper may lose all points of the current turn.
Types
Classic Mikado
Classic Mikado is typically made from beech wood. Sizes: *standard: length , thick *large: length , thick *super: length , thick The large and super variants may use the 26 sticks Giant Mikado variant.Mini Mikado
Made of 31 toothpicks painted in the middle. The game has a total of 145 points. name / coding / value / number of the sticks: *Mikado, 1 blue stripe, 20 points, 1 stick *Mandarin, 3 yellow stripes, 10 points, 5 sticks *Bonzen, 2 orange stripes, 5 points, 5 sticks *Samurai, 3 green stripes, 3 points, 10 sticks *Kuli, 2 red stripes, 2 points, 10 sticks Rules and values are the same as with normal Mikado sticks.Giant Mikado
This type is usually used for outdoor use. There are 26 sticks with a length of and diameter. The game has a total of 200 points. : Rules and markings are the same as with normal Mikado sticks.References
{{Authority control Games of physical skill