Pairs: Barmaids Deck

World-famous commercial illustrator Echo Chernik brings us the Barmaids deck: ten lovely ladies with 55 glasses of beer! (Actually, it's eleven ladies, because there are two girls on the 9.) The Barmaids deck contains a bonus game, Rocket, which is a casino-style adaptation of Pairs.

• Theme: Barmaids with beers
• Art by: Echo Chernik
• Variant Games: Rocket (Casino Pairs)
• Download the Barmaids Rules (PDF, 1.2 Mb) including the rules for Rocket
• Download the Pairs Companion Rulebook (PDF, 5.6 Mb)

Pairs is a "New Classic Pub Game" featuring an unusual deck of cards. The deck has only the numbers 1 through 10, with a different number of each card: 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, and so on, up to 10x10. 

In the basic game, points are bad, and you score points by getting a pair. So, if you have a 10, there are 9 other cards that could pair it up, and you'll get 10 penalty points if you do. Players take turns deciding whether to take another card, or fold, trying to avoid scoring points. When you fold, you have to take points, but only the smallest card in play.

Rocket is similar to Pairs, but is structured like a casino table game. Each player is competing 1-on-1 with the dealer. Each player makes a bet, then everyone gets one card. Players take turns drawing cards, or folding, and the object is to avoid getting a pair. 

Pairs was designed by veteran game inventors James Ernest and Paul Peterson, and released in October 2014. There are many different art decks to choose from, but they all work for the same game (and many variant games!)