What Is Push?
Push is a push-your-luck card game from Ravensburger for roughly 2 to 6 players. On your turn you draw cards one at a time into columns on the table. The more you draw, the more you can win, but a card you cannot place causes a bust. This is a modern game that is unrelated to the traditional rummy game that happens to share the name Push, so check that you are reading the right rules.
What You Need
- The Push deck, made up of number cards in several colors plus special cards.
- A six-sided die, which is included in the set and has colors on its faces.
- A flat table with room for columns and each player’s personal display.
Setup
Shuffle the deck and place it face down in the middle of the table, with the die nearby. Each player will build their own area of cards in front of them, often called a bench, and a separate pile for banked cards.
On Your Turn
You choose between two options.
Option 1: Play Cards
Draw cards one at a time and place each into one of up to three columns. A card can only be placed in a column if:
- the column does not already contain a card of the same color, and
- the column does not already contain a card with the same number.
You may stop drawing whenever you like. When you stop, you take one of the columns for your bench. Then the other players, in turn order, each choose one of the remaining columns.
Busting
If you draw a card that cannot legally go into any column, you bust. The unplayable card is discarded, you take no column, and you roll the die. Cards of the color you roll are removed from your bench. The other players still choose from the columns you built, which makes busting costly in two ways.
Option 2: Bank Cards
Instead of drawing, you may bank cards. Choose one color from your bench and move all cards of that color to your banked pile. Banked cards are protected and cannot be lost to the die. New cards of that color picked up later stay on the bench until you bank them again.
Special Cards
- Roll cards: placed in a column like other cards. Whoever takes a column containing one rolls the die and loses bench cards of the rolled color.
- Switch cards: change the order in which players choose columns after someone stops.
Read the rules sheet in your box for the exact effect of each special card, as printed versions can differ.
Ending the Game and Scoring
The game ends when the draw pile runs out and the last columns are resolved. Each player adds up the values of the cards on their bench and in their banked pile. The highest total wins.
Strategy Tips
- Bank a color once your bench holds a lot of cards in it, since the die can wipe it out.
- Stopping early gives other players good columns, so weigh how many cards you leave for them.
- A column you build carefully can benefit opponents too. Consider what you leave behind.
- Remember that roll cards punish the player who takes the column, not the player who draws them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people can play Push? The publisher lists 2 to 6 players.
Is Push a rummy game? The Ravensburger game is a push-your-luck game, not a classic rummy game, though it appears in the same card-game family by name. If you want a classic meld-and-discard experience, try Five Crowns.