UNO results are in!!

[ClayJar]

They're Bicycle decks (although in different color schemes), made out of transparent plastic with printing (like the UNO H2O cards), and composed of ace through king in spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs, plus two jokers.

I picked up a 12-pack of 2" binder rings (nickel plated) and a 20-pack of 1" binder rings (just in case, but I think they're probably mostly too small... unless I want to play solitaire, in which case I have to have something for the stacks, eh?). I expect the binder rings to be all but disposable. If I'm using them at the pool at home, I'll throw them in the oven to dry them out thoroughly (like I do with cookie cutters and such), but if I'm far, far away playing, I should just send them away as lovely parting gifts. Incidentally, how well did using split rings for the discard/draw piles work?

I'll have to bring my cards with us to the quarry we should be diving this weekend. Maybe we can get a game going on the 15' platform at the end of the day -- it's above the thermocline, after all.

 

[TravisD]

Do you have any idea how long it takes to punch two holes each in 432 cards?!? The answer, for me at least, was "approximately one Saints football game", which was actually a rather more enjoyable way to watch a Saints game, but I digress.

Perhaps try making sure they're all aligned correctly, put 'em back in the pack, then drill a hole thru the whole mess at once? Maybe even clamp 'em in between a couple of pieces of scrap wood to keep the top and bottom cards from tearing.

 

[erparamedic]

The 1" rings will be great for each individual hand that is being played (like each person will use on on their hand of cards). The larger rings are great for the discard/draw piles.

I'm WAY excited that this is catching on!!! As TG would would say, "YAY"!!! We've pioneered underwater scuba games!

 

[erparamedic]

Perhaps try making sure they're all aligned correctly, put 'em back in the pack, then drill a hole thru the whole mess at once? Maybe even clamp 'em in between a couple of pieces of scrap wood to keep the top and bottom cards from tearing.

You have quite the quick idea for putting the holes in the cards!! I'll let my hubby try that.... I'd drill a hole thru my hand, the cards, and whatever the cards were sitting on to be drilled!

 

[ClayJar]

Drilling is almost certain to leave a much lower quality edge to the holes, at least given the resources I have at hand. I'd much rather spend the time to punch all the holes and have the cards last theoretically longer (as well-punched holes have no jaggies from which a tear can propogate away from the hole).

 

[erparamedic]

You have a point.

 

[ClayJar]

Incidentally, while we're on the subject*... Besides UNO and Connect Four (which I should really pick up), what two-diver-friendly card games are out there? Double solitaire is probably a bit much, and the mere thought of cribbage scares the defog off my mask (although, come to think of it, it *would* be quite useful for getting your one-handed number signals down back-to-front).

I'm looking forward (with glee, even) to playing a game of "go fish" on scuba, but that's gotta be with more than two, and I don't think there's any chance of a game of memory/concentration/match-the-cards/whatever, considering how unlikely they'll be to stay put.

*We must be on the subject, as I can't see it anywhere anymore, and it's not fast enough to have escaped unnoticed.

 

[trucker girl]

I'd like to know some two-player games, too. I don't know how to play poker (or strip poker, as Reggae Joe says...). The only games I know wouldn't work well underwater (Hand and Foot, Bunko, the one that is named after a cuss word that I can't remember)...

Ucre might work if you can get 4 people together.

Alas- all games are more fun with more than two people...

 

[trucker girl]

And for the drilling... if it would work that would be great- then all the holes would line up a little easier.

As for the binder rings- they do work great. You have to watch where you have the hole, though- sometimes it's hard to figure out which way to put the card/hole onto the ring... you'll see what I mean when you play. It might be the nitrogen, though.

15 feet is probably the perfect spot. 20 feet got a little chilly- there's no juices flowing (except adrenaline...).

And, yes erparamedic, "Yay!"

 

[ClayJar]

To account for the imperfect placement of the holes (although I'm within a millimeter or so -- I *am* a bit OCD sometimes), I punched the first run of holes with the cards fresh from the packs, then shuffled the decks before making the second punch run. I figured I couldn't have any systematic error which would make cheating too easy (although that "floating over your opponent's hand" trick might be good to remember).

Dice games would be a bit harder, but with solid stainless steel dice, they'd probably work. (More of a toss than a roll, of course.) It's just that stainless steel dice cost enough to fit right in on an LDS shelf.