How to Play Pass the Dishes
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Pick one dish, pass the rest. Pass the Dishes plays like a real Thanksgiving table: the dish cards go around, everyone takes one helping at a time, and the best plate wins. Gravy loves Turkey, Cranberry Sauce comes in pairs and nobody wants to have the fewest Green Beans. This page has all the rules, worked examples and answers to the most common questions.
- 2–8 players
- Ages 6+
- 10–15 minutes
- Free and full editions
The game in 1 minute
- Everyone gets a hand of dish cards.
- Everyone picks 1 card at the same time and puts it face down on the table.
- Everyone turns the picked card face up. The face-up cards in front of you are your plate.
- Everyone passes the rest of their hand to the player on the left.
- When all cards are picked, add up your points. Most points wins.
The trick: what you take now changes what is worth more later – and every card you pass on may be exactly what your neighbor needs.
What is in the game
Free edition: 63 dish cards (7 dishes), a 5-page rulebook and a score sheet.
Full Thanksgiving Family Game Pack: 81 cards – 63 dish cards, 9 special dish cards (Stuffing, Mac & Cheese, Leftovers) and 9 Tonight’s Guest cards – an 8-page rulebook with a full example game and a score sheet. Plus 5 table games: picture bingo (30 bingo cards and 24 caller cards), Thanksgiving trivia in 3 levels (45 questions), charades (48 cards), Who’s Thankful? and a turkey feather hunt. Card sheets for A4 and US Letter, an ink-saver version and a file for print shops.
The dishes and their points
| Dish | Cards | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 11 | 2 points each. |
| Gravy | 7 | Each Gravy: 1 point + 1 point for each Turkey on your plate. |
| Mashed Potatoes | 10 | 1 card = 1, 2 cards = 3, 3 cards = 6, 4 or more cards = 10. |
| Cranberry Sauce | 9 | Each pair = 6 points. A single one left over = 0 points. |
| Corn | 9 | Most Corn = 7 points. Second most = 3 points. |
| Green Beans | 9 | 1 point each. The player with the fewest Green Beans loses 3 points. |
| Pumpkin Pie | 8 | 3 points each, but only 3 Pies count. |
Special dishes FULL EDITION
| Dish | Cards | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Stuffing | 3 | Each Stuffing: 1 point for each different ★ dish on your plate (max 3 points per Stuffing). |
| Mac & Cheese | 3 | 3 points each. |
| Leftovers | 3 | At the end, it becomes 1 more card of a ★ dish you already have (you choose). |
Every main dish card has a ★. The 7 ★ dishes are Turkey, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Sauce, Corn, Green Beans and Pumpkin Pie. Stuffing, Mac & Cheese and Leftovers have no ★. In the free edition you can ignore the ★.
Setup
| Players | Cards in each hand |
|---|---|
| 2–3 | 10 |
| 4–5 | 8 |
| 6–8 | 7 |
- Shuffle the dish cards (free edition: 63 cards; full edition: all 72 dish cards, including the special dishes).
- Full edition: put the 9 Tonight’s Guest cards aside face down and turn 1 over. Read it out loud – its rule applies to every player tonight. For your first game you can play without a guest.
- Deal each player a hand (see the table). Set the undealt cards aside face down. Nobody looks at them.
A turn (everyone plays at the same time)
- Look at your hand. Choose 1 card and put it face down in front of you.
- When everyone has chosen, all players turn their card face up. It is now on your plate.
- Give the rest of your hand to the player on your left (clockwise). You get a new hand from the player on your right.
- Repeat. When you are handed your last single card, put it on your plate. Dinner is over.
With 2 players you simply swap hands after each pick. Keep your plate face up so everyone can see it, and keep cards of the same dish together.
Gravy and Turkey
Each Gravy is worth 1 point plus 1 point for every Turkey on your plate – also the Turkeys you take later. Two Gravies count the Turkeys twice.
Green Beans
The player with the fewest Green Beans loses 3 points – even with 0 Green Beans. A single Green Beans card can save you.
Examples
Example turn
- Ava, Noah and June play. Ava’s hand has Turkey, Gravy, Corn and Pie. Ava already has 2 Turkeys on her plate.
- She takes the Gravy: right now it is worth 1 + 2 = 3 points, and it will be worth 1 more point for every Turkey she takes later.
- Then she passes Turkey, Corn and Pie to Noah on her left.
Spot the mistake
- Noah has 5 Mashed Potatoes and says: “1, 3, 6, 10 – and the 5th makes 15!”
- The mistake: without a guest, 4 or more Mashed Potatoes are worth 10 points. The 5th card adds nothing.
- Only Big Sister Emma (full edition) makes 5 Mashed Potatoes worth 15.
| Plate | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 Turkey + 1 Gravy | Turkey 4 + Gravy 3 = 7 points |
| 3 Turkey + 1 Gravy | Turkey 6 + Gravy 4 = 10 points |
One more Turkey gives 3 points, not 2: every Gravy grows with every Turkey.
End of dinner and scoring
Use the score sheet and score every dish as shown in the table.
- Corn: the player with the most Corn gets 7 points, the player with the second most gets 3. If players tie for the most, each of them gets 3 points and nobody gets second place (also with Uncle Bob). If players tie for second place, each gets 1 point. With 2 players there is no second place. A player with 0 Corn never gets Corn points.
- Green Beans: the player with the fewest loses 3 points. If several players tie for the fewest, each of them loses 3 points. If all players have the same number, everyone loses 3 points.
- Pumpkin Pie: you can only eat 3 Pies. A 4th Pie is worth 0 points.
- Leftovers (full edition): before you score, everyone decides in secret what each Leftovers card becomes, then all say it at the same time. Each Leftovers becomes 1 more card of a ★ dish already on your plate. It also counts for Corn and Green Beans. With no ★ dish on your plate, Leftovers is worth 0 points.
The player with the most points wins. Tie? The tied player with the most Pumpkin Pie cards on the plate wins (every Pie card counts, including Pies over 3, but not Leftovers). Still tied? You share the win.
Tonight’s Guest FULL EDITION
Each game, 1 guest comes to dinner. The guest changes one rule for everyone, so every dinner feels different. The guest does not belong to one player.
Grandma Rose
Tonight every Turkey is worth 3 points (not 2).
Uncle Bob
Tonight the player with the most Corn gets 8 points (not 7).
Aunt Linda
Tonight the player with the fewest Green Beans loses 5 points (not 3). If players tie, they all lose 5.
Cousin Max
Tonight up to 5 Pies count (not 3).
Grandpa Joe
Tonight each pair of Cranberry Sauce is worth 7 points (not 6).
The Neighbors
Tonight each Gravy is worth 2 points + 1 point for each Turkey.
Big Sister Emma
Tonight 5 or more Mashed Potatoes are worth 15 points.
Biscuit the Dog
Tonight each Mac & Cheese is worth 4 points (not 3).
The Host
Tonight you get 1 extra point for each different ★ dish on your plate.
From the full example game FULL EDITION
Ava, Noah and June each got 10 cards. Ava scores 19 for her dishes, +3 for second most Corn and −3 for the fewest Green Beans: 19. Noah scores 17 for his dishes and +7 for the most Corn, but also −3 for Green Beans: 21. June has 2 pairs of Cranberry Sauce (12), 3 Pies (9), a Turkey and 2 Green Beans: 25 – her 2 Green Beans saved her from losing 3 points. With Grandma Rose as tonight’s guest (Turkey 3 points) the same plates score 22, 21 and 26.
The table games FULL EDITION
The full pack has 5 more games for Thanksgiving Day: picture bingo for the youngest (the winner shouts “Gobble!”), trivia in 3 levels, charades with easy and tricky cards, Who’s Thankful? and a turkey feather hunt with 12 clues and an answer key for adults.
Ways to play
- Big dinner (2–4 players): play 2 dinners in a row and add up both scores. Tie: most Pumpkin Pie cards over both dinners.
- Kids’ table (younger players): Corn and Green Beans are simply 1 point each, with no most or fewest. In the full edition, take Uncle Bob and Aunt Linda out of the guests.
- Quick dinner: 2–3 players get 8 cards, 4–5 players get 6 cards, 6–8 players get 5 cards.
- After the game, for parents: which card did you take because you hoped for more of the same kind later? Did someone pass you a card you really wanted – why did they give it away?
Frequently asked questions
Can I look at the cards on other plates?
Yes. All plates are face up all the time.
Can I change my card after everyone has turned their cards face up?
No. A card on your plate stays there.
What if I have 0 Green Beans?
Then you have the fewest (or are tied for it) and lose 3 points. Even a single Green Beans can save you.
Do 2 Gravies count the Turkeys twice?
Yes. Each Gravy gives 1 point plus 1 point for every Turkey on your plate.
Who keeps the score?
Anyone. Use the score sheet and a pencil.
Can Leftovers become Stuffing or Mac & Cheese?
No. Leftovers only becomes a ★ dish that is already on your plate.
Does Leftovers count as a different ★ dish for Stuffing?
No. It becomes a dish you already have, so it never adds a new ★ dish (for Stuffing or The Host). A Leftovers that becomes Corn counts as Corn.
What do I need to print the game?
A printer, thick card (250–300 gsm, about 90–110 lb cover) for the cards, plain paper for the rules and a pair of scissors. Print at 100% (“actual size”) on A4 or US Letter. Not suitable for children under 3: small parts.
Ready for dinner?
The free edition is enough for a complete game of Pass the Dishes with 2–8 players. The full Thanksgiving Family Game Pack adds 9 Tonight’s Guest cards, 3 special dishes, a full example game and 5 more table games for the whole day.