I'm not sure when my family started playing RACKO but it's been at least ten years. Although we don't play as often as we did in the beginning, the game is still pulled out of the closet and used at least once every few months. But the interesting part is that my youngest daughter is getting very difficult to beat in this game and keeps me on my toes!
The game is a simple one and can be played with two to four people. Ten cards are dealt to each player and each card is placed in their "rack" (the plastic tray with slots to hold the cards). The cards must be initially placed in the order you are dealt them so they will be very jumbled at first. The trick is to get all the cards in sequential order from lowest to highest and the first one to do that wins the hand. You can draw from the pile or pick up the last discarded playing card and place it anywhere in your rack that you'd like. For example, a one should be placed in front and a sixty should go in the back. Sounds simple, but sometimes luck is not on your side and the right cards just do not come your way.
The game consists of four racks, a deck of cards with numbers from one to sixty, and a card tray to hold the deck and discard pile. There are no small pieces and nothing to assemble. It's ready to play right out of the box the first time.
Scoring is also simple. The person who gets their cards in sequential order first wins the hand and gets big points. Other players get points for how many cards are in sequential order. There are numbers on the racks to show the points given. It sounds a bit confusing, but if you had the rack in front of you, it's perfectly clear. You also get extra points for cards in order, e.g. one, two, three, etc. We usually play until someone reaches 500 points and then call it a game. If you're pressed for time, you can reduce that number or say you'll only play a few hands and the winner determined after the last hand.
The hardest part of this game is shuffling the cards and then figuring out where to place each new card you're given. It never fails, if I place a five in front, I'll draw a lower card that will be useless. It's frustrating but also highly enjoyable.
There are a few other things to note. Hasbro indicates that this game is for ages eight to adult, but younger children often pick up the concept after a few hands. You can also play with fewer cards - say one through thirty - to help them understand better. You can come up with a multitude of game variations to keep everyone entertained.
RACKO is one of the games that has withstood the time in our family. It goes with us on trips and we never tire of playing. It's just an inexpensive, good, fun family game that is enjoyable for everyone.