How to Play Apples To Apples

Separate the green apple cards from the red apple cards and place them in stacks face down. The green apple cards have a characteristic of a person, place or thing on them. The red apple cards have the name of a person, place, thing or event on them.

Select one of the players to be the judge for the first round. The judge will then deal seven cards to every participant, including herself.

Reveal the green apple card from the top of the stack. The judge turns over a green apple card to begin play.

Play the red apple cards. Every contestant plays the red apple card that they believe is the best match for the characteristic on the green apple card. The judge does not play a card.

Mix the cards up so that the judge does not know who played which card.

Read the terms on the red apple cards. As the judge reads the submissions, she should display the responses for all the players to see. The judge then chooses the card that they believe is the closest match to green characteristic therefore matching apples to apples.

Award the green card to the player whose red card was selected by the judge.

Draw red apple cards to replace the cards that were played ensuring that every player has seven red cards again.

Pass the role of judge on to the next participant and proceed from step three.

Proceed until one player has won a predetermined number of green cards. That player is the winner.