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How-to: Make a Custom Card Game // WHISKEY PIT!

May 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

For those of you who don’t know, my husband is turning 30 on Monday, and I’m throwing him a bourbon-themed shin-dig that week to celebrate. Check out the invites if you missed them. This party’s going to have everything an aging ;) Southern boy could want: a bourbon bar, three kinds of bourbon pie, a great venue (a hip pie shop in Chicago), veggie and beef jerkey, biscuits, beer, and yes, a butter bar. I can’t wait for this party and to share pictures with you all!

I spent Memorial Day weekend designing and printing a custom, whiskey-themed version of one of my husband’s and my favorite party card games. No, we’re not talking about Apples to Apples – we’re talking about PIT!!! The weirdest and somehow most awesome card game in the universe. We first heard about in the 1999 TV show Freaks and Geeks. Sorry for those of you who aren’t TV fanatics out there, please bear with me. :) There was a family game night episode of the show (read episode highlights here or here) in which the main characters’ parents try to get their kids excited about playing Pit, and they don’t totally go for it right away. Here’s why…

The concept behind Pit, a game that’s over 100 years old, is that you and your friends are trading stocks, and you have to “corner the market” on a specific commodity by trading equal numbers of cards with fellow players. The first person to corner the market and ring a bell on the center of the table wins the point value listed on the commodity’s card. The higher value the commodity, the more points it’s worth. The person with the most points wins in the end. Traditionally, the commodities traded have been grains, but more recent editions of the games feature precious metals.

So when you describe this game in words, it doesn’t sound like the most fun you’ve ever had at a party, right? The kids on Freaks and Geeks are totally with you. Really, though. Trust me. This game is the best. You can get it used online for really cheap if you’re curious enough to try it out.

To make a version of the game in which you’re trading something a little funner than grains or gold, it’s easy. These directions can be applied to customizing other favorite games like Uno or Skip-Bo.

Supplies

graphic design software or better drawing skills than I possess

printer

card stock/heavy paper

scissors and/or paper cutter

in-home laminator

accessories your game requires (in my case, a bell)

Directions Tips/Pointers for creating your own game

The standard size for playing cards is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. I created a new project file in my software with that size to create my cards.

If you’re not a trained artist or graphic designer, don’t be afraid to draw your ideas out ahead of time. I crudely drew what I wanted my cards to look like ahead of time, and that helped save a lot of hair-pulling when I designed the cards.

Do your research! I spent a chunk of time making sure I knew for sure how many cards of each type were needed to create my take on Pit. I needed 9 cards each of eight different types of whiskey, and I made sure to sit down with my husband, the birthday boy, to get his preferences for the kinds of whiskey he wanted featured on his cards. It turns out, he had very specific ideas on the subject – good thing I checked!

Consider using a template. Since my game required printing two-sided, I had to carefully line up my card fronts and backs to avoid chopping my designs up.

You can get an in-home laminator for as low as $20. I cut my cards out of just the paper first, and I will soon laminate them. I didn’t want my pictures to end up so shiny you wouldn’t be able to see them, but since this game will be played at a food and booze-centric event, I think laminating seems like an obvious next step.

My whiskey take on Pit!

Since all of the commodities featured in this game and the game concept and rules are all copyrighted, I can’t make Whiskey Pit available for download. Instead, I opted to share my idea, and I encourage you all to try to make themed games of your own. Husband and I had a BLAST conceptualizing this game for his party.

Filed Under: How-to, Parties Tagged With: bell, bourbon, buffalo trace, cards, diy, eagle rare, make it your own, maker's mark, old grand-dad, pappy van winkle's, pit, wall street trading, whiskey, wild turkey

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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Craft book author & pattern designer ❤️💛💙
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Please email for pattern support. 🧶

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn When you have four big skeins of pretty 2 ply yarn, you immediately think sweater, right? 
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My wardrobe could use another handmade sweater - I’m thinking something simple, seamed and with a decent amount of ease for potentially wearing tucked in with jeans or skirts. 🤔 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica and Dragon’s Breath, wound in thick skeins of 100% superwash wool that’s a light DK weight.
How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style . How to to knit throwing (a.k.a. English) style 
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In knitting, there are a few common knitting styles. Most often you’re going to encounter continental style and English (throwing) style on your knitting journey. I recently had an old video teaching continental style get a lot of views. Based on the comments, it was clear the people wanted to also see a throwing tutorial, so here you go! 🧶
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Please note that there is a LOT of variation in knitting styles, and one isn’t necessarily better than another. Most often, I’ve found it comes down to two things: how you were taught and whether or not you’re really into colorwork knitting (which can involve a mix of styles). 
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Longer-term knitters who’ve made it this far: do you prefer one over the other? And why? 
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#handsoccupied #englishknitting #learntoknit #knitting #howtoknit #knittersofinstagram #knitting_inspiration
How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on How to do a one-step provisional knitting cast on / a.k.a. crochet provisional cast on, scrap yarn cast on
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I read recently that tiktok and Instagram are being used as search engines more and more. 🤔 I thought since I’m going to all the work of making tutorials on YouTube, I should experiment with making a quick version of them for other platforms. There are obvious teaching limitations to vertical video, short-form content like this, but I think I covered the gist of this cast on in a minute. The YouTube version also covers how to unzip this cast on because there was time for it 👍🏻 L1nk is in my profile. 
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I’m very much looking for feedback as I continue to make instructional knitting & craft videos. Sometimes good tutorials are hard to find, and (ideally polite) feedback helps me improve. 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #knititngtutorial #knittersofinstagram #crochethook #knittingtutorial
For the first time in a long time, there’s a new For the first time in a long time, there’s a new tutorial from Hands Occupied! 🎉 The video is live on YouTube & the blog. 
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The post covers what provisional cast ons are & how they differ, and the video covers how to work a one-step provisional cast on using scrap yarn and a crochet hook. (This is a great one to save for future reference.)
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I learned several names for this method while researching this video & post. Crochet provisional cast on, one-step cast on, scrap yarn cast on - if you know even more names for this technique, please share! 
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#handsoccupied #provisionalcaston #knitting #scrapyarn #crochethook
Working on a sample for some upcoming videos. It’s an overcast day with intermittent sunshine & I have a scruffy little sidecar. 🐶 Can’t complain! 
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What’s on your needles this week? 
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Yarn: @debbieblissknits Cashmerino Aran 
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#handsoccupied #knitting #knittinglife
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