Five Straight

Five Straight - A strategy peg game

My sister and I have played Five Straight for years. I never thought to use it in therapy until fairly recently, as I never viewed it as a pegboard and pegs (I knew this game long before I was an OT). The name of the game is also the goal - be the first person to get five pegs in a row either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

The pegs are small, hard plastic and measure about 3/4" tall. Each set of pegs stores in its own zippered plastic bag so you don't have to sort them out each time, unless you want to ;) The board is hard plastic, is hollow on the back and comes in two pieces. There are two small clips that fit on the back that hold the board snugly together for playing. Assembled the board measures about 12" x 12". The cards are numbered 0 through 99 and there is also one blank card so you can make your own in case you lose one. The cards are smaller than your typical playing cards (see image below). The stack is fairly high with 101 cards and may be stiff and difficult to handle for some.

Object:
Be the first player to get five colored pegs in a row.

Set up:
Assemble the board and put it in the middle of the players. Each player chooses a peg color and dumps their pegs by the board. Shuffle the cards and deal five to each player.

Play:
On each turn a player will place a peg, discard a card and draw a new card. The player should have five cards in his hand at a time. The number on each card will correspond to one space on the board. When you play a card on your turn you may place a peg on the exact number on the board or on any higher number. For instance if you have a card with the number 89, you can place a peg in the space (hole) for 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, or 99 (the spaces end at 99). The lower the numbers on the cards in your hand, the more valuable they are as the more spaces they can be played on the board (for winning and blocking). The single digit cards are especially good to be holding as they can help you block your opponents wins and help you play almost anywhere on the board. Take turns until someone has five in a row. Sometimes you will see your opponent's four pegs and not be able to block the fifth, and sometimes you will be totally surprised when they place their fifth peg and announce their win. The more pegs on the board, the harder it is to keep track of all the possible wins, especially the diagonals. 

If you would like to read more about peg board activities, check out my post What's in Your Therapy Box? Peg Board Edition. 

Try this:

• Try to set up a win using a single digit card in your hand. There is much less of a chance the other player(s) can block a single digit number. Play your lowest card last. Even if another player can cover the space by playing his own low number, you will have forced him to use a low card just to block you instead of as an advantage to win himself.
• Play a peg in a row whenever you see your opponent has three in a row with empty spaces on both ends. If you let him play the fourth in a row you won't be able to cover both ends from a win.
• Pick up each peg and turn it in-hand to orient for placement.
• Empty the board after a game by taking off your pegs, one at a time, and squirreling them in your hand. You may have more than one handful if it was a long game.
• Skip the cards. Ask the player to pick up several pegs and hold them in the hand. Call out a number and ask him to scan the board and place a peg in that number. Bring the pegs, one at a time, to the fingertips to orient for placement. You could call out number that will end up making simple pictures and ask them to guess along the way. For instance a tree could be a large triangle with a small square under it or a house could be a large square with a rectangle door, etc. That might make it more exciting than just searching for random numbers.
• Follow the directions from the above suggestion, but ask the player to hold multiple colors of pegs in their hand. Then you could call out something like 75 green and they would have to sort out a green peg from the several in their hand for placement.
• Play bingo. Call out numbers from the cards and ask the player to place the pegs as you go (translating them from the palm). Let them tell you when they have 5 in a row for a bingo. Start with three or four for an easier game.
• Block the 90's spaces with lower cards right away. Then whenever an opponent picks one of these cards and the hole has already been filled, he will end up having to hold a useless card throughout the game, reducing the playable cards in his hand. I don't use this strategy because I figure I have as much chance of drawing those useless cards as my opponent.
• Mix all the pegs together (you knew it would come to this, didn't you). Ask the player to pick up one peg at a time of a single color, squirreling the pegs into the palm without dropping any. Empty the hand into the bag and then do the same for another color and try to pick up one more. Finally the third color, try for one more. Setting up a game or putting it away "the long route" can often add more therapeutic value.
• Scatter the pegs on the table after the game is over. Ask the player to hold the box off to the side and just under the table top with one hand and cup the hand and sweep the pegs into the box with the other hand. Try the long end of the box then turn it and try the shorter end. How is your aim? Works for many games.
• Hold cards in one hand and several pegs in the other. Bring pegs to the fingertips for placement on each turn.
• Work on figure ground, visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, fine motor precision, shuffling/dealing/holding multiple cards, coordinated use of both hands, socialization skills, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 101 cards, 3 sets of colored pegs (42 pegs of each color), 2 piece plastic playing board, 2 small clips

If you would like to purchasing this game or just want more information, click on the image below.