The card game Fizzbin

What is the card game Fizzbin

Captain Kirk teaching the Fizzbin card game

On Beta Antares IV, they play a real game. It's a man's game, but a little beyond you. It requires intelligence. Take the cards, big man. Of course the cards on Beta Antares IV are different, but not too different. The name of the game is called, uh ... fizzbin. Fizzbin. It's, uh ... not too difficult. - Captain James T. Kirk

Fizzbin is a fictional card game which initially featured in the original Star Trek television series. It was thus introduced in the show's second season, specifically in episode number 17, titled "A Piece of the Action". In the episode, several crewmembers of the starship USS Enterprise are held hostage on planet Sigma lotia II, in which the local Government is modeled after the mob organizations of Chicago in the 1920's. In order to assist in escaping their captors, Captain James T. Kirk, on the spot, creates an intentionally complicated and confusing card game in order to distract those holding them prisoner (claiming the game to have originated on planet Beta Antares IV). The ruse succeeds, with the crew being able to escape, however the game apparently caught on with the locals as later episodes of Star Trek spinoff series' such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine also mention or feature the game of Fizzbin.

Considering that Captain Kirk appeared to be creating the rules for the game on an improvisational basis based on the cards dealt, it is doubtful this game (either in the series or otherwise) was intended to actually be a complete game, and there are currently no "officially" published rules. In addition, this first game was never completed, with the Captain dropping a card while dealing and thus creating a distraction on order to surprise his captors. However, using as a basis the initial rules as described by the Captain, a number of rule sets for the game (as well as a few third-party proprietary games) have been devised by Star Trek fans and others wanting to make a fully playable game. Various versions of the game are sometimes played by Trekkers at conventions and other Star Trek and science fiction themed events.

Trivia: In early treatments of the episode in which this game was featured, the game created by the Captain was originally called Farfel, but in later versions of the script, the fictitious game was renamed to Fizzbin.

As per the original rules set forth by Captain Kirk while teaching his captor the game, the following rules can be determined to be a part of the game:

The game uses one standard 52 card deck. From the initial rule set it does not appear there is a relative ranking amongst the cards found in that deck.
The game can be played by a varying number of players, from 2 to 5 or more.
The dealer deals out the cards one at a time to the players, in a clockwise direction. However, the dealer starts each rotation dealing a card to himself first and then continues in a clockwise rotation around the table. Each player will eventually receive six total cards, normally all face-down, except the player to the dealer's immediate right (or dealer's opponent if two are playing) who will receive seven cards total, instead.
The cards are usually dealt, one-at-a-time to the players face-up up. However, the second card dealt to each player is dealt face-down on any Tuesday.
The dealer continues to deal the cards out the players one by one, until each player has six total cards (seven for the player at dealer's right).
Due to certain gameplay elements, on rare occasions, some players may receive more cards than others, so those players will continue to receive additional cards while other players will not.
The apparent object of the game is to have the best hand at the end of the game, which can occur in several ways. Once all cards have been dealt, the player with the best hand is the winner, aside from any players who may have received a "shralk" which results in immediate disqualification of that player (who must drop from the hand). Alternatively, if any player is found to have been dealt a "Royal Fizzbin" at any time, the hand immediately ends, with that player set as the winner.
The last and final card dealt to each player is the Kronk, except for the player to the dealer's right who gets one additional card after each player has received the Kronk.
Two Jacks dealt to any specific player is a special combination called a "Half-Fizzbin". It is presumed (and probable), that this should include any two of a kind, but this is never specifically mentioned in the brief game description as shown during the episode.
If a player is dealt a third Jack, this is considered a "shralk" and that player is considered disqualified (and must drop) from the hand, unless the game is being played at night (in the dark) on a Tuesday, in which the player is not required to drop from the hand.
If a player with a "half-fizzbin" next is dealt a King, that player will receives one additional card dealt to him, as long as it's day time, if however it is night (dark), a card is still dealt to that player, however that card is immediately returned to top of the remaining deck, and thus does not count as part of that player's hand.

Any player having a "half-fizzbin", attempts to improve his hand by being certain other specifically ranked cards. In the daytime, the player wants to obtain a King and a deuce (two), while at night (when it is dark) he wants to obtain a Queen and four.
A royal fizzbin is the highest ranked hand and will always win the game for the player receiving it.

Since the rules, as briefly given and shown in the episode, do not necessarily encompass the fully intended rule set, many fans of the show and gaming have attempted to fill in the missing rules or add supplementary rules to make a playable version of Fizzbin. Some such rules which might be added are as follows:

Although in the basic description, a Half-Fizzbin is described as two Jacks, it is probable that any two identically ranked cards would similarly be considered a half-fizzbin.

Fizzbin is a vying type card game, thus, the specific values of hands should be described. The game does hint at some of the hand values and what they contain (half fizzbin, royal fizzbin), it does not necessarily stipulate what these hands must be. Thus, these might be clearly described. As an example, the following might be the comparable hands in the game:

A Half-Fizzbin might be any matched pair of cards (i.e. two Jacks).
Three Quarters Fizzbin might be any Half Fizzbin with the player also receiving a King and a two in the daytime or a Queen and a four in the nighttime.
A Full Fizzbin might be defined as a hand consisting of two different pairs and two other unmatched cards.

What is the probability of being dealt a Royal Fizzbin: In the original episode Captain Kirk asks Spock what the probability is of receiving a Royal Fizzbin, with Spock replying he had never calculated them (which, of course, was the truth). Using the definition on this page of a Royal Fizzbin being two different pairs of cards of Jack or higher the odds for the six card hand would be approximately 81.230769 to 1.

Based on the definition of a Full Fizzbin, a Royal Fizzbin would consist of two pairs, with both pairs required to consist of Royalty Cards (Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks). As specified by the Captain in the episode, the odds of receiving a Royal Fizzbin should be astronomically rare.
A shralk consists of any three cards of the same rank. This is the lowest rank and can never win a hand of Fizzbin. A player receiving this combination must drop from the hand. If all players but one drop in this way, the last remaining player is the winner.
Other hands which do not consist of any variety of Fizzbin can be ranked based on the ranking of the cards within the hand (using the traditional rank of a standard deck (shown from highest to lowest); Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

A Royal Fizzbin beats a Full Fizzbin which beats a Three Quarters Fizzbin which beats a Half-Fizzbin which beats any other hand. Amongst hands of the same type, the ranking of the cards which make up the pairs would determine which is the highest.
Some players also add additional special combinations to increase the number of comparable hands in the game.
Some players start with a base set of rules and then, during the course of the game introduce new rules. This might be in the form of a player receiving a certain combination (such as a full or royal fizzbin), or the winner of a certain number of hands having the opportunity to add a new and custom rule to the game.
Sometimes the game, like the rules in the original episode are not fully known to some or most of the players, and those players must attempt to determine the rules of the game during gameplay.

Although the game was more intended as a plot device than an actual game, sets of rules have been created and devised to make Fizzbin a playable game in which the rules can change based on the day of the week and the time of day.

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