# Higher or Lower

> Call higher or lower, count the deck, and bank before the pot slips.

One deck, fifty-one calls. Say whether the next card is higher or lower, let the pot grow, and bank it before a miss takes it. Every price assumes a fresh deck, and the deck is never fresh, so the players who count do better. A café regular plays the same deck across the table, and the daily deck is the same for everyone.

- Play: https://sidekickarcade.com/play/higher-lower/ (in the browser, phone or computer, free, no sign-up needed)
- Neighborhood: [Card Café](https://sidekickarcade.com/category/card/index.md)
- Controls: Tap, swipe, mouse or keys
- Best on: portrait screens
- Coins for goals: 1 per 30 points, up to 15 a run

## How to play

1. A card is face up. Call whether the next one is higher or lower (tap, swipe the card, or use the arrow keys). Aces are low, and the same rank is a push.
2. A right call adds its price to the pot, and a miss empties it. Prices assume a fresh deck, so a long shot pays more. Bank (or press Space) to keep the pot; the next card then turns without a call.
3. Count what's gone: a deck is one pass through 52 cards. The café's notes help at first; at the higher tables the notes go and banks pay more.
4. A café regular plays the same deck across the table: outscore them to open the next seat. The daily deck is the same for everyone, with Flo's score as par.

## Tips

- Every price assumes a fresh deck. When most of the high cards are gone, Lower on a 9 is better than it looks.
- With an empty pot a miss costs nothing, so take the long shot when the deck favors it.
- On a middle card such as a 7, bank even a small pot. On a King or an Ace, let it ride.
- The last few cards of a deck can be known exactly. Count them and the final calls are sure things.

## Questions

### Is it free?

Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download and no sign-up needed. Coins you earn are for fun and can never be bought.

### Is there any betting?

No. You play for points: nothing is staked, there are no chips, and your coins are never at risk.

### How are the calls priced?

A call pays 120 divided by the number of ranks that win from a fresh deck, so Higher on a 7 pays 20 and Higher on a Queen pays 120. The deck in play is never fresh, which is where counting pays.

### What happens when the next card is the same rank?

It's a push: the pot stays as it is and the new card is up.

### What is the daily deck?

One deck a day, the same 52 cards in the same order for everyone, new at midnight UTC. Your first deck counts; after that it's practice.

### Can I play on a phone?

Yes. It's built for touch first and plays the same on a phone, a tablet or a computer.

## Achievements

- **First deck** (bronze, 10 coins): Play a deck to the last card.
- **Three hundred** (bronze, 10 coins): Score 300 points in one deck.
- **Pull up a chair** (bronze, 10 coins): Outscore a café regular.
- **On a roll** (bronze, 10 coins): Make 15 right calls in a row.
- **Secret achievement** (bronze, 10 coins): Keep playing to find it.
- **Heavy pot** (silver, 25 coins): Bank a pot of 120 points at once.
- **Fan table** (silver, 25 coins): Outscore Mei.
- **Week of decks** (silver, 25 coins): Play the daily deck on 7 days.
- **No notes** (gold, 60 coins): Outscore Agnes.
- **Top table** (gold, 60 coins): Outscore Flo.
- **Eight hundred** (gold, 60 coins): Score 800 points in one deck.
- **Month of decks** (gold, 60 coins): Play the daily deck on 30 days.
- **Deck reader** (diamond, 150 coins): Outscore Flo 50 times. Earns the title "Deck Reader".
- **Higher calling** (diamond, 150 coins): Score 250,000 points in all. Earns the title "Higher Calling".

## More to play

- [Golf Solitaire](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/golf-solitaire/index.md): Clear the table one card higher or lower at a time. (Card Café)
- [Poker Squares](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/poker-squares/index.md): Place 25 cards in a grid to make the best hands. A puzzle, no betting. (Card Café)
- [Prize Pile](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/prize-pile/index.md): Bid a card for each prize. Higher takes the pile. (Card Café)
- [Solitaire](https://sidekickarcade.com/play/solitaire/index.md): The classic one-player card game. (Card Café)