Irish Wolf

Irish Wolf is a fast‑paced, betting‑heavy card game for 3‑4 players who love a little gamble. The deck consists of 25 cards split into five colors, each color holding the numbers 1 through 5, and every card depicts a greyhound. Alongside the cards are 25 colored tokens (five of each hue) and a pool of chips worth 1 and 5 points. To start, the cards are shuffled and dealt; the remaining cards form reserve piles, one per color, giving the matching greyhound an early lead. Each round all players simultaneously play a card from their hand, moving the greyhounds forward by the number shown. Players then place their tokens as secret bets on the dog they think will win, allowing for plenty of bluffing. The game ends when one color’s tokens run out; chips are then awarded to anyone who bet on the winning dog of that same color. The player with the most chips wins. A typical play‑through lasts about 15 minutes, the rules are very easy (weight 1.25/5), and the experience blends luck, opponent reading, and a dash of hand‑management strategy. First published in the 1992 issue of Spielbox, Irish Wolf still feels like a greyhound track where every card can shift the lead. It’s a great pick for fans of short, betting‑centric games who don’t mind a little risk for a lot of fun.