Fizzbin

Fizzbin was a card game said to originate from Beta Antares IV. It was used by Captain Kirk to free himself and his first officer, Spock, from captivity at the hands of a group of Iotians who had mimicked early 20th century Earth-style gangsters.

While Kirk was explaining the extremely convoluted rules of the game to his captors, he used a supposedly very rare hand of fizzbin, the "kronk", as a distraction to knock the captors unconscious. McCoy and Spock then escaped back to the USS Enterprise. (TOS: "A Piece of the Action")

In 2373, Quark offered to teach the game to Odo. (DS9: "The Ascent")

Approximate rules

The rules for fizzbin were intended to be complex, so that Kirk could lull his audience into lowering their defenses long enough to be overwhelmed.

• The game can be played with a standard Earth deck of cards, despite the slightly differing deck on Beta Antares IV.
• Each player gets six cards, except for the player on the dealer's right, who gets seven.
• The second card is turned up, except on Tuesdays.
• Two jacks are a "half-fizzbin".
• If you have a half-fizzbin:

a third jack is a "shralk" and results in disqualification;

one wants a king and a deuce, except at night, when one wants a queen and a four;

if a king had been dealt, the player would get another card, except when it is dark, in which case he'd have to give it back.

• The top hand is a "royal fizzbin", but the odds of getting one are said to be "astronomical".