Pogs started out as a popular game in Hawaiian schools and quickly swept across the world in the 1990s. The cardboard caps of the bottles of the well-known brand POG were stacked and struck with metal caps. If this game from the past intrigues you, read on to learn how to play pog or collect them.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Playing Pog
Step 1. Get some pogs and a slammer
Pogs are cardboard discs about the size of a half dollar coin. They usually have a figure on one side and nothing on the other. Slammers are slightly larger metal discs than pogs. They were sold in tin cans in the 1990s and you can still find them today in some toy stores, attics and flea markets.
- The original pogs were the cardboard bottle caps of POG, a popular juice in Hawaii. The inhabitants of the island played with caps for years before the product was marketed all over the world, when it became famous in the 1990s.
- If you want to make pogs yourself, draw a circle on a 4 cm diameter piece of paper. Glue it to a sheet of cardboard. Cut out the circle and draw the top of the pog with a black pen. Color it if you wish. To make the slammer, simply glue two pieces of cardboard together and flatten them.
Step 2. Compare pogs with your friends
The main goal is to collect the largest number of records. Each game requires several pogs, so it is usually played with friends who have many available. The object of the game is to finish with your friend's pogs in your stack, in order to grow your collection.
At the start of most games, players compare their pogs. If you see any you like, you can propose a trade or ask your opponent to put them up for grabs
Step 3. Decide whether to play for the stakes
Once you see a pog you like, you can challenge your friend to try and win it, but only if you both agree. If you'd rather not risk your precious diskettes, make sure you both know.
- Before the game, the players decide whether to put a stake. In this case, at the end of the match the winner keeps the pogs in his pile, even if they belong to his opponent.
- In the 1990s, when pogs were widespread, many US schools banned the game. The teachers considered it a form of gambling. While it's a much less common pastime today, be sure to ask your parents or teachers for permission before playing.
Step 4. Find a suitable surface to play
Any hard, flat surface will do. You can have fun on rugs, counters and on concrete. Just make sure you don't mess up your mom's table with a slammer.
If you are playing on concrete, it is sometimes a good idea to place the pogs on a book or binder so as not to ruin the slammer
Step 5. All players must put an equal number of pogs on the pile
In turn, arrange the disks you intend to use. You simply need to create a face down stack. Usually the ideal number of pogs to play is 10 - 15. Make sure your stacks reach at least that number.
- Start by putting all the pogs together, then mix them and stack them face down. This ensures that a player's discs cannot all be on the bottom.
- If you are playing for high stakes, remember that you could lose all the pogs you use. You have to decide which ones you are willing to risk and which ones you want to keep.
Step 6. Stack the pogs face down
Once mixed, arrange them in one large pile. Make sure they are all face down so you can't see the drawings. To win a pog you have to overthrow it using your slammer, so it's important that they are face down at first.
Step 7. Use the slammer to decide who goes first
Once the stack is built, throw the slammer as if it were a coin and choose one side or the other. After deciding who shoots first, the rounds will alternate counterclockwise.
Usually the first player will win more pogs. It is much more difficult to flip a stack of just a few diskettes
Step 8. Hold the slammer correctly
Depending on your opponent, you may have to follow slammer grip rules. In American pog tournaments, it had to be held between the index and middle fingers and rolled down past the back of the wrist. However, there are plenty of ways to hold the metal disc, so experiment and choose the one you prefer. Here are some of the more common techniques:
- Hold the slammer flat against the inside of your fingers, then stop it with your thumb. Snap it down against the stack.
- Wrap the slammer with your index finger and hold it steady with your thumb, as if to throw a stone into the water.
- Hold the slammer as if it were a dart, between index finger and thumb, to the side. Otherwise you can turn it so that the flat part is between your finger and thumb.
Step 9. Hit the stack with the turn-based slammer
Grab it with your chosen grip, then hurl it hard at the pile. Let it go in the moment of contact. If you did the movement correctly, you should flip a lot of pogs.
- Win all pogs that flip. If you play for the stakes, you will be able to keep them. If not, return them at the end of the game.
- Stack any pogs that haven't flipped up again, face down. Pass the slammer to the next player.
Step 10. Keep passing through and using the slammer until one player has scored half of the pogs
At that point the game ends. The rest of the disks return to their original owners and the winner has the right to keep the ones he flipped.
If you are not playing for stakes, always return all pogs to their rightful owners
Step 11. Try the variations
The basic pog game is pretty simple, but you can adopt some simple variations and specific rules to make it more fun. Create special versions yourself, or try some of the following classics:
- Play the best of 15. Some players impose the rule that the stack always consists of 15 pogs, with no restrictions on the number of discs per player. If you really want to get your friend's favorite pog, raffling 14 of your pogs against just one of his is a bold way to get him to take a chance.
- Leave the pogs where they fell. After the first launch, collect the discs upside down, but do not replace them. On the contrary, keep playing while leaving others where they are. The game becomes more difficult this way.
- Play from long distance. In some versions, it is allowed to stand right on top of the pile before hitting it. In others, you have to stay about a meter away, increasing the difficulty. This makes the game more fun.
- Keep playing. One of the funniest parts of the game is losing pogs only to win them back and lose them again. It's nice to always fight for the same discs. That way, if you lose one of your favorite pogs, you can easily get it back in the next game.
Part 2 of 2: Collecting the Pogs
Step 1. Get them by winning
The easiest way to expand your collection is to play regularly. Challenge your friends and try to win as many games as possible.
The best way to get a huge collection? Playing against many different people. If you challenge many players and each of them is giving away some pogs, you do not risk losing many, but you can earn a lot. It's a fun way to play
Step 2. Keep the most beautiful discs
Have you found a pog that you like very much? Don't give it away to friends if you don't want to lose them. The only way to make sure you keep a pog is not to use it in matches.
It's also true that risking your favorite pogs makes the game more interesting. The stakes will be very high
Step 3. Make trades
In some cases, people prefer to trade pogs instead of giving them away. Collecting was more fun for many than playing. Like trading cards or trading cards, swaps are a big part of the fun.
Step 4. Get a container for your pogs
In the 1990s, clear plastic containers for pogs were quite common. They were ideal for keeping the discs pristine and new, while protecting them from dents and wear. These are not easy to find today, but you can use suitable sized PVC pipes, a finished roll of toilet paper, or even a baby carrier.
Step 5. Buy them
Once upon a time, pogs could be found everywhere, in large metal containers sold for pennies. Although they were found in all toy stores, they are quite rare today. Try looking for them on Craigslist or in the attic of an old relative.
Advice
- If you don't have a slammer, you can replace it with a regular pog. However, you will have to pull harder on the stack to spin the same number of discs.
- When playing for stakes, remember that the person spinning a pog is entitled to keep it, so only use discs that you don't mind losing. Never risk the unique or hard to find ones.
