Straight Face Ace

Poker Face Rules

• What: Straight Face Ace game
• When: Ages 2 and up
• Why: Entertaining, no equipment needed
• Where: Your home or away

If I Spy wears off, but you still need to keep your kids entertained on the fly without any additional accessories, try a game of Straight Face Ace.

While this game may have been around under various names for years, I only ran into it after I had kids of my own big enough to enjoy it. We stumbled upon it in a pack of dinner time games given out from a restaurant. Unlike many of the other suggestions, this game has stuck.

You need at least two players, though more people work better. Players select one person to act as Ace, and the remaining people try and get him or her to laugh. It’s that simple, yet remarkably entertaining. You can only use words, so no tickling allowed, but funny faces of your own are always fair game.

The round ends when Ace laughs. The person who made Ace laugh gets to be the next Ace, and the game continues until everyone finishes eating or you want it to be over. We’ve been known to sit around the table well past mealtime to continue playing, and it works especially well with extended family or big groups. You, too, may be surprised at what gets your kids to finally crack up. I never thought fuzzy pickles could be so funny.

This game requires zero literacy skills and can be enjoyed by any age as long as they can talk. Need to take a bit further? Pair off and time how long it takes it each player to make their partner crack up.