Exploding Kittens Run Out of Cards in Hand

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Did you end up running out of cards in hand while playing Exploding Kittens? In the card game Exploding Kittens, a player’s turn starts by playing the cards, as opposed to drawing cards. 

In a two-player game, the probability of the two players running out of playing cards in Exploding Kitten game is very high. The problems of lacking cards to play the game in such a case make the game drag out due to only one Exploding Kitten card near the bottom of the card deck. 

What happens if you run out of cards in your hand in Exploding Kittens? When played correctly, it is impossible for players to run out of cards in the Draw Pile because there should be enough Exploding Kittens to eliminate all but 1 player from the game. 

To prevent such a situation in a two-player game, more Exploding Kitten cards and attack cards are inserted to run the game faster, make the game more interesting, and avoid problems where players keep drawing cards because they do not have enough cards to play. 

When a player runs out of playing cards in their hand, they only pass the game to lose that particular turn, but they don’t have to worry because they still take a turn on the next round, where they can still pass if still, they don’t have a playable card.

If you are faced with running out of cards in hand while playing Exploding Kittens, we’ve included tips for what to do. Answered below are frequently asked questions about when a player runs out of cards in hand and we are going to learn how to properly start the game to avoid such difficulties.

How many cards do you pass out in Exploding Kittens?

At the start of Exploding Kitten game, every player is dealt 7 cards in a face-down position. Players do not reveal their hand to the opponents after the deck has been shuffled and cards are dealt. 

Each player is then issued with 1 Defuse card, the most powerful card in the deck. The player will only use the card once after the player draws the Exploding Kitten card, which increases the player’s life in the game. 

Once the Defuse card has been used, the player who uses it returns the Exploding Kitten card back to the Draw Pile at the position of their choice.

After issuing the cards, each player will have a total of 8 cards in hand before the game starts. The Exploding Kitten cards are then inserted in the remaining Deck, such that the total number of Exploding Kitten card is one card less than the number of players in the game.

At the start of the game all the Exploding Kitten cards, which is total of nine, are removed from the Deck, and set aside to be inserted once cards have been dealt. Shuffle in one less Exploding Kitten card than the total number of players in the game.

Can you have no cards in Exploding Kittens?

No, you cannot have no cards in Exploding Kittens. Matter of fact, there should never be a time when the Draw Pile has no cards because that means there was not enough Exploding Kittens in the deck. 

After cards have been shuffled at the start of the game, and 8 cards have been issued to each of the players including 7 regular cards and 1 Defuse card, then Exploding Kitten cards are inserted in such a way that there are sufficient enough to eliminate everyone except for one player. 

The strategic plan in this game for any player is to save their cards in the game’s early stages. Thus, the chances of drawing Exploding Kitten cards lowers as you are equipped to handle that later stages. 

Depending on the cards each player draws, players are allowed to check the Draw Pile in the game to determine the options of what move to make next.

It’s impossible to run out of cards from the Draw Pile in the Exploding Kitten game. Therefore, reshuffling of cards should not be necessary. 

All the cards played in this game end up in the discard pile fairly distributed, and no card is left in the Draw Pile that can be reused.

How do you end up with no cards in Exploding Kittens?

In Exploding Kittens, the Draw Pile can never run out of cards without the game-ending. Therefore, the player can continue pulling cards from the draw pile unless they receive an Exploding Kitten card, thereby ending their game. 

It’s a strategic plan to save as many cards as possible by either drawing more cards or playing Skip cards to pass a turn to the next player. By doing so, they reduce the chances of drawing Exploding Kitten cards.

In the Russian roulette style game, a player can’t lack cards to draw from the deck since there are just enough Exploding Kitten cards inserted in the Draw Pile to remove all except for one last player from the game. 

When in a situation where a player has no cards in their hand, achieved by discarding all the cards they have if they are willing to, they will have to draw at least one card from the Draw Pile. Therefore, it will never come a time a player will lack at least one card in their hand.

What happens when you run out of cards in Exploding Kittens?

When a player runs out of cards in their hand in Exploding Kittens, they have to draw at least one card from the Draw Pile to end the turn. 

If a player realizes that the cards are running out of their hands, the player can decide to play an Attack or Skip card to play zero cards, and pass gameplay to the next player. 

This is the only way a player can avoid drawing a card in the Exploding Kitten game. Unless there are no cards in the Draw Pile, a player cannot run out of cards because they will have to end their turn.

Running Out of Cards in Exploding Kittens: Conclusion

In the card game Exploding Kittens, it is impossible to have zero cards in a player’s hand, and re-shuffling the Discard Pile is not necessary. Properly setting up the deck will prevent the possibility of running out of cards in the game. 

Each player gets total of 8 cards including 1 Defuse cards to get started with. Shuffle the Draw Pile and add enough Exploding Kitten cards so that it equals one less than the total number of players. 

The player can play one card per turn or decide to discard as many cards as they want to. 

In a situation, a player doesn’t have a card to play in their hand, they can pass the game to the next player in the sequence. A player can pass the game if they don’t want the cards in their turn or have an incomplete set. 

If a player passes the game, they don’t draw any cards until the end of that round, and they can’t discard any cards they would like to draw. This strategy is used when a player wants to avoid drawing a kitten card, which can eliminate them.

If a player has zero cards in their hand, they must pull one new card from the Draw Pile, which could potentially be an Exploding Kitten.

There you have it, simple instructions for never running out of cards in Exploding Kittens. As a result, a player should always have at least one card in their hand, and the Draw Pile should never be empty because the Exploding Kittens are meant to eliminate players until the winner is declared.

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