Way back in Episode 5 of the Game Schooler Podcast, Doug and Michael wondered how the game Spot-It mathematically works.
For those of you who don’t know the game Spot-It, here is a brief description from BoardGameGeek
Each card in original Spot it! features eight different symbols, with the symbols varying in size from one card to the next. Any two cards have exactly one symbol in common. For the basic Spot it! game, reveal one card, then another. Whoever spots the symbol in common on both cards claims the first card, then another card is revealed for players to search, and so on. Whoever has collected the most cards when the 55-card deck runs out wins!
So seriously, how does that work? How can each card have a single match with any other card? If you were wondering, that is the sound of my brain turning to goo.
Luckily for us, one of our eagle-eared listeners, Nicole, knew where to find the answer…
Spot It is known as Dobble in the UK (for reasons unknown!), and I remembered watching a YouTube video by stand-up mathematician and all-around good guy Matt Parker on this very topic, so I thought you might like to see it if you haven’t already.
Without further ado, behold! Thanks Nicole!
