by Cheryl Leschasin
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 05/97) - Cards! Whether you're five or a 105, they're a popular pastime in the North. And for the most part, the games we play with them haven't changed much over the years.

Adults and kids alike spend a lot of time playing cards. In Inuvik, O.K.O., a gambling game similar to poker, is the adult card game of choice. "It's played here at least six nights a week," said a resident of Inuvik, who wasn't keen to be publicly identified with an activity on the shaky side of legal.

Games there usually start by 10 p.m. and end sometime around breakfast.

Another game that hasn't lost its popularity is cribbage. Played by dealing out six cards and discarding two to the "crib," players generally score points by counting to 31.

Though it's not really a card game -- it's played with tiles -- mahjong is popular in Rankin Inlet. Though difficult to summarize, mahjong player Sara Veevee said the object of the game is to match the numbers 1,2,3 or 4,5,6 or 7,8,9.

Each player is designated as either north, east south or west. Everyone has 18 rolls to make their matches. "It takes a few days to pick up the basics," said Veevee.

If you belong to the under-12 crowd, three games seem to top the list of favorites: Go Fish, Spoons and Hearts (although many an adult has been caught indulging as well).

Go Fish is the simplest -- if you can read numbers and count, you can play.

The object is to collect sets of four numbers by asking opponents if they have a particular number. If they do, they hand it over. If they don't, you pick up a card. Play continues until the deck is gone.

Spoons is a high-action game, best played with eye protection. One less spoon than the number of players is set on a table. Matching sets of four are taken from the deck, one for every player.

Players pass one card to the player on their right. Keep passing until someone has a match of four in their hand and grabs a spoon. Everyone else grabs a spoon and whoever is left with no spoon sits out next round.

Hearts is a game most will remember from their youth. A hand is dealt to each player and remaining cards are placed on the table, with one turned up. Play by putting down same-colour cards, or the same number card to change colours. Eights are wild.