Heads Up, Seven Up: Rules, Variations and Odds
Heads Up, Seven Up (also called Heads Down, Thumbs Up, or Seven Up) is a quiet guessing game that teachers have used for generations on rainy days and in the last minutes before the bell. It needs no equipment, works with a whole class, and mixes a little detective work with a lot of luck. Here are the rules, the common variations, and the odds behind a round.
What You Need
- A group of about 15 or more players. A class of 20 to 30 is ideal.
- Desks or tables to put heads down on.
- Someone to call out the rounds, usually the teacher.
How to Play
- Choose the pickers. Seven players come to the front. Everyone else stays at their desk. With a random name picker the first pickers are chosen fairly.
- Heads down, thumbs up. The leader says "Heads down, thumbs up!" Seated players put their heads down, close their eyes and hold one thumb up.
- Tap. Each picker quietly walks around and presses down the thumb of one seated player, then goes back to the front. A tapped player puts their thumb down so nobody taps them twice.
- Heads up, seven up. When all pickers are back, the leader calls "Heads up, seven up!" The tapped players stand up.
- Guess. One at a time, each standing player names the picker they think tapped them. If they are right, they swap places with that picker. If not, they sit down and the picker stays.
- Next round. The pickers reveal who tapped whom, and the new group of seven starts the next round.
Common Variations
- Fewer pickers: in a small group use four or five pickers ("Heads Up, Four Up").
- Silent guessing: tapped players point instead of saying a name, so the room stays quiet.
- Learning version: a tapped player must answer a quick question, such as a times table or a spelling, before they may guess.
- No repeat pickers: a player who has been a picker once cannot be a picker again until everyone has had a turn.
- Points: instead of swapping, each right guess scores a point and the pickers change every round.
What Are the Chances of Being Tapped?
In each round, every picker taps one of the seated players. So your chance of being tapped is the number of pickers divided by the number of heads down:
| Class size and pickers | Chance a seated player is tapped in one round |
|---|---|
| 30 players, 7 pickers (23 heads down) | 7 in 23, about 30% |
| 25 players, 7 pickers (18 heads down) | 7 in 18, about 39% |
| 30 players, 4 pickers (26 heads down) | 4 in 26, about 15% |
| 20 players, 4 pickers (16 heads down) | 4 in 16, 25% |
With 30 players and 7 pickers, a seated player has about an 84% chance of being tapped at least once in five rounds, and about 97% in ten rounds. With only 4 pickers in a class of 30, it falls to about 57% in five rounds, which is why a big class plays better with seven.
How Often Is a Guess Right?
A tapped player who has no clue at all picks one of the seven pickers, so a pure guess is right 1 time in 7. If all seven tapped players guessed at random, the numbers would look like this:
| If every tapped player guesses at random | Result (7 pickers) |
|---|---|
| Chance one guess is right | 1 in 7, about 14% |
| Average number of right guesses per round | 1 |
| Chance nobody guesses right | about 34% |
| Chance at least one guesses right | about 66% |
In real classrooms players usually do better than this, because there are clues: the squeak of a particular pair of shoes, a giggle, a cold hand or a bracelet. Players who listen carefully, and pickers who walk quietly and do not grin, are what turn it from pure luck into a small game of skill.
Tips for Teachers
- Make a no-peeking rule clear before the first round, and keep the rounds short.
- Ask pickers to tap one thumb gently and to take a slightly different route each time.
- Use the no repeat pickers rule, or a random name picker with names removed after they are chosen, so the same popular children are not picked every time. More ideas in how to pick a random student.
- Keep the guess fair for shy children: let them point instead of speaking.
Where the Game Comes From
Heads Up, Seven Up has been a classroom favourite in the United States for decades and is played in schools in many other countries. Who invented it is not known. For more games that need almost nothing, see our classroom games with a random picker or the classic guessing game Twenty Questions.
FAQ
How do you play Heads Up, Seven Up?
Seven players are pickers. Everyone else puts their heads down with one thumb up. Each picker presses down one thumb, then the leader calls Heads up, seven up. The tapped players stand and guess who tapped them; a right guess swaps places with that picker.
How many people do you need for Heads Up, Seven Up?
About 15 or more works best, and a class of 20 to 30 is ideal. With fewer players, use four or five pickers.
What is the chance of being tapped?
It is the number of pickers divided by the number of seated players. With 30 players and 7 pickers, about 30% in each round.
What are the odds of guessing right?
A pure guess is right 1 time in 7. Listening for clues such as footsteps or giggles usually does better.
What is another name for Heads Up, Seven Up?
It is also called Heads Down, Thumbs Up, Seven Up, or Thumbs Up, Seven Up.