A higher or lower card game you can play offline

Call each card right and climb the prizes: that's Higher or Lower, the gameshow-style card ladder in Games by Zaweba. Seven cards are dealt in a row, you guess whether each next card is higher or lower than the last, and you decide when to bank. It's free and works offline, with no adverts or account.

It's one of the simplest games in the whole app to pick up, and one of the hardest to put down, because the real decision isn't higher or lower at all. It's when to stop.

How a row plays

Seven cards are dealt in a row. The first is face up. Guess whether the next card will be higher or lower. Aces are high, and if the next card is a pair with the last one, it counts in your favour.

Every right guess raises the pot. You can bank it whenever you like, or risk it on the next card. A wrong guess loses the pot and one of your three lives. Once per row you can change the current card, which is a lifeline when you're stuck on something awkward like a seven.

You can click Higher, Lower, Bank or Change card, or use the keys: Up and Down for your guess, B to bank and C to change. Higher or Lower is on the Cards shelf of Games by Zaweba.

Thinking like a contestant

The extremes are easy. A two is almost certainly followed by something higher, and a king by something lower (with aces high, only an ace beats a king). Those are the guesses that build the pot.

The middle cards are where pots are lost. A seven or an eight gives you close to even odds either way. This is exactly the moment to think about the Change card option, since swapping a middle card for something nearer the ends can turn a coin toss into a safe call. You only get one change per row, so save it for a card like that rather than spending it early.

Know your number. Before you start a row, decide roughly how big a pot you're happy to bank. It's easy to get carried away after a few right guesses, and one wrong call wipes the lot and costs a life.

Mind the lives. Three lives sounds like plenty, but a run of greedy guesses can lose them quickly. When you're down to your last life, banking smaller pots more often keeps the game going.

Remember the pair rule. Because a pair counts in your favour, a repeat of the same value doesn't catch you out.

A quick game for any moment

Higher or Lower suits a few minutes between other things, and it's good for playing with someone looking over your shoulder and shouting advice. If you're interrupted, Esc pauses, and the game also pauses itself when the window loses focus.

Games by Zaweba keeps your best score for each game, along with plays and wins, in a file on your PC. The result card at the end shows how your score compares with your best, which gives you something to beat next time.

More cards on the same shelf

If you enjoy the judgement calls in Higher or Lower, Twenty-One asks a similar question in a different way: hit or stand against a dealer with a stack of 500 chips. Five Card Draw is a video poker machine played with credits. Three Hills uses higher and lower too, chaining plays one up or one down for streak bonuses. All of them are on the Cards shelf, alongside patience games and games against computer opponents.