The Circle Hand Game is a game among middle school and high school students.

The Game

The circle hand game is played by two or more players with the one player trying to get the second to look at his hand while he makes a circle with his thumb and index finger. When the second player looks directly into the circle, this is known as a get.

The Rules

The only rule that remains constant is the circle hand. A list of other rules the game can have are as follows.

The person who was "got" can reverse the "get" by poking (penetrating) his finger through the circle. This is known as a reverse or simply as "breaking".

If the circle gets penetrated the person with the circle hand can reverse the outcome once more by closing the circle around the penetrator's finger. This is known as a double reverse.

If a reverse, or double reverse, is completed successfuly the person who was "got" is subject to two hits.

All hits must be "wiped off". If the hitter fails to "wipe off" the hit, it is considered a reversal.

The punches in the arm are often abandoned as part of the game as players get older.

The circle must be below the waist to count as a "get".

The circle can not be put into direct line of site

The game is always 'on' with no official breaks or 'time-outs'

The Get

There are many secrets to a good get but it is often necessary to distract your opponent from realizing that the game is on. Good gets range from very sneaky (offering the person money and pretending to take out your wallet only to get them instead) to very blatant (standing and pointing with one hand at the obvious circle made with the other hand). With the advance in technology, it is now possible to email a picture of circled fingers to "get" a player via email. This is particularly effective if a player were to live in a different country than the other players. Because the game is always on, it is often adventageous to surprise opponents by trying to get them in serious situations, including, but not limited to, corporate board meetings, and Sunday School.

Media references

The game is played in the Malcolm in the Middle episode "Dinner Out".

See also

List of school pranks

"The Game" (a page devoted specifically to the Circle Hand Game and listing variations of the rules covering the last 20 years) http://thegame.sleightgeek.com/

The Sub Games Page (citing knowledge of the Circle Hand Game widespread through the navy dating back to the late 1950s) http://home.flash.net/~tomj/tunny/game/game.html

Urban Dictionary Entry for "The Circle Game" http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The Circle Game