---
title: "Get 20"
description: "Small teams receive playing cards and collaborate to arrange their values into an arithmetic sequence equaling exactly 20. Teams generate multiple valid equations using the same hand and share a favorite solution."
last_updated: "2026-09-07"
canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tgl-december-2007/"
---

# Get 20

Small teams receive playing cards and collaborate to arrange their values into an arithmetic sequence equaling exactly 20. Teams generate multiple valid equations using the same hand and share a favorite solution.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Based on the original 10-minute game time and reporting phase, structured into a 15-minute run sheet.
**People:** 4 to 24. Subgroups of 4 or 5; groups of 3 or 6 are formed only when headcounts require it so no group falls below 3 (for example, 7 splits into 4 and 3; 11 splits into 4, 4, and 3; 17 splits into 5, 4, 4, and 4)

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Practice collaborative problem-solving and divergent thinking within simple arithmetic constraints.
**Use it when:** Use in team problem-solving workshops, rapid icebreakers, or training sessions to practice cooperative ideation under simple constraints.
**Skip it when:** Skip if participants experience acute math anxiety that creates personal discomfort, or when the session requires deep domain-specific reflection rather than a fast arithmetic puzzle.

## Materials and tools

- 1 standard deck of 52 playing cards (without jokers)
- Scratch paper (1 sheet per subgroup)
- Pens or pencils (1 per subgroup)
- Printed Get 20 Quick Reference guide (1 per subgroup)
- Optional digital whiteboard or pre-linked collaborative document for remote or hybrid cohorts

## Before participants arrive

1. Remove jokers from the card deck.
2. Keep the remaining cards from the deck in hand as a reserve pool for value swaps.
3. Set out scratch paper, pens, and quick reference sheets at each small-group table.
4. For remote or hybrid sessions, create and test access to a shared digital document with sections for each subgroup.

## Say this to open

Each person will receive one playing card. Face cards count as 10, Aces count as 1 or 11, and number cards count as their face value. Your group will pool its cards and arrange them into an arithmetic sequence using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division so the running total equals exactly 20.

## How to run it

### 1. Form teams and distribute cards (2 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. Form teams of 4 or 5 (or 3 to 6 to fit headcount). Hand one card to each participant. Prompt teams to verify they hold no duplicates in point value (for example, a 10 and a King both equal 10). Walk to each table, take any duplicate card, and deal a fresh replacement card from the reserve deck. Hand each team scratch paper, a pen, and the quick reference sheet.

### 2. Solve for the target of 20 (4 minutes)

Direct groups to combine every member's card into one equation totaling 20 using addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. Operations evaluate sequentially as cards are lined up. Negative intermediate values are allowed. If a team is stuck after three minutes, take one card from their hand and replace it with a fresh card from the reserve deck.

### 3. Generate alternative equations (4 minutes)

When a team finds one valid equation, challenge them to find as many different valid equations as possible using their exact same cards in different sequences. Teams record every valid sequence on their scratch paper.

### 4. Share favorite solutions (3 minutes)

Call time. Ask each team to stand in the physical sequence of their cards and recite their favorite equation to the room. Limit each group to one 30-second presentation.

### 5. Debrief the exercise (2 minutes)

Lead a short reflection with the debrief questions. Collect two or three volunteer observations on how groups tested ideas and ensured every member's card was utilized.


## Debrief questions

- How did your group organize its thinking to find the first equation?
- What strategies helped your team discover multiple solutions using the same fixed cards?
- How did you ensure every person's card and input was actively considered?

**Finished output:** A written list of valid arithmetic sequences totaling 20 produced collaboratively by each subgroup.

## Remote

Distribute card values by pasting assigned cards into private chats or team breakout channels (for example, King of Hearts = 10, 7 of Clubs = 7). Send groups of 4 or 5 into breakout rooms with a pre-linked Google Doc or shared whiteboard to test sequences. Reconvene in the main room and have each team post their favorite sequence in the main chat.

## Hybrid

Assemble remote participants into pure remote breakout rooms and present room participants into table teams. In-person facilitators deal physical cards; remote facilitators assign card values directly into breakout chats. Remote groups type their formulas into a pre-linked Google Doc, while in-person teams either have one designated scribe enter their favorite formula via laptop or phone, or read it aloud during presentations.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide the printed or linked reference sheet displaying card values and sample operations at each table to support visual processing.
- Allow participants to contribute by writing equations or verifying arithmetic on scratch paper without having to speak during whole-room presentations.

## If the session gets stuck

**A group gets stuck and believes their card values cannot make 20.**

Remind them they can use negative numbers in intermediate steps, or permit them to swap a single card with the facilitator's reserve deck.

**One dominant participant performs all calculations while others watch.**

In person, instruct teams that each person must physically hold their card in the line. In remote groups, require each participant to verbally propose the operation attached to their specific assigned card.


## Terms used here

- Sequential evaluation: Evaluating operations step by step in order as each card is added, rather than applying standard algebraic operator precedence.

## Participant material: Get 20 Quick Reference

Card Values:
- Number cards (2 to 10): Face value
- Face cards (Jack, Queen, King): 10
- Ace: 1 or 11 (group choice)

Rules:
1. Every member in the group must use their card exactly once in the equation.
2. You may use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
3. Evaluate step by step from left to right as cards are placed.
4. Intermediate totals can drop below zero.
5. The final total must equal exactly 20.
6. No duplicate card values are allowed in a group (for example, a 10 and a Queen both equal 10); hand any duplicate card to the facilitator immediately for a replacement card from the reserve deck.
7. If your group is completely stuck after trying multiple combinations, ask the facilitator for a one-card swap from the reserve deck.

Example for a 5-person group:
Cards held: King (10), Ace (1), 8, 6, 5
Calculation: King (10) + Ace (1) = 11; 11 + 8 = 19; 19 + 6 = 25; 25 - 5 = 20.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Thiagi GameLetter (December 2007), which attributes the game to Michelle Cummings from her book Playing With a Full Deck.

Retained Michelle Cummings' core game mechanic, card values, running calculation sequence, and debrief prompts from the Thiagi GameLetter excerpt. UWT resolved grouping arithmetic to prevent groups under 3, added explicit reserve deck swap instructions in setup and steps, specified digital tools for remote and hybrid delivery, and provided a remote-specific troubleshooting response for dominant participants.

[thiagi.net](http://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/december2007.html)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tgl-december-2007/