pymetrics · Core game

pymetrics Cards Game: Practise Choosing Between Four Decks

Practise the pymetrics Cards game, an Iowa Gambling Task: draw 80 cards from four decks with $2,000 to start, then see how the decks worked and how you adapted.

Practice: 80 draws from a $2,000 start, untimedAlso called “pymetrics card game”Also called “pymetrics Iowa Gambling Task”

How the practice module works

01You start with $2,000 and four face-down decks, A to D.
02Draw one card at a time from any deck. Each card shows what you won and, sometimes, what you lost.
03Your balance and the gains and losses bars update after every card.
04Keep drawing until all 80 draws are done. The decks are not all the same, and nothing tells you which is which.
05Your review reveals how each deck was set up. There is no right way to play.

Controls

Tap or click a deck to draw
Keys 1–4 or A–D pick the decks from left to right

Included in 1 Game Platform Prep (when you choose Harver), All Games Platforms Prep and Full Access. See plans

Origin: pymetrics says its 12 core games come from peer-reviewed psychology studies (official)
Task: Draw one card at a time from four face-down decks; every card wins money and some also lose money (prep sites)
Start balance: $2,000 (prep sites)
Draws: 80 on most prep sites and 30–40 in one walkthrough; the classic research task uses 100 (prep sites)
Screen: A balance, gains and losses bars, and each card’s result (prep sites)
Practice version: 80 draws using the classic Bechara et al. (1994) deck schedule, as pymetrics does not publish its payoffs; deck positions change each session (Candidate Falcon practice)

What the pymetrics Cards game looks at

The pymetrics Cards game is a version of the Iowa Gambling Task, a classic research task published by Bechara and colleagues in 1994. You see four face-down decks and draw one card at a time. Every card wins money, and some cards also take money away. Prep sites describe a $2,000 starting balance, around 80 draws, a running balance and bars for your total gains and losses. pymetrics’ patents do not name this task, but prep sites describe it consistently.

In the classic task, two decks pay more per card but lose money over time, and two pay less per card but come out ahead. The task is usually read as learning from feedback and deciding under risk: whether, and how quickly, your picks shift as the losses show up. pymetrics says its games have no right or wrong answers, and it compares how you play with people who do well in the role.

Candidate Falcon’s practice uses the classic research schedule, because pymetrics does not publish its own payoffs and they may differ. Two decks pay $100 a card and lose $250 over every ten cards; two pay $50 a card and gain $250 over every ten. Which deck sits where changes every session, and your review reveals the set-up after the run.

How the Cards practice works

Press Start practice. You begin with $2,000 and four face-down decks, A to D.
Pick a deck by tapping it, or press 1–4 or A–D. The card shows what you won and what you lost.
Watch your balance and the gains and losses bars change after each card.
Draw from any deck you like until all 80 draws are done.
Review your final balance, how your picks moved in blocks of 20 draws, and how each deck was set up.

Cards tips

Every card wins something, so look at the losses as well as the wins.
Judge a deck over several cards. One large loss or one large win says little on its own.
Keep an eye on the balance: it is the sum of everything you have won and lost.
Our practice is untimed. Take the time you need to read each card before the next pick.
Deck positions change every session here, so a layout you remember from last time will not help.

Common Cards mistakes

Choosing only by the size of each card’s win.
Reacting to a single big loss as if it described the whole deck.
Assuming the real game uses the same amounts as the practice. pymetrics does not publish its payoffs.
Clicking through quickly without noticing each card’s result.

A short Cards practice routine

Play one run before you read anything about the decks.
Read the reveal: which decks gained money over time, and how your share of picks changed from block to block.
Play again on another day. The decks move, so you learn from the feedback again rather than from memory.
Pair it with Balloons, the other pymetrics game about risk.

Cards FAQ

How many cards do you draw in the pymetrics Cards game?

Most prep sites report 80 draws, one walkthrough reports 30 to 40, and the classic research task uses 100. The practice uses 80 draws from a $2,000 start.

Which deck is best in the pymetrics Cards game?

pymetrics does not publish its deck payoffs, so nobody outside pymetrics knows the real schedule. In the classic Iowa Gambling Task, the two decks with smaller wins come out ahead over time. The practice uses that classic set-up and moves the decks around every session, so the point is learning from the feedback.

Is there a right way to play the Cards game?

pymetrics says its games have no right or wrong answers and compares how you play with people who do well in the role. The practice shows how your picks moved during the run without calling any pick right or wrong.

What do the gains and losses bars show?

They are running totals of the money you have won and lost. Your balance is the $2,000 start plus your gains minus your losses.

Is the Cards game the same as the Iowa Gambling Task?

Prep sites describe it as an Iowa Gambling Task with four decks of cards. pymetrics’ patents do not name the task, and its exact payoffs and number of draws are not public.

Practise other pymetrics games

Sources

Independent practice by Candidate Falcon, based on pymetrics’ public patents and research and on prep-site descriptions. Not affiliated with pymetrics or Harver, and not their scoring. The game, its art and its wording are original, and practice results are not pymetrics scores. For all 12 games, timing, results and retakes, read the free pymetrics test guide.