Although this has the same title, publisher, and designers as the earlier Hit the Deck. The box advertises "New & Improved Game Play", which is true, because it is a completely different game. In this "second edition", there are three suits (colors) or cards numbered 1 through 5, plus a special fourth suit containing the words HIT, THE, DECK. The backs of the cards are also marked with icons that affect play. Normally, each player plays one card out of hand, matching either the number or color of the previous card. However, if a player can not or does not want to play a card from hand, they may instead follow the icon on the back of the top card of the draw pile. This instructs them to draw cards or flip the card onto the discard pile. Other special cards are Reverses, Wilds, and Searches (which cause an opponent to draw cards). A player may also play a HIT card at any time, the next player must play THE, if possible, then DECK. When DECK is played, the player claims the discard pile for points. A round ends, and points are scored when a player empties their hand.