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The Charm of Hustle: Why “Snake Oil Print and Play” Remains a Party Game Goldmine

In the golden age of board gaming, we are spoiled by lavish components: miniature figurines, dual-layered player boards, and metal coins. Yet, sometimes the most memorable gaming experiences come from a simple deck of cards, a timer, and sheer, unadulterated improvisation. Enter Snake Oil, a game that perfectly captures the art of the sales pitch. And for those who love customization, instant access, or budget-friendly options, the Print and Play (PnP) version of Snake Oil is a treasure trove waiting to be printed.

But what exactly is Snake Oil, why does it lend itself so perfectly to the PnP format, and how can you make the best version at home?

Game Rules

Objective: Be the player with the most Customer cards at the end of the game. You win Customer cards by having the best sales pitch!

Setup:

Shuffle the Customer Deck and place it face-down in the center of the table.
Shuffle the Word Deck and deal 6 cards to each player.
Place the remaining Word Deck face-down within reach of all players.

How to Play:

The game is played in a series of rounds. Each round, one player takes on the role of The Customer.

Phase 1: The Customer Arrives The Customer draws the top card from the Customer Deck and reads it aloud. They must briefly get into character (e.g., if they draw The Caveman, they might grunt and scratch their head). The Customer card is placed face-up on the table.

Phase 2: Product Development All other players are the Salespeople. They look at the 6 Word Cards in their hand. They must choose two cards to combine into a single product name. snake oil print and play

Example: If a player has "Fire" and "Blanket," they might create the "Fire Blanket."
Example: If they have "Tooth" and "Paste," they have "Tooth Paste."

Players place their two chosen Word cards face-down in front of them. Once everyone has selected their product, play proceeds to the pitch.

Phase 3: The Pitch Starting with the player to the left of the Customer, each Salesperson picks up their two cards, shows them to the group, and launches into their pitch!

The Salesperson must name their product (reading the two words).
They must explain why the Customer absolutely needs this item.
The pitch should be tailored to the Customer’s specific needs or fears.
Creativity and exaggeration are encouraged!

Example: The Customer is The Vampire.

Player A pitches the "Sun Screen" (Sun + Screen): "Tired of burning up at dawn? Apply this magical screen, and you can tan on the beach all day without turning to ash!"

Phase 4: The Sale After every Salesperson has pitched, the Customer chooses the winner.

The Customer can choose based on the funniest name, the most logical pitch, or the best acting.
The Customer awards their card to the winning Salesperson as a point.

Phase 5: Cleanup

All used Word cards are discarded to a discard pile.
Players draw back up to 6 Word Cards.
The role of Customer passes to the player on the left.

Winning the Game: The game ends when the Customer Deck runs out, or when the group agrees to stop. The player with the most Customer cards wins!

What Is Snake Oil, Anyway?

Released in 2010 by Out of the Box Publishing, Snake Oil is a card game for 3–10 players. One player is the "customer" (e.g., a Viking, a Cheerleader, a Zombie). Everyone else pitches two-word products from word cards in their hand (e.g., Rocket + Lasso = Rocket Lasso). The customer picks the best (funniest/most fitting) product. It’s Cards Against Humanity with improvisation instead of shock value. The Charm of Hustle: Why “Snake Oil Print

The commercial version retails for ~$20–30. It comes with 350+ word cards, two card trays, and a rulebook.

Phase 3: Printing Methods (Choose Your Level)

There are three tiers of Print and Play quality. Choose the one that fits your budget and patience.

Step-by-Step: How to Assemble Your Snake Oil PNP

You’ve downloaded the PDF. Now what? Follow this guide to go from digital file to party king.

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

Printer: Laser or Inkjet (B&W works fine, but color adds flavor).
Paper: Standard 20lb copy paper is fine. For sturdiness, use 65lb cardstock or resume paper.
Cutter: A paper guillotine is best. Scissors are fine but slow. A sliding craft cutter with a ruler is the sweet spot.
Sleeves (Optional but recommended): If you use cheap paper, buy a pack of 100 card sleeves (like Ultra Pro or cheap ones from Amazon). Slip the paper card + a standard playing card (for stiffness) into the sleeve.

Step 2: Print Double Sided (The Tricky Part) Most Snake Oil print and play files have "backs" (the snake oil bottle logo) and "fronts" (the words).

Pro Tip: If your printer doesn't do duplex automatically, print the "Fronts" first. Flip the paper manually using the "short edge" binding. Print a test sheet first to ensure the orientation is correct.

Step 3: Cutting Do not cut every card individually first. Instead:

Cut the sheets into strips.
Stack 3-4 strips on top of each other.
Cut vertically through the stack.
Rinse and repeat.

Step 4: Sorting You will have three types of decks: Shuffle the Customer Deck and place it face-down

Customer Deck: Nun, Pirate, Toddler, Alien, Cowboy, etc.
Word Deck A (Adjectives/Nouns): Sticky, Flying, Explosive, Baby, etc.
Word Deck B (Nouns/Verbs): Hammer, Lasso, Toilet, Rocket, etc.

Phase 4: Assembly Tips

If you are building this at home (Level 1 or 2), follow these tips for the best experience:

Color Coding is Vital: The game mechanics rely on mixing two halves of a sentence.
- If your PnP file is black and white, use a highlighter or colored marker to distinguish Noun cards (e.g., draw a blue line) from Adjective cards (e.g., draw a red line). This makes forming words like "Toilet [Noun] + Stinky [Adj]" much easier.
Rounded Corners: After cutting your cards, use a Corner Rounder Punch (available at craft stores for ~$5). It makes homemade cards feel significantly better in the hand and prevents dog-earing.
Paper Weight: Do not use standard copy paper. It is too flimsy for a card game. Go to an office supply store and ask for "Heavy Cardstock" or "Index Card" weight paper.

Phase 1: Understanding the Game Components

Before you print, you need to know what you are looking for. The game consists of two main decks:

The Customer Deck (Green/Blue backs): These cards define who the customer is (e.g., "A Zombie," "A Kindergarten Teacher," "A Supermodel").
The Word Deck (Yellow/Orange backs): These cards have one word printed on them. Half are Nouns (objects) and half are Adjectives (descriptors).
- Note: In the physical game, these are differentiated by color or symbols. In PnP versions, you usually just mix them together.

Total Card Count:

~100–200 Word Cards (depending on which edition you print).
~50 Customer Cards.

Why Big Publishers Tolerate Small Snakes

Unlike Magic: The Gathering or Monopoly, Snake Oil isn't a cash cow. Its PNP ecosystem doesn’t cannibalize sales—some argue it drives them.

Board game cafe owner Lina Chen notes: "People play a PNP version once, love it, then buy the real version for the card quality and art. Or they buy the official expansion packs to mix in. PNP is their demo."

In fact, the official Snake Oil now includes a blank card sheet for DIY words. The publisher saw the writing on the wall.