# Flip it or rip it **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 17, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404 "2016-01-17T14:55:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/1 "2016-01-17T14:55:30Z")
Why has this become so popular? It seems like gambling, without the potential to win. My local game store has a wall of shame for expensive cards that have been ripped. I really don’t see the point in destroying half a set of cards. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/2 "2016-01-17T18:27:56Z")
Somewhere out there, people are getting off to the ripping of cards. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/3 "2016-01-17T18:33:25Z")
I had to look this up and still don’t get what it is. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/4 "2016-01-17T21:12:57Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > I had to look this up and still don’t get what it is. [This, apparently.](https://badmagicplayer.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/flip-it-or-rip-it/) I agree with the OP: _why?_ ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/5 "2016-01-17T23:15:11Z")
I’d imagine the motivation is that once they finally do rip a really valuable card and post it on YouTube, it’ll get a lot of views. ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/6 "2016-01-18T06:19:24Z")
I have no idea, but I ask players not to do it at events where I’m on staff. It’s obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/7 "2016-01-18T14:42:42Z")
It’s a way for spoiled kids with lots of money to spare (even more than the usual magic player) to show off their wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/8 "2016-01-18T15:43:17Z")
It’s not an entirely new idea. Some years ago, there used to be a variant of the game called “ironman magic”, where you’d actually play the game as normal, except that any card that got destroyed had to actually be destroyed. Some people played it with preconstructed decks that were composed entirely of cards worth a few cents each, but others insisted on doing it with expensive decks. This is just that taken to its logical conclusion. Which is not to say that I understand the mentality behind either. ---
**Author:** ![Dajn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@Dajn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dajn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flip-it-or-rip-it/743404/9 "2016-01-20T04:47:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s not an entirely new idea. Some years ago, there used to be a variant of the game called “ironman magic”, where you’d actually play the game as normal, except that any card that got destroyed had to actually be destroyed. Some people played it with preconstructed decks that were composed entirely of cards worth a few cents each, but others insisted on doing it with expensive decks. This is just that taken to its logical conclusion. > > Which is not to say that I understand the mentality behind either. Life is all about timing. I starting stealing baseball cards in late 80’s as a young kid and quit in around 1994. I have full sets. Thousands and thousands of baseball and football cards. My most valuable card is worth about 50 cents. Topps fleer etc. Played us. Good thing I didn’t ever actually pay for a pack of cards back. I used to steal a candy bar and ten packs of cards on a daily basis. It was awesome. I hate thieves now that I am older