A counting-out game is a simple game intended to select a person to be "it," often for the purpose of playing another game. Some counting-out games are

• Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Odds or Evens
• Coin flipping
• Drawing straws - player with the shortest straw loses.
• Buzz

Many such games involve counting round a circle of players to a rhyme. The player the last word lands on is out. Common rhymes are:

• Eeny, meeny, miny, moe

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

Catch a tiger by his toe

If he hollers, let him go

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

(Variations can include "catch a monkey", "catch a tinker", "catch a turkey", depending on where you're from.)

• One potato, two potato - players may start with both fists (to resemble potatoes) in, so have to be got twice to be out.

One potato, two potato

Three potato, four,

Five potato, six potato,

Seven potato, more,

One big bad spud.

• Ink-a-bink (Last two lines added if the chooser happens to like the person singled out by the "stink")

Ink-a-bink

A bottle of ink

Cork fell out and you stink

My mother told me to pick the very best one and

You are not it

• Tinker, Tailor - Traditionally played in England.

Tinker, Tailor,

Soldier, Sailor,

Rich man, Poor man,

Beggar Man, Thief.

Another way goes:

Rich man, poor man,

Beggar man, thief.

Doctor, lawyer,

Indian chief!