If you attempt to halve a negative life total, you halve 0. This means that the life total stays the same. A life total of -10 would remain -10.

When it comes to choice of items, use common sense. Items should be small enough to hide but large enough to count. Make it clear what kind of object you are hiding beforehand. For example, one player may choose coins and the other may choose dice. If you can’t find something convenient to hide, write numbers on a piece of paper and reveal the numbers. Make sure the numbers are unambiguous (for example, underline a 6 or 9 so it can’t be misread).