In Open Sesame, a.k.a. Ali, players re-enact the story of "Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves" – but as a push-your-luck memory game.

Each round, one player takes the role of Ali while the other players are all thieves. These thieves must repeat, in turn and without error, an ever-growing list of objects – these objects being the treasures that Ali Baba covets and wants to steal. The question for Ali is whether to stop or not before he covets too much and ends up stuck in the cave, with the treasures falling into the hands of the thieves.

Variant rules allow for only two to play Open Sesame.