UNO Teams Rules, Strategies & Scoring

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Plus, how to play teams with a standard UNO deck
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If you love a classic game of UNO but wish you could work together to win, UNO Teams is the perfect version for you to try. Instead of playing alone, you and a teammate both have to get rid of all your cards before the other teams. With new action cards and abilities, this game only has a few different rules from the original. Keep reading, and we’ll walk you through the changes and how to play this new version. Even if you don’t have a copy of the game, we’ve got rules for playing with a standard deck of UNO cards, too!

UNO Team Rules in a Nutshell

In UNO Teams, you and a partner work together trying to be the first team to play all the cards from your hand. Take turns playing a card to the discard pile or drawing from the deck. When your teammate runs out of cards, split your hand in half and give them your remaining cards. When you and your teammate both go out, you win!

Section 1 of 7:

How is UNO Teams different?

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  1. 1
    Players work together in teams of 2 throughout the game. Rather than playing by yourself, in UNO Team , you’re paired up with a partner sitting across from you. While you can’t communicate about what cards you each have, you’ll either win or lose against your opponents together. [1]
  2. 2
    New cards help you and your partner work together. UNO Teams introduces number cards with a Passing symbol that allows you to give a card to your partner. New action cards, like Wild Team Play or Wild Team Draw 4, slow down your opponents and help you get ahead so your team is more likely to win. [2]
    • For more info on the new action cards, check out our section on card meanings .
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  3. 3
    Both teammates have to go out of cards to win the round. In a normal UNO game, the game ends as soon as someone plays their last card. In Teams, if you go out before your partner, you take half the cards from your hand and stay in. Once both of you have played your final cards, you win the game! [3]
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Section 2 of 7:

How to Play UNO Teams

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  1. 1
    Choose partners and sit across from them. Split into teams of 2 so everyone has a partner. Sit around a table so you’re directly across from your partner and your opponents are sitting between you. [4]
    • Example: If there are 3 teams (A, B, and C), arrange the players so that the turn order goes A, B, C, A, B, C.
    • You can play UNO Teams with 4, 6, or 8 people split into teams of 2.
  2. 2
    Shuffle and deal 7 cards to each player. Choose someone to be the dealer and have them shuffle the deck of cards. Deal the cards out one at a time until each person has 7 cards in their hand. Set the leftover deck of cards face down where everyone can reach them. [5]
    • You can look at your own cards, but you are not allowed to look at your teammate’s hand. You also cannot communicate about what cards you’re holding.
  3. 3
    Flip the top card of the deck to start the discard pile. Turn the top card of the deck over and set it face up nearby. The revealed card becomes the first card in the discard pile where players will place their cards. [6]
    • If the first card is an Action card, flip over the next card until you get a number.
  4. 4
    Pass a card to your partner. Before anyone plays a card, choose 1 card from your hand and give it to your teammate. They’ll also choose a card from their hand to give back to you. [7]
    • Try to remember which card you gave your partner because you may be able to set up a strategic play later in the game.
  5. 5
    Play a card with a matching number or color onto the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer takes the first turn. You can only play a card if it matches either the number or the color of the discard pile’s top card. If you have a legal card, play it face up onto the discard pile. [8]
    • You can always play a Wild card regardless of the discard pile’s color or number.
    • Action cards and cards with a Passing symbol in the corner trigger special abilities after you play them.
  6. 6
    Draw a card if you can’t play one. If you don’t have a card to play, draw 1 card from the top of the deck and add it to your hand. If you draw a card that you can legally play, you can set it face up on the discard pile right away. Otherwise, drawing a card ends your turn. [9]
  7. 7
    Take turns clockwise around the table. After finishing your turn, the next player to the left takes their turn. Keep taking turns playing or drawing cards for the remainder of the game until you reach the end. [10]
    • If the deck ever runs out of cards, set the top card of the discard pile aside, shuffle the remaining cards, and set them face down to form a new deck. Use the card you set aside as the first card in the discard pile.
  8. 8
    Say “UNO” when you have 1 card left in your hand. Whenever you only have 1 card in your hand, loudly say “UNO!” to the other players to let them know you’re close to going out. [11]
    • If you forget to announce “UNO” and your opponent catches you before the next player takes their turn, you have to draw 2 cards.
    • You can also call “UNO” for your teammate if they only have 1 card left.
  9. 9
    Pass half your cards to your partner if they go out before you. When your partner goes out, they’re still in the game. Split the cards in your hand in half (rounded down) and give them to your partner. That way, they can help you play through your cards and be closer to winning. [12]
    • Example : If you have 7 cards in your hand and your partner goes out, give them 3 cards and keep 4 cards for yourself.
    • If you only have one card, then your partner stays out of the round. If you ever have to draw a card, your teammate is tagged back in, and you give them half your cards.
  10. 10
    Win the game when you and your partner play your last cards. When both you and your teammate can get rid of all the cards in your hand, you win the game! You can either start a new game or keep score to play multiple rounds. [13]
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Section 3 of 7:

UNO Teams Card Meanings

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  1. 1
    Passing Symbol Some number cards have a card-shaped Passing Symbol below the number in the top-left corner. When you play one of these cards, you can pass your teammate 1 card from your hand, and they’ll give you a card from their hand. [14]
    • You can’t tell your teammate what card you’re giving them, and they cannot ask for a specific card.
  2. 2
    Wild Team Play When you play this card, you get to choose which color has to be played on the discard pile next. Then, the turn skips to your partner, and they have to play a card in the color you just called out. [15]
    • You and your teammate are not allowed to talk about which color you choose.
    • If your partner can’t play a card in the color you said, then you have to draw 2 cards instead.
    • The person to the left of your teammate takes the next turn, regardless of whether they played a card or you had to draw.
  3. 3
    Wild Team Draw Four When you play this card, choose the next color that has to be played to the discard pile. Then, skip the next player’s turn, and force them and their teammate to both draw 2 cards. [16]
    • Players must draw cards even if they’ve already gone out for the round.
  4. 4
    Draw 2 The next player in turn order draws 2 cards from the deck and they lose their turn.
  5. 5
    Reverse Change the direction that players take their turns. If players took their turns going clockwise, then it switches to counterclockwise and the person to your right takes their turn. If you’re already going counterclockwise, then a Reverse card will return the turn order back to normal.
  6. 6
    Skip The next player loses their turn.
  7. 7
    Wild Choose the color that has to be played onto the discard pile next. You can play a Wild on top of any other card regardless of its color or number.
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Section 4 of 7:

UNO Teams Strategy

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  1. 1
    Remember the cards you pass to your teammate. Whenever you have the opportunity to give your partner a card, keep the card you give them in mind. If they haven’t played the card yet, try to set them up by playing matching cards onto the discard pile or using a Wild to change the color to what they need.
  2. 2
    Play Wild Team Play cards to combo with your partner. After you set a Wild Team Play onto the discard pile, choose a color that you know your teammate has. That way, they can immediately get rid of a card, and you skip over your opponent’s turns.
  3. 3
    Use Draw cards when your opponents are close to going out. Keep an eye on how many cards your opponents have in their hands and if they’re getting close to an UNO. Save your Draw 2 and Wild Team Draw 4 cards until later in the game to slow down their progress so you’re able to get ahead again.
  4. 4
    Call “UNO” for your partner so you aren’t penalized. Get in the habit of saying “UNO” out loud whenever you or your partner only have 1 card left. Even if your partner already says it, it doesn’t hurt for you to say it too so you don’t get extra cards to deal with.
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Section 5 of 7:

Optional Scoring Rules

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  1. Earn points for cards left over in your opponents’ hands when your team goes out. Rather than ending the game after one round, tally up the points that are left over in your opponents’ hands. Add the points to your team’s score before shuffling and dealing a new round. Whenever a team reaches 500 points, they win the game! [17]
    • The card point values are:
      • Number cards: Face value
      • Action cards: 20 points
      • Wild cards: 50 points
Section 6 of 7:

How to Play Standard UNO with Teams

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  1. Win the game if one person on a team plays all their cards. Split into teams of 2 and sit opposite from your teammate. Play a standard UNO game as you normally would without any of the special Passing or Team Wild cards. When one player on a team goes out and plays all the cards from their hand, their team wins the round.
    • You’re still not allowed to communicate about what cards you have in your hand with your teammate.
    • If you play UNO Mobile, you can play a 2v2 version of the game. In this version, you’re able to see your partner’s cards so you can plan your turns more strategically.
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Section 7 of 7:

Other UNO Games to Try

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  1. Try these other fun versions of UNO when you need a change of pace. While UNO Teams will keep you entertained for a long time, there are tons of UNO versions you can try. Whenever you want a different twist on a classic, these are great options.
    • UNO Flip : Each card has a light side and a dark side that have different abilities, and they flip back and forth throughout the game.
    • UNO No Mercy : No Mercy adds extra actions that can force you to draw more cards, and you’re knocked out if you ever have more than 25 cards in your hand.
    • UNO Flex : Some cards have flex powers that allow them to change color or activate a more powerful ability during the round.
    • UNO Triple Play : Play with 3 discard piles, but you’re only allowed to place cards on the piles that are lit up during your turn.

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      References

      1. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/q7nVQbOOdSc?t=55
      3. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      4. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fFp78_iDvk?t=10
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/KZMIPX4ZsOk?t=29
      7. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fFp78_iDvk?t=42
      9. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      1. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/1Rq9EXTrwug?t=39
      3. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      4. ↑ https://youtu.be/7fFp78_iDvk?t=183
      5. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/1Rq9EXTrwug?t=113
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/q7nVQbOOdSc?t=97
      8. ↑ https://service.mattel.com//instruction_sheets/HXT58-Eng.pdf

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