30+ Easy Card Games to Play with Family and Friends

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Get back to the basics with these fun traditional card games
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Looks can be deceiving—with just 52 cards organized into 4 suits of 2 colors, a standard deck of playing cards has provided entertainment to people all over the world for hundreds of years. Whether you've got a big group together or are just trying to pass the time by yourself, as long as you've got a standard deck of cards, you've come to the right place! Keep reading to discover your next favorite card game.

The Best & Easiest Card Games

  1. For Kids: Crazy Eights, Old Maid, or Go Fish.
  2. With 4+ Players: Rummy, Mao, or President.
  3. Trick-Taking Games: Hearts or Spades.
  4. Solo Games: Solitaire or Aces Up.
  5. With 2 Players: German Whist or Scopa.
  6. Fast-Paced Games: Spoons, Speed, or Nertz.
Section 1 of 6:

Card Games for Kids and Families

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  1. To play old maid , take one of the queens out of your deck of cards, then shuffle and deal all cards. Players remove pairs and take turns drawing from each other's hands to make pairs. The player left with the single queen (the old maid) at the end of the game is the loser. Make up house rules that apply to specific pairs to make the game more exciting!
    • Players: 3+
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with 1 queen removed
    • Time: 5-15 minutes
  2. 2
    Crazy Eights To play crazy eights , deal 5 cards to each player. Players take turns matching the card on the top of the discard pile or drawing a card from the deck. Eights and jokers are wild. The first player to get rid of all of their cards is the winner. [1]
    • Players: 2-5 (6-10 with 2 decks of cards)
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 10-15 minutes
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  3. The goal is to get the most 4-card sets when the cards run out. To play Go Fish , deal all players 5 cards with the remaining cards as the pile to fish from. Each player takes turns asking other players if they have a specific card that will help them build a group. If the player asked doesn't have the card, they say "Go Fish!" [2]
    • Players: 2-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 5-15 minutes
  4. 4
    Snap To play Snap , deal cards in separate piles around the table, 1 for each player. Players take turns turning over the top card on their pile. When 2 players have matching face-up cards, the first player to yell "Snap" takes both piles. The object of the game is to get all of the cards.
    • Players: 4+
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed (leave the jokers in to make the game harder, or leave them in and make them wild so the game is even easier)
    • Time: around 5 minutes
    • Variations: Anomia
  5. 5
    I Doubt It To play "I Doubt It" (also known as "Cheat" or "Bullsh*t"), deal all of the cards to all of the players. Players take turns discarding cards face-down in order, starting with aces, then 2s, then 3s, and so on. Since the cards are face-down, players can lie about the cards—but if they get caught, they have to take all of the cards in the discard pile. The goal is to get rid of all of your cards first.
    • Players: 2+
    • Decks: 1 standard deck (2 decks if you have 6 or more people playing)
    • Time: 15-20 minutes
  6. To play War , deal all of the cards in face-down piles in front of each player. Players flip over the top card on their pile, with the player who has the highest value card taking both cards. If players turn over the same card, they declare war and play 3 cards plus 1 face-up card. The highest card gets all of the cards. The goal is to win all of the cards. [3]
    • Players: 2+
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with jokers removed (2 decks if you have 6 or more people playing, or more if you want the game to last longer)
    • Time: 10-40 minutes
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Section 2 of 6:

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  1. Each player aims to create sets of cards with the same value or a run of consecutive cards from the same suit. On each turn, players lay down cards in sets and runs, then draw a card and discard a card. The winner is the first player to get rid of all of the cards in their hand. [4]
    • Players: 2-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with jokers removed
    • Time: 30 minutes to 2+ hours
    • Variations: Gin Rummy , Canasta
  2. 2
    Palace To play Palace , players take turns discarding the cards from their hand in ascending order. The first player to run out of cards wins. Players do this by turning over and playing specific combinations from piles and cards they're dealt.
    • Players: 2-5
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with jokers removed
    • Time: around 30 minutes
  3. Like Crazy Eights or Uno, the goal of Mao is to get rid of all of your cards. The biggest difference is that players can't tell other players the rules. To play Mao , use inductive reasoning skills to figure out what the rules are so you can keep from getting penalized and get rid of all of your cards first.
    • Players: 4-5
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: about 5 minutes per round
  4. 4
    President To play President , deal all of the cards to all of the players. The goal is to be the first player to get rid of all of your cards, with play subject to whatever ridiculous house rules you want to come up with. The first player to shed all of their cards becomes President and can make up the rules for the next round. [5]
    • Players: 3+
    • Decks: at least 1 standard deck (more decks invite more combinations)
    • Time: 5-15 minutes
  5. 5
    Poker To play poker , players try to make the best 5-card hand out of some combination of the cards in their hand and community cards on the table (some versions of poker don't have community cards). Then, you take turns placing bets on the strength of your hand. The winner is the one to collect all the chips. Don't have poker chips? You can just as easily use pennies or even scraps of paper.
  6. The object of 99 is to keep the total of the values of all of your cards under 99. Cards have specific values and functions for this game that can take a little while to get the hang of, but the game itself is pretty easy to play.
    • Players: 3-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with jokers removed, plus something to use for tokens (you'll need 3 for each player)
    • Time: about 30 minutes
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Section 3 of 6:

Trick-Taking Games

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  1. To play Hearts , deal 13 cards to each player. Before play, each player hands 3 cards face-down to the player on their left. Then, play starts with the player who has the 2 clubs. All other players discard cards of the same suit, with the highest card winning the trick. Play continues for several rounds until one player has 100 points. The goal is to get as few hearts as possible and also avoid the queen of spades, which leads to penalties. [6]
    • Players: 3-7, but 4 is best
    • Decks: 1 standard deck (3 players: remove 2 of diamonds, deal each player 17 cards; 3 players: remove 2 of diamonds and 2 of clubs, deal 10 cards; 6 players: remove the 2 and 3 of diamonds plus the 3 and 4 of clubs, deal 8 cards; 7 players: remove the 2 and 3 of diamonds plus the 3 of clubs, deal 7 cards)
    • Time: about 5 minutes
  2. 2
    Spades Similar to Hearts, the objective when playing Spades is to win the most tricks. Players start each round by bidding on how many tricks they think they'll win. Then, the player to the left of the dealer starts off play with a card of their choice, and play continues with other players laying down cards of the same suit. The highest card wins the trick, unless spades are played, in which case the highest spade wins the trick. [7]
    • Players: 3-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 1-2 hours
  3. To play Whist , gather 4 people into 2 partnerships and deal each person 13 cards. The suit of the last card dealt is the trump suit that beats all others. Gameplay continues similarly to other trick-taking games. The winner is the team with the most combined tricks. Players typically continue playing until a team has won at least 5 tricks. [8]
    • Players: 4 players partnered up into 2 teams
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: about 30 minutes
  4. 4
    Euchre To play Euchre , strip your deck of cards of everything but the face cards, 10s, and 9s. Basic gameplay unfolds the same as other trick-taking games, with the player of the highest card winning the trick and the first person to 10 points winning the game. But a warning—if you're not familiar with the game, its rules can be a bit unexpected and confusing at first. [9]
    • Players: 4
    • Decks: 1 standard deck, but remove all cards except the ace, king, queen, jack, 10, and 9 of each suit.
    • Time: 20-30 minutes
  5. 5
    500 To play 500 , players bid on the number of tricks they think they'll win and gameplay follows in the same way as other trick-taking games. The name comes from the fact that the first player to win 500 points is the winner. Players are penalized for failing to make the number of tricks they bid, so don't get too ambitious. [10]
    • Players: 4 (although there are variations with 2, 3, 5, or 6 players)
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: around 30 minutes
  6. Of all the trick-taking games, this one probably uses the weirdest combination of cards and requires more than 1 deck, even if there are only 3 or 4 people playing. To Pinochle , lay down a card of the same suit another player led with. The player with the highest card wins the trick. Take tricks and make other combinations of cards to boost your score each round. Play continues until 1 player has scored at least 1,500 points.
    • Players: 4 playing as teams of 2 or 3 players playing individually
    • Decks: 48 cards (two 24-card decks) or 80 cards (four 20-card decks)
    • Time: around 1 hour
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Section 4 of 6:

Games for One Person

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  1. To play Clock Patience , shuffle your cards and lay out a foundation to resemble a clock face, with a pile where each number would go and one in the middle. Flip your cards and sort them into the correct piles along the face of the clock until you've sorted all the cards with no leftovers.
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 5-10 minutes
  2. 2
    Solitaire To play Solitaire , deal the deck into 7 face-down piles with the top card flipped up. Move cards by placing them in descending order. Make runs of the same suit to move the run as one unit and ultimately remove the cards from the tableau once the run is complete. Beat the game by sorting and removing all of the cards.
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 10-15 minutes
  3. Create a 5 x 5 grid, then flip over one card at a time from the deck and place it in a spot on the grid. The goal is to make the best 5-card poker hands, either read horizontally or vertically on the grid. Score your hands when all the cards are laid out, then shuffle up and play another round. Keep playing until you've scored 200 points.
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 15-20 minutes
  4. 4
    Wish Start by dealing 4 cards face-down into a pile. Then, create 8 face-down piles of 4 cards in a 4 x 2 grid formation on the table. Turn over the top cards of each pile and take away all pairs regardless of suit, then flip over the next card. Keep playing until you've removed all cards. [11]
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with jokers, 2s and 6s removed
    • Time: 5-10 minutes
  5. 5
    Beehive Set up your beehive with a stack of 10 face-up cards. Form the playing area with 6 cards—2 vertical rows of 3 on either side of your beehive. The rest of the deck is your draw pile. Your goal is to organize all of the cards into groups of 4 with matching ranks. [12]
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 10-20 minutes
  6. If you don't have a lot of space and you've only got a few minutes, Aces Up might just be the game for you. The best part of this game is that, unlike other solitaire games, you don't need a whole table to spread out your cards.
    • Players: 1
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 2-4 minutes
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Section 5 of 6:

Games for Two People

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  1. The name is an acronym for "Game of Pure Strategy." Aces are low, and kings are high, and the goal of the game is to get the most points. Separate the deck into suits and give each player a suit. The third suit sits in the middle of the table. Flip over the top card from the middle, then each player flips over their top card and the highest card wins. Play continues until you've exhausted the deck. [13]
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the hearts and jokers removed
    • Time: 15-20 minutes
  2. 2
    Scopa To play Scopa, deal 3 cards to each player face down and put 4 cards face up in the middle of the table. Players then take turns trying to capture cards from the middle of the table. The hand ends when neither player has any cards in their hand. Deal 3 more cards and start a new hand. The game ends when one player reaches a predetermined amount of points. [14]
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: around 30 minutes
  3. German Whist is also called "Honeymoon Whist" because it's a rare trick-taking game that you can play with just 2 people. The game is played in 2 stages. In the first stage, you try to build the best 13-card hand. Then, players take turns playing cards of the same suit, with the highest card taking the trick. [15]
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 15-20 minutes
  4. 4
    Le Truc This is a trick-taking game in which you're dealt 3 cards per hand, but unlike other trick-taking games, there aren't any restrictions on what card you can play and the highest card always wins the trick, regardless of suit. The goal is to win at least 2 hands, but be careful—there's a lot of bluffing in Le Truc as well. [16]
    • Players: 2-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 20-30 minutes
  5. 5
    Spite and Malice If you've always wished you could play solitaire head-to-head with someone else, Spite and Malice could totally be the game for you. You can also play Spite and Malice with 4 people playing in 2 teams.
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: around 30 minutes
    • Variations: Skip-Bo
  6. To play Cribbage , race your pegs around the cribbage board by playing cards and winning points. Just take turns playing cards and add the values for each round to determine the points won. The first player to cross the finish line is the winner.
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 15-30 minutes
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Section 6 of 6:

Fast-Paced Card Games

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  1. To play Spoons , lay out one fewer spoons on a table than the number of people playing. Players then take turns picking up and discarding cards, passing them to the player on their left as quickly as possible while trying to build 4 of a kind. The first player to do so yells out "spoons," prompting everyone to grab a spoon. The person without a spoon is out, and play continues until there's only one person left to be declared the winner.
    • Players: 4-6
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed (or leave them in as wild cards to make the game a little easier); you'll also need spoons (at least as many as 1 less than the number of people playing)
    • Time: 5-10 minutes (each round typically takes 2-3 minutes)
  2. 2
    Slapjack Deal the cards out to all of the players. To play Slap Jack , each player takes turns flipping a card face-up onto a pile in the center of the table. As soon as someone flips a Jack, be the first to slap the pile and claim all of the cards. The player who amasses all of the cards is the winner.
    • Players: 2-5
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 5-10 minutes
  3. To play Speed , shuffle up a deck of cards and deal the whole thing evenly between you and another person. Take turns playing the cards face-up, with the player who plays the card of the highest value winning both cards. Keep playing until one player has the entire deck.
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck
    • Time: 5-10 minutes
  4. 4
    Spit! To play Spit , deal a deck of cards evenly between you and another person. Then, the two of you will race to play your cards into the spit pile in the center. But be careful—you can only play a card if it's 1 higher or 1 lower than the card currently face-up on the top of the pile. The first player to get rid of all of their cards is the winner.
    • Players: 2
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 5-15 minutes
  5. 5
    Egyptian rat screw To play Egyptian Rat Screw , deal a deck of cards evenly between you and another person, then try to collect all of the cards in the deck by playing cards into a pile in the middle of the table. Play continues based on the card played. While this game is similar to Slapjack, there are other cards that also require players to take special actions.
    • Players: 2+
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed
    • Time: 10-30 minutes
  6. To play Nertz , deal each player a hand of 13 cards, with the top card face-up. The goal is to be the first to get rid of all of your cards by playing cards to the foundation piles in the middle of the table in ascending order. The first player to get rid of all of their cards shouts "nertz" and wins the game.
    • Players: 2-12
    • Decks: 1 standard deck with the jokers removed for each player (if you have 4 players, you need 4 decks of cards)
    • Time: 10+ minutes
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      References

      1. ↑ https://gameonfamily.com/how-to-play-crazy-eights-card-game/
      2. ↑ https://www.mtsd.k12.nj.us/cms/lib/NJ01000127/Centricity/Domain/214/How_to_Play_Go-Fish.htm
      3. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/war/war.html
      4. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/rummy/rummy.html
      5. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/climbing/president.html
      6. ↑ https://athletics.uchicago.edu/sports/2023/6/12/intramurals-im-rules-hearts.aspx
      7. ↑ https://athletics.uchicago.edu/sports/2023/6/12/intramurals-im-rules-spades.aspx
      8. ↑ https://www.norfolktowneassembly.org/post/the-unconquered-lord-of-the-card-room-whist-its-history-and-play
      9. ↑ https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~bolo/gaming/euchre.html
      1. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/euchre/500.html
      2. ↑ https://gamerules.com/rules/wish-solitaire/
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/G9ttYx7OH64?si=dWv19FomvJsPdJhK&t=58
      4. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/misc/gops.html
      5. ↑ https://www.thespiel.net/files/scopa-rules.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/whist/german_whist.html
      7. ↑ https://www.pagat.com/put/truc.html

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