Rules guides
Card game rules
Plain-English rules for 20 classic card games you can play with a standard deck. Each guide covers what you need, the deal, how a turn works, how the game ends, common house rules, and tips for a first game.
The guides are written by us and checked against the linked rules reference. Traditional games vary from table to table, so each page lists the most common variations.
2–4 players · 15–30 min · Short rules read
How to play Big Two
Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Read the rules3–10 players · 10–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Cheat
Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Read the rules2–7 players · 15–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Crazy Eights
Be the first to get rid of all your cards.
Read the rules3–20 players · 10–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Cuckoo
Avoid holding the lowest card at the end of each round. Lose all your lives and you are out; the last player left wins.
Read the rules2–6 players · 15–30 min · Short rules read
How to play Durak
Get rid of all your cards once the stock has run out. The last player still holding cards loses.
Read the rules2–6 players · 10–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Egyptian Ratscrew
Win all the cards.
Read the rules2 players · 20–40 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Gin Rummy
Score points by ending hands with less unmatched “deadwood” than your opponent; first to 100 points wins the game.
Read the rules2–6 players · 10–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Go Fish
Collect the most “books”—sets of all four cards of one rank.
Read the rules2–8 players · 30–45 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Golf
Have the lowest total over nine deals (“holes”).
Read the rules4–8 players · 15–30 min · Short rules read
How to play Kemps
Collect four cards of the same rank and get your partner to call “Kemps”—or catch an opponent with four of a kind and call “Stop Kemps” first.
Read the rules2–4 players · 15–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Kings in the Corner
Be the first to play all your cards.
Read the rules2–8 players · 10–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Old Maid
Get rid of all your cards by making pairs—and avoid being left with the odd queen.
Read the rules2–6 players · 15–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Palace
Get rid of all your cards. The last player still holding cards loses (in most groups, they are the “Shithead”).
Read the rules4–7 players · 15–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play President
Get rid of your cards first to claim the top rank—and avoid finishing last.
Read the rules3–8 players · 15–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Sevens
Be the first to play all your cards to the layout.
Read the rules2 players · 5–10 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Speed
Be the first to play every card from your hand and your stock pile.
Read the rules2 players · 5–15 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Spit
Get rid of all your cards. Each deal you try to empty your stock piles first; over several deals the winner of each deal ends up with fewer cards, until one player has none.
Read the rules2 players · 20–30 min · Short rules read
How to play Spite and Malice
Be the first to play every card from your pay-off pile.
Read the rules2–9 players · 15–20 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play Thirty-One
Avoid having the lowest hand when the round ends. Lose all your lives and you are out; the last player in wins.
Read the rules2 players · 10–30 min · Learn in 5 minutes
How to play War
Win all the cards.
Read the rules
Lists by situation
Find a game by situation
58 games
Card games for parties
Big-group, hidden-role, and fast slap games that work for six or more people.
See the list35 games
Card games for one player
Classic solitaire with a standard deck, plus modern solo card games and co-op campaigns.
See the list112 games
Easy card games
Simple card games you can learn in about five minutes, sorted by deck and group size.
See the list112 games
Family card games
Card games kids, parents, and grandparents can all play together—from Go Fish to Sushi Go!.
See the list128 games
Classic card games
Traditional games played with ordinary cards—trick-taking, rummy, fishing, shedding, and solitaire.
See the list216 games
Card games for 3 players
Games built for exactly three—Skat, Dou Dizhu, Ninety-Nine—plus easy and strategic picks that shine at three.
See the listA–Z letter guides
Browse every card game by letter
Each letter has its own page with every checked game, quick picks, and links to the rules.
- A16 gamesCard games that start with A
- B22 gamesCard games that start with B
- C23 gamesCard games that start with C
- D18 gamesCard games that start with D
- E9 gamesCard games that start with E
- F14 gamesCard games that start with F
- G11 gamesCard games that start with G
- H9 gamesCard games that start with H
- I6 gamesCard games that start with I
- J7 gamesCard games that start with J
- K11 gamesCard games that start with K
- L8 gamesCard games that start with L
- M19 gamesCard games that start with M
- N7 gamesCard games that start with N
- O9 gamesCard games that start with O
- P20 gamesCard games that start with P
- Q5 gamesCard games that start with Q
- R10 gamesCard games that start with R
- S31 gamesCard games that start with S
- T18 gamesCard games that start with T
- U8 gamesCard games that start with U
- V9 gamesCard games that start with V
- W6 gamesCard games that start with W
- X5 gamesCard games that start with X
- Y6 gamesCard games that start with Y
- Z9 gamesCard games that start with Z