UNO is a popular card game that is easy to learn and fun to play, and involves matching cards by color or number, and using special cards to change the rules or affect other players. However, UNO is not the only card game that has these features. There are many other card games like UNO that are equally enjoyable and challenging.
Card Games Like UNO
The objective of most card games like UNO is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards, or to collect the most points or sets of cards. Players take turns playing cards onto a central pile, matching the suit, rank, or color of the top card. Some cards have special effects, such as changing the direction of play, skipping a player’s turn, or making them draw more cards. These cards add excitement and strategy to the game, and can help you win or lose the game.
To play a card, you need to place it face-up on top of the discard pile, following the rules of the game. If you can’t play a card, you need to draw a card from the draw pile and add it to your hand. If the draw pile runs out, you need to shuffle the discard pile and turn it over to form a new draw pile. The game ends when one player gets rid of all their cards, or when the draw pile runs out and no one can play a card.
Crazy Eights
Crazy Eights is a classic card game that is similar to UNO. The objective is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. Players take turns matching the suit or rank of the top card on the discard pile. If you can’t play a card, you must draw from the deck. The game gets its name from the “crazy” rule, where an eight card can be played at any time and allows you to change the suit.
Crazy Eights Rules
To play Crazy Eights, you need a standard 52-card deck. You can play with two to seven players, but the ideal number is four. To start the game, you need to shuffle the deck and deal seven cards to each player. The remaining cards are placed face-down on the table, forming the draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over and placed next to it, forming the discard pile.
The player to the left of the dealer goes first. They can play any card that matches the suit or rank of the top card on the discard pile. For example, if the top card is a five of hearts, they can play any five or any heart. If they can’t play a card, they must draw a card from the draw pile and add it to their hand. If they still can’t play a card, they must pass their turn.
The game ends when one player gets rid of all their cards, or when the draw pile runs out and no one can play a card. The player who gets rid of all their cards first wins the game. If the game ends with no winner, the player with the fewest cards in their hand wins the game.
Skip-Bo
Skip-Bo is a strategic card game that requires both skill and luck. The goal is to be the first player to play all the cards in your stockpile. Players take turns building piles in numerical order, using cards from their hand, stockpile, or the discard pile. Special cards, like “skip” and “wild,” add excitement and strategy to the game.
Skip-Bo Rules
To play Skip-Bo, you need a special deck of 144 cards. The deck consists of 12 sets of cards numbered from 1 to 12, and 18 “skip-bo” cards that act as wild cards. You can play with two to six players, but the ideal number is four. To start the game, you need to shuffle the deck and deal 30 cards to each player, face-down. These cards form the player’s stockpile. The remaining cards are placed face-down on the table, forming the draw pile.
Each player turns over the top card of their stockpile, and places it face-up on the table. This card is the first card they need to play. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. They can draw five cards from the draw pile and add them to their hand. Then, they can play any number of cards from their hand or stockpile onto one of the four building piles in the center of the table.
The game ends when one player plays all the cards in their stockpile. The player who does this first wins the game. If the draw pile runs out, the game continues until one player wins or no one can play a card.
Phase 10
Phase 10 is a challenging card game that tests your ability to complete different phases. The objective is to be the first player to complete all ten phases. Each phase has a specific requirement, such as collecting sets or runs of cards. Players take turns drawing and discarding cards, trying to complete their current phase before moving on to the next one.
Phase 10 Rules
To play Phase 10, you need a special deck of 108 cards. The deck consists of 10 sets of cards numbered from 1 to 12, and four “skip” cards that can be used to skip another player’s turn. You can play with two to six players, but the ideal number is four. To start the game, you need to shuffle the deck and deal 10 cards to each player, face-down.
The remaining cards are placed face-down on the table, forming the draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over and placed next to it, forming the discard pile. Each player has a reference card that shows the 10 phases they need to complete, in order. The phases are as follows:
- Phase 1: Two sets of three
- Phase 2: One set of three and one run of four
- Phase 3: One set of four and one run of four
- Phase 4: One run of seven
- Phase 5: One run of eight
- Phase 6: One run of nine
- Phase 7: Two sets of four
- Phase 8: Seven cards of one color
- Phase 9: One set of five and one set of two
- Phase 10: One set of five and one set of three
A set is a group of cards with the same number, such as 5, 5, 5. A run is a group of cards in numerical order, such as 3, 4, 5, 6. A color is either red, blue, green, or yellow. A skip card can be used to skip another player’s turn, but it cannot be used to complete a phase.
The game continues until all the sets of four cards of the same rank are collected. A set is a group of four cards with the same number, such as 2, 2, 2, 2. When a player collects a set, they place it face-up on the table. The player who collects the most sets wins the game. If two or more players have the same number of sets, the game ends in a tie.
Rummy
Rummy is a classic card game that involves forming sets and runs of cards and laying them down on the table. The objective of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards by forming valid combinations. Rummy can be played by two to six players, and it requires a standard 52-card deck.
Rummy Rules
- The dealer shuffles the deck and deals 10 cards to each player if there are two players, seven cards to each player if there are three or four players, and six cards to each player if there are five or six players. The remaining cards are placed face down on the table as the stockpile. The top card of the stockpile is turned over and placed next to it as the discard pile.
- The player to the left of the dealer starts the game by drawing a card from either the stockpile or the discard pile. Then, the player may lay down any valid sets or runs of cards from their hand on the table, face up. A set is a group of three or four cards of the same rank, such as 7-7-7 or Q-Q-Q-Q. A run is a sequence of three or more cards of the same suit, such as 4-5-6 of hearts or 10-J-Q-K of spades. The cards in a run must be consecutive and cannot go around the corner, such as Q-K-A or A-2-3.
- After laying down any sets or runs, the player must discard one card from their hand and place it face up on top of the discard pile. The turn then passes to the next player on the left, who repeats the same steps.
- If the stockpile runs out, the discard pile is shuffled and turned over to form a new stockpile, except for the top card, which remains as the discard pile.
- The game ends when one player has no cards left in their hand, or when there are no cards left in the stockpile. The player who goes out first wins the game. The other players score points according to the value of the cards left in their hands. The face cards (J, Q, K) are worth 10 points each, the aces are worth one point each, and the number cards are worth their face value. The player with the lowest score at the end of the game wins the game.
Go Fish
Go Fish is a simple and popular card game that involves asking and answering questions and collecting pairs of cards. The objective of the game is to collect the most pairs of cards by the end of the game. Go Fish can be played by two to six players, and it requires a standard 52-card deck.
Go Fish Rules
- The dealer shuffles the deck and deals five cards to each player if there are four or more players, or seven cards to each player if there are three or fewer players. The remaining cards are placed face down on the table as the fish pond.
- The player to the left of the dealer starts the game by asking another player for a specific rank of card, such as “Do you have any fours?” The player must have at least one card of that rank in their hand to ask for it. If the asked player has any cards of that rank, they must give them all to the asking player, who then gets to ask another player for another rank of card. If the asked player does not have any cards of that rank, they say “Go fish,” and the asking player draws a card from the fish pond. If the drawn card matches the rank that was asked for, the asking player gets to ask again. If not, the turn passes to the next player on the left, who repeats the same steps.
- Whenever a player collects a pair of cards of the same rank, such as two aces or two sevens, they place them face up on the table in front of them. A pair consists of two cards, not four. If a player runs out of cards in their hand, they draw a new hand of five cards from the fish pond, if possible.
- The game ends when all the cards have been paired up or when the fish pond runs out. The player with the most pairs of cards wins the game.
War
War is a simple and fun card game that involves comparing the values of cards and winning or losing them. The objective of the game is to win all the cards in the deck by having the highest card in each round. War can be played by two players, and it requires a standard 52 cards deck.
War Card Game Rules
- The dealer shuffles the deck and deals all the cards evenly to the two players, face down. Each player has a pile of cards in front of them, and they do not look at their cards.
- The players turn over the top card of their piles at the same time and place them face up in the middle of the table. The player with the higher card wins both cards and adds them to the bottom of their pile. The cards are ranked from 2 (lowest) to A (highest), and the suits do not matter. If the two cards are of the same rank, a war occurs.
- In a war, the players each place three cards face down from the top of their piles, and then turn over the fourth card and place it face up. The player with the higher fourth card wins all the cards in the middle. If the fourth cards are of the same rank, another war occurs, and so on, until one player has a higher card or runs out of cards.
- The game ends when one player has all the cards in the deck, or when one player runs out of cards during a war. The player with all the cards wins the game.
Slapjack
Slapjack is a fun and frantic card game that involves slapping the cards and grabbing them. The objective of the game is to win all the cards in the deck by being the first to slap the jacks. Slapjack can be played by two or more players, and it requires a standard 52-card deck.
The rules and gameplay of Slapjack are as follows:
- The dealer shuffles the deck and deals all the cards evenly to the players, face down. Each player has a pile of cards in front of them, and they do not look at their cards.
- The player to the left of the dealer starts the game by turning over the top card of their pile and placing it face up in the middle of the table. The turn then passes to the next player on the left, who does the same thing, and so on, until a jack appears.
- When a jack appears, the players try to slap it as quickly as possible with their hand. The player who slaps the jack first wins all the cards in the middle and adds them to the bottom of their pile. If more than one player slaps the jack, the player whose hand is on the bottom wins the cards. If a player slaps a card that is not a jack, they must give one card from their pile to the player who played the card they slapped.
- The game ends when one player has all the cards in the deck, or when one player runs out of cards. The player with all the cards wins the game.
Slapjack is a card game like UNO that requires speed, reflexes, and attention, a fun and lively game to play, and it can get very competitive and noisy.
Spit
Spit is a fast-paced card game that requires quick reflexes and concentration. The objective of the game is to get rid of all your cards before your opponent does. You need two players and a standard 52-card deck to play this game.
Spit Card Game Rules
To start the game, each player takes half of the deck and deals 15 cards face down in front of them. These are their spit piles. Then, each player deals five cards face up in a row next to their spit pile. These are their stock piles. The remaining 11 cards are held in their hand.
The game begins when both players say “spit” and flip over the top card of their spit pile and place it in the center of the table. These are the spit cards. Then, both players try to play their stock cards on top of either spit card, following the same rules as UNO: the card must match the spit card by rank or suit. For example, if the spit card is a 7 of hearts, you can play a 7 of any suit or a heart of any rank on top of it.
The game ends when one player has no cards left in their hand, stock piles, or spit pile. That player is the winner. However, if both players run out of spit cards and neither can play, the game is a draw.
Egyptian Rat Screw
Egyptian Rat Screw is another fast-paced card game that involves slapping the cards when certain patterns appear. The objective of the game is to collect all the cards in the deck. You need two or more players and a standard 52-card deck to play this game.
Egyptian Rat Screw Rules
To start the game, one player shuffles the deck and deals all the cards face down to the players. Each player holds their cards in a stack without looking at them. The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by flipping over the top card of their stack and placing it face up in the center of the table. This is the discard pile. Then, the next player to the left does the same, and so on.
The game involves slapping the discard pile when certain patterns appear. The patterns are:
- Doubles: when two cards of the same rank are played in a row, such as two 5s or two kings.
- Sandwiches: when two cards of the same rank are separated by one card, such as a 9, a 4, and a 9.
- Runs: when three or more cards of consecutive ranks are played, such as a 3, a 4, and a 5, or a 10, a jack, and a queen.
- Tens: when two cards add up to 10, such as a 3 and a 7, or a 5 and a 5.
- Jokers: when a joker is played, which can be any card in the deck.
The first player to slap the discard pile when a pattern appears gets to take all the cards in the pile and add them to the bottom of their stack. However, if a player slaps the pile when there is no pattern, they have to give one card from their stack to the player who played the last card. If a player runs out of cards, they are out of the game. The game continues until one player has all the cards in the deck. That player is the winner.
Switch
Switch is a card game that is very similar to UNO, but with some differences. The objective of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. You need two or more players and a standard 52-card deck to play this game.
Switch Card Game Rules
To start the game, one player shuffles the deck and deals seven cards to each player. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table. This is the draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is turned over and placed next to it. This is the discard pile.
The player to the left of the dealer begins the game by playing a card from their hand that matches the discard card by rank or suit. For example, if the discard card is a 6 of spades, you can play a 6 of any suit or a spade of any rank. Then, the next player to the left does the same, and so on.
The game has some special cards that have different effects. The special cards are:
- Ace: when an ace is played, the next player has to skip their turn.
- Two: when a two is played, the next player has to draw two cards from the draw pile and skip their turn.
- Eight: when an eight is played, the player can choose any suit for the next card to be played.
- Jack: when a jack is played, the direction of play is reversed.
- Queen: when a queen is played, the next player has to draw four cards from the draw pile and skip their turn.
- King: when a king is played, the next player has to draw five cards from the draw pile and skip their turn.
If a player has no cards that match the discard card, they have to draw a card from the draw pile. If the drawn card can be played, they can play it. Otherwise, they have to keep it in their hand and end their turn. If the draw pile runs out of cards, the discard pile is shuffled and turned over to become the new draw pile.
The game ends when one player has no cards left in their hand. That player is the winner. However, before playing their last card, the player has to say “last card” or “switch”. If they forget to do so, and another player notices, they have to draw two cards from the draw pile and continue playing.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this article about the top 10 card games like UNO that are fun and easy to play. These games are great for passing the time, having fun, and improving your skills. You can play them with your friends and family, or even online with strangers. All you need is a deck of cards and some enthusiasm.
