1. Crazy Eights

Crazy eights was perhaps my absolute favourite game as a kid and my own children love it just the same. The object of the game is to play all of the cards in your hand first. To begin, the dealer will deal each player eight cards face down. The eight acts as a wild card, while the 2’s force the next player to pick up 2, while a 4 forces the next player to miss a turn. The Queen of spades will force the next player to pick up eight. Check this page for the full list of rules to play Crazy Eights.

2. 31

31 is a fast and very easy card game to play with kids. This game requires basic addition, as they will need to be able to count up to 31. To start, each player will receive three cards face down. Once dealt, the players will look at their cards. They will then take a turn picking up a card from the pile in the middle and discarding a card. The object of the game is to have a sum of 31 in your hand before the other players. The card face value is used for counting, however Aces can be used as either 1 or 11.

3. Rummy

This card game is  best suited for children 8 years or older. The object of this game is to create melds using either runs of the same suit of cards or rankings. An example would be 2h, 3h, 4h, 5h or 3, 3, 3. Each player will begin by receiving 9 cards face down and the remaining cards placed in the center. The top card from the center pile will be turned over. From there, the first person to the left of the dealer will start by picking up the center face up card or by choosing the first card from the top of the deck. You should lay down the melds as soon as they are created. The first person to get rid of all of their cards wins. We have a page specifically for Gin Rummy which outlines the scoring rules.

4. Spoons

My daughter absolutely loves spoons. It’s a very fast game and one that is simple enough that even a five year old child can learn. To play Spoons you will need a spoon for each player less one. The object of this game is to collect four cards of the same rank before any other player and grab a spoon from the middle of the table before anyone else. Of course the table is short one spoon, which means the player who isn’t quick enough to grab a spoon is out. The next round starts with the players remaining and one less spoon. Check this page for complete rules on Spoons.

5. Snap

Snap is another easy card game for kids. This game requires a standard 52 deck of playing cards and at least two players. To begin, the dealer will deal the entire deck equally among the players (or as equal as possible). The players will take turns flipping over their cards. When two players flip over the same ranked card consecutively, the players in the game can shout snap. The first player to call snap the fastest, wins the two piles of overturned cards from the players who matched ranks. This continues until one player wins the entire deck.

6. Chase the Ace

Chase the Ace is played with a deck of 52 playing cards and at least 3 people, although 4 or more makes the game a lot more fun. To begin, the dealer will deal each player one card and one card only. The cards must remain face down, however the players can look at the cards. The object of the game is to not have the lowest card. Once the deal has finished, players will then look at their cards and choose whether they will pass their card to the player on their left or hold onto the card. The ranks go A – K, which means if you’re holding a card with the face value of 10 or higher, you will want to hold on to it. If you’re holding a low ranked card, you would want to switch with the person to the left of you. If a player has a King, that player gets to hold on to their card regardless of what the other players want to do. In this game, you usually give the player x number of lives, since it is a very fast game to play.

7. Go Fish

Go Fish is a classic card game for kids. If your small children are anything like mine, they will likely end up calling this game the “goldfish” game. The concept behind this game is simple. The dealer will deal each player five cards face down and place the remaining cards in the center of the table. The first player will choose one of their cards and a player, and ask them “Do you have a X”. The player will then respond with either a yes, and give that player the card they asked for, or with a no and say “go fish”. If the player responds with a “go fish”, you need to pick up one card from the pile. If the pick-up card matches the card you asked for, you can remove both cards from your hand and place them face down. The object of the game is to match all of the cards in your hand. The player who runs out of cards is the winner. If you asked for a certain card and the player gives it to you, you get to go again.

Rules for Playing Snap

This game is played using a standard deck of 52 playing cards and could be played as a two person game or 3 or more players.

To start a game of snap, you will need to deal out the entire deck face down to the players in the game.

You cannot look at your cards in this game.

The person to the left of the dealer will begin by taking the first card off of their pile and turning it face up. The next person will do the same and so on.

This process will continue until two consecutive players turn up the same ranked card.

When Do You Call Snap?

This is where the “Snap” comes in.

When a player turns up the same rank of card as the player who played before them, you need to shout Snap. The first player to shout snap will win both piles and place the extra cards on top of their own. You only win the pile that has been turned up.

If two players call Snap at the same time, the two piles will be placed in the center of the table and are up for grabs on the next Snap call.

The game will continue with each player flipping over their cards until someone runs out of cards. When you’re out of cards, you’re out of the game.

Miscalling Snap – Occasionally, a player might call snap by mistake. When this happens, you take the pile of up cards from the player who miscalled snap and place them in the center of the table. The next person to call a legitimate snap, will win the pile.

Younger children tend to get their feelings hurt when they make a mistake. If you’re playing this card game with small children (ages 4 – 8 ) you might want to give them a warning or exclude the miscall rule all together.

This game can be a competitive card game, especially with children, so it’s best to supervise or play the game with them.

How to Play Horse Racing Game with Cards

To begin you will need a standard deck of 52 playing cards. You need to remove the Kings as well as the Jokers for this game to work. The dealer will deal a card to each player until the entire deck has been dealt. Some players will receive more cards than others – which is fine. The horse markers are also placed on the start line indicated on the game board.

The game begins with each player rolling the dice to determine the horse # that will scratch. There are a total of four scratches and each scratch requires you to pay a fixed amount for the number of cards you hold that match the number on the dice. The dealer would also move the horse back to the amount stated on the board that reflects the number of scratch.

• 1st scratch is worth $0.05
• 2nd scratch is worth $0.10
• 3rd scratch is worth $0.15
• 4th scratch is worth $0.20

The money above is just a general idea. You can change the bets to whatever you like but be careful, the more players you have in the game the more costly a round can cost. Especially if some of the more common outcomes on the dice have been scratched.

As an example – assume the outcome of the dice totaled eight and you held two eights in your hand. If this was the first scratch you would discard your two eights and pay $0.10 into the pot and move the horse to the first scratch mark indicated on the board. If this was the 2nd scratch, the amount would be $0.20 and so on. The horse would move to the 2nd scratch marker.

Once all of the scratches are done you can begin the game. Each player will take a turn rolling the dice. If the outcome of the dice is the same number as a horse that was scratched in the previous round, that player has to pay the pot the amount of the scratch as indicated on the board. If the outcome of the dice is one of the horses that wasn’t scratched, you move that horse up one spot.

This continues until one of the horses has reached the finish line.

When this happens you will need to collect the money and divide it into four, since there are four cards in play that match the number of the horse. Each player holding one of the cards wins 1/4 of the prize. If a player holds two or more of the same cards they will win 1/4 for each card in their hand.

Each horse has a different number of spaces to move before reaching the finish line. For example the #2 horse only has three spots, while the #7 horse needs to hit 8 times before it wins. This is because it is significantly more difficult to roll a two than it is a seven. The board takes into account the probability of the outcome of the dice.

The Illuminati card game is a conspiracy theory themed card game designed by Steve Jackson and published by Steve Jackson Games, a game company based in Austin, Texas. Illuminati uses a proprietary deck of cards; it cannot be played with a standard deck of cards. The game was designed in 1981 and published in 1982, so it’s one of the older proprietary card games on the market.

Between 2 and 8 players can play Illuminati, but the game runs best with 4 or 5 players. Theoretically, children from ages 8 and up can play, but the game has an involved set of rules and a lengthy playing time. Don’t try playing Illuminati with anyone under 12. The game can take between an hour and 6 hours to complete. Most youngsters under 12 won’t be interested in playing a single card game for several hours.

The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea inspired the Illuminati card game, but there is no official connection between the novels and the game. The science fiction trilogy features a complex plot involving the attempts of various secret societies to control the world. The trilogy is one of the earliest examples of modern conspiracy fiction, predating novels like The DaVinci Code by a couple of decades.

Besides the proprietary deck of cards, you need money chips and six-sided dice in order to play Illuminati. Both the dice and the money chips are provided with the game. The cards are divided into three types: Illuminati cards, group cards, and special cards.

The Illuminati cards represent the large conspiracies which are attempting to control the world. Each player receives one Illuminati card, which represents her special abilities and also her goal during the game. For example, the Gnomes of Zurich has a goal of amassing a certain amount of money in order to win. The Servants of Cthulhu has a goal of destroying a certain number of organizations in order to win.

The group cards represent small organizations that can be controlled or destroyed by other groups. For example, the Republican Party is one of the groups available in the game. Other groups include California and the Trekkies. Each group has a certain amount of influence and income.

Special cards represent various phenomena, and they usually work in concert with other cards, either increasing that card’s influence or income.

During a player’s turn, she usually tries to control new groups. The cards form a power structure, and the arrows on each card indicate how many groups that group can control, and where the cards are placed in the power structure. A large number of variables affect how easily a player can succeed in taking control of a group. For example, any money spent to take control of the group improves the player’s die roll. Or if the two groups have the same alignment, then the player gets a bonus to her die roll.

But players aren’t limited to controlling groups and expanding their power structure. They can also attack groups in order to destroy them, or attack groups to neutralize them, which removes them from the opponents’ power structure and returns them to the pool of uncontrolled groups in the middle of the table.

A game of Illuminati ends when a player meets the victory condition on her Illuminati card or when she controls a given number of groups. The number of groups required for victory is based on the number of players in the game.

Like many other proprietary card games, Illuminati has spawned several expansion and spinoff games through the years. These expansions feature new cards and new rules. The names of the Illuminati expansions include:

1. Illuminati: Bavarian Fire Drill
2. Illuminati: Brainwash
3. Illuminati: Y2K

A spinoff game called Illuminati: Crime Lords was also released as a standalone game with a similar theme and game play. A collectible card game version, Illuminati: New World Order, tried to take advantage of the popularity of collectible card games in the wake of Magic: The Gathering, but it never took off.

Illuminati is a lot of fun, especially for conspiracy theorists and science fiction fans familiar with the novels. The game does require a certain amount of strategic thinking, so it’s more involved than most beer and pretzels games. The game components are of reasonably good quality, although some of the artwork might seem a little dated to modern eyes. One thing is certain, though, the Illuminati card game is unlike any other card game you’ve ever tried.

The Dwarf King is a fantasy-themed, trick-taking card game designed by Bruno Faidutti and published by Iello, a French game company. The game has similarities to Bardu, a trick-taking game played with a regular deck of cards. Both The Dwarf King and Bardu feature multiple rounds with different goals (or “contracts,” as card-playing enthusiasts call them.) And Bardu can be translated from the French as “the bearded one.”

A trick-taking game is a game where each player plays a single card, and the person who played the highest card of that suit “takes the trick.” If you’ve ever played Spades or Hearts, then you’ll have no trouble understanding how to play The Dwarf King. You will find the constantly changing rules and goals a challenge though.

The Dwarf King can be played by 3 to 5 players, and the manufacturer recommends that players be ten years or older. I played with my nine year old, and she seemed to have no trouble following along, although the subtleties of strategy were beyond her. She might have just been acting silly though. An entire game takes 30 minutes to play, but you should allow yourself a little extra time for the first game, especially if you’re playing with youngster. You and the other players will need to acclimate yourself to The Dwarf King’s unique rules.

The Dwarf King deck has 53 cards in it. 39 of those cards belong to one of three suits:

1. Dwarves
2. Knights
3. Goblins

The other 13 cards are special cards with special powers, and that’s where one of the major differences between Barbu and The Dwarf King emerges. An example of one of these special cards is the Dragon, which acts as a trump card…unless someone plays a champion, which is the ace. Another example is the Mummy, which becomes the suit and rank of the card that won the previous trick. Only one special card is shuffled into the deck during each round. Other than special cards, there are no trump cards, and the highest card of the suit led always takes the trick.

The Dwarf King also comes with 20 quest tiles. These tiles each feature two different rules on them. The player who is dealt the 5 of knights gets to select the quest card and choose which of the two rules applies to that round of play. For example, a quest card might indicate that either all tricks are worth +1 point, or all tricks are worth -1 point.

Some of the quests are so specific that once they’ve been fulfilled, there’s no real point to finishing a hand, so the players can just stop and deal another round. For example, if the quest card indicates that all 7’s and 8’s are worth +2 points each, then once all the 7’s and 8’s have been taken as part of someone’s tricks, play can stop and the next hand can be dealt.

The player with the 5 of goblins in his hand always leads the first trick, and players must follow suit if they can. The player who takes the trick with the 5 of dwarves is the dealer the next round. The game ends after 7 rounds have been played.

With 20 different quest cards and 13 “special” cards, The Dwarf King features a lot of randomness. Strategy plays a roll, but it’s not the major factor in determining the winner. (If you’re looking for a cerebral game like Bridge, look elsewhere.) This is great for a game with kids who are just old enough to understand the game, or for a night where you just want to drink beer, eat pretzels, and play cards, without having to do too much thinking.

The box, the cards, and the tiles are of exceptional quality, and the price for The Dwarf King is reasonable. Fantasy fans will enjoy the clever and beautiful artwork that adorns the playing cards and the box. In fact, these are some of the highest production values I’ve seen from a proprietary card game like this.

I also liked that the playing cards included with the game were larger. They’re a little larger than regular playing cards, in fact, which is unusual in this type of game. Often when you buy a proprietary card game, the cards are closer to the size of baseball cards. That’s fine for younger players, but older players like me prefer to be able to see the cards in their hand a little better.

Players who dislike a lot of randomness in their card games will probably not enjoy The Dwarf King as much as my family did, but if you think a wackier, zanier version of Spades with a fantasy element sounds fun, it’s worth the $15.

You will need at least three players, although 5 – 7 is better, and a standard deck of 52 playing cards. As the name suggests, the game requires spoons. The number of spoons is equal to the number of players playing, less one. So for a seven player game, you need six spoons. Place the spoons in the middle of the table, so that each player can reach them easily.

Sort the deck into ranks, and choose four cards of the same rank for each player. Once done you can shuffle the deck and deal out four cards face down to each player.

Rules for Playing Spoons

Each player will choose one of the four cards and pass it to the player on their left. This also means they will receive a card from the player on their right. You will continue to do this until a player has received four of a kind. When a player has four of a kind, the player will grab one of the spoons from the center of the table.

You want to grab your spoon as discreetly as possible. When a player reaches for a spoon as a result of collecting four of a kind, all spoons are fair game. This means the other players will also reach for a spoon and could put you out.

The person who was unable to grab a spoon in time is out and a new round begins. The losing player’s four cards are mucked.

Once you get down to two players, the game ends and a new one can begin.

Variations of  the Card Game Spoons

There are two other variations of this game – Pig and Tongue.

How to Play Pig – Instead of using spoons, players will touch their nose when they receive their four of a kind. Finger must remain on the nose.

How to Play Tongue – In this version, players will stick out their tongue when they receive four of a kind.

Increase the Level of Difficulty

You can play with a full deck of cards if you want to increase the level of difficulty. To do this, deal each player four cards face down.
The first player to the left of the dealer will pick up the top card from the deck and decide whether he will keep it or pass. If he chooses to keep it, he will select a different card from his hand and pass it to the player on his left.

When the card makes it way to the last person at the table, the player will keep or pass the card, at which point the extra card will be discarded. A new round will begin with the second player to the left of the dealer, and so on.

Each player will take a turn starting the next round, until someone has called four of a kind by either touching their nose, grabbing a spoon or sticking out their tongue.

How to Play Crazy Eights

To start a game of Crazy Eights, you will need to deal each player five cards face down. Once done, place the remaining cards in the center of the table and turn over the top card so it’s facing up.

The person to the immediate left of the dealer will go first and can discard any card in their hand that matches the suit of the card in the stockpile.

If the player does not have a card of the same suit, they can place a card of the same rank at which point the suit will then change to the same suit as the rank of the card face up.

Each player will take their turn discarding cards.

If a player does not have a card that matches the suit or rank of the card that is currently face up, that player has to pick up from the pile and misses a turn.

Things to Note

As the name suggests, eights are wild in this game. If a player discards an eight, that player gets to pick the next suit, or keep it the same.

If a player discards a two, the player to their immediate left is required to pick up two cards from the stockpile.

You can only discard multiple cards if they are the same rank. e.g 5s 5d 5c

If a player discards a Queen of spades, the player to their immediate left picks up five cards from the stockpile and misses a turn.

And that’s it. Pretty simple, huh

Where to Play Crazy Eights Online

Below are a few different websites where you can play this game online (free of course). There are hundreds more, but I like these sites because they don’t have all the annoying pop-ups and they aren’t littered with advertisements.

• http://www.games.com/game/crazy-8s/
• http://www.cafe.com/Free_Games/Crazy-8
• http://www.spogg.com/game/crazyeight

Card Game Spit / Slam / Speed

Once the cards are shuffled, the dealer will divide the deck equally between himself and his partner with the jokers removed. This should equate to 26 cards each face down.
Each player needs to lay out five piles on the table. To do this, four cards should be placed face down, and one card face up. Then the next card is placed face up on the first face down card at which point another three face down cards. This step will continue until all of the five piles have a face up card. The sequence of up and down is similar to laying out the cards for a game of solitaire. The remaining cards will be placed at the side of the pile for you to discard.

Your discard piles are called the spit piles, which consist of the five cards placed face up and your pile in the middle. See the diagram below

Diagram showing how to lay out the cards

When you are finally ready to go, you both shout “Spit”. You will then, at the same time, turn over the first card in your down pile. If you have a match you will take the card and place it on top of your other card. If you have a run you will take the card and place it on top of the pile.

As an example, your and a friend call spit. You turn your first card up and it’s an Ace. You have an Ace in your row of five, so you take the Ace off the row of five and place it on the discard pile. You also have a two, which means you can remove the two, turn up the card underneath it and place the two on the discard pile.

When no more moves remain, you and your partner call out “Spit” and go a second round. The object of the game is to turn over all of your cards and shed them before your opponent.

Picking up the Spit Piles – Calling Slam

When a player runs out of cards in their sequence of five before their opponent, that player slams their hand on the pile of cards they want to keep from the spitpiles. The other player will then be forced to pick up the remaining pile, which is generally the larger of the two.

The two players will re-deal the hands again using the same deal as above and start again. This will continue until a player has run out of cards.

Things to Note – Either player can play on the two discard piles. This means if you turn a 7 and your opponents spitpile shows an 8, you can lay your 7 as well as any 6 or 8 from your spitpiles.

How to Play Spit With More Than Two Players

This game is typically played as a two-player game, although it’s not uncommon for more players to join. If you want to add more players into the game, you will need to add an addition deck for every two players as each player receives 26 cards.

If you find the rules above to be quite easy, you can increase the level of difficulty by alternating the colours. If a black nine were laid, the player would be forced to lay down a red 10 or red 8 to play on that pile.

If you know other card games you can play with children that keep learning fun, please send me an email info@52pickup.net. I’d be happy to try it with my own kids and if it works I will publish the instructions here, with full credit given to the author. Alternatively, you can check out our page with 7 card games for kids.

Playing War and Teaching Math At the Same Time

War is a very simple and easy to learn game. In fact, any school age child can learn this game quickly.

How to Play War Instructions

Here is a quick run down on how to play War. The dealer will shuffle the deck and deal out a card to each player until all of the cards have been dealt. Once the deal is complete, the players will take turns flipping over their cards. In the traditional game of War, the player with the highest card wins and takes the two cards and places them on their “win” pile. The game continues until one player has won all of the cards in the deck.

Should the two players turn over the same card they will have to go to War. When this happens, the players will deal (face down) three cards followed by one up card. The highest card wins, and that player receives the five cards from their opponent. Pretty easy huh!

So how do you turn War into a Math game? Well there are a few different games you can try playing.

Teaching Addition Facts with Cards – If you want to teach your child an easy way to learn addition, have each player deal two cards face up. The player with the highest sum wins. What’s great about this game, is that the playing cards have the symbols which they can use as a counting guide until they are able to memorize the addition facts. (This has also helped me teach addition to a child with ADHD). Once your child has picked up adding two numbers, you can increase the difficulty level by having them turn up three cards, then four and five and add those numbers.

Teaching Subtraction Facts with Cards - You can reverse the game and have them learn subtraction facts by placing two cards face up and figuring out the difference. The greatest sum wins the hand. Kids can still use the symbols on the playing cards as a guide. If for example they turn up a 7 and 5, show them how to hide the lower number on the higher ranked card (you can do this by using the other card to cover the numbers similar to the way you use the cards in a game of Euchre as counters). The two symbols still showing will give them the answer 2. Eventually they will begin to memorize the subtraction facts and will be able to answer the questions without using the cards as counters.

Teaching Multiplication Facts with Cards - Teaching multiplication facts with playing cards is a bit trickier than addition or subtraction. Your child will need to have a foundation in their times tables in order to be able to answer the questions. That said, there is no reason why you can’t teach them. To teach multiplication facts using this card game, simply turn up two cards and assist them with the answer. The highest sum wins the hand.  Once this happens you can set a timer and who ever answers the fastest wins the hand.

Another option if they are having some trouble is to use two separate decks, one for playing the game and the other as a counter for multiplying. When the child flips over two cards, for example, 7 and a 3, you would pull out three 7 cards and show them how it makes three groups of seven and what 7 x 3 means.

Other Math Games You Can Play With a Deck of Cards

Make 25 with 5 Cards

This is a great game for teaching kids addition. The object of the game is to have a hand totaling 25 while using only five cards. To play, deal each child five cards face down. The remaining cards are placed in the center of the group with the top card turned up.

The children will take turns picking up and discarding one card until they have reached a total sum of twenty-five. If a player has a hand totaling 25 using only five cards, they will immediately call out “25″. Once a player has called out their hand, the other players will receive one more turn to complete their hands.

Math games aren’t just for kids either. For several decades, a team of math geniuses at MIT took their love of mathematics, and their love of cards to a whole new level in casinos all over the United States. The teams had perfected card-counting, and for a long time were able to get away with it. They got away with millions of dollars before most were banned from Vegas for life. Many of the blackjack players started their own online review sites to teach card games tricks to anyone.

Another great site for kids games is FunandGames.org , which includes an Educational section.Another excellent site that lists card games for kids is Pagat.com, run by John McLeod. You can view his selection of games here. Or check out our new page “How to play Spoons” which is an excellent card game you can play with kids. http://www.slotsmachineonline.org

This game is designed for two players, however it is possible for three or more.  If you intend to play with three or more players, simply divide the cards as evenly as possible.

“What do you play, boy?” asked Estella of myself, with the greatest disdain.

“Nothing but beggar my neighbour, miss.”

“Beggar him,” said Miss Havisham to Estella. So we sat down to cards.

How to Play Beggar My Neighbour

To begin you will need a deck of 52 playing cards and divide the deck in half. The two children will receive half the deck face down. When they are ready to play, the children will take turns flipping over their card into the center pile.

If one of the children turns over a pay card, they must pay for it using the rules below. The pay cards in “Beggar My Neighbour” include Ace, King, Queen and Jack. All cards ranked 2 – 10 are ordinary playing cards.

Once the pay card and payment is complete, the player who used the pay card must pick up the discard pile and place it face down at the bottom of their pile.

Example – Micheal turns over a Queen forcing Sara to lay down two ordinary cards. Once Sara is finished, Michael will pick up the pile and place it at the bottom of his pile.

If by chance Sara places a pay card onto the pile while paying for a card herself, the original pay card is void and Michael would be forced to pay for the new pay card, thus forcing Sara to pick up the pile once payment is complete.

Pay Cards in Beggar My Neighbor

• 4 ordinary cards for an ace
• 3 ordinary cards for a king
• 2 ordinary cards for a queen
• 1 ordinary card for a jack

Other names for this game include Beat Your Neighbour, Bataille Corse, Egyptian War, Egyptian Rat Killer, Strip Jack Naked.

How to Win This Card Game

There is no skill in this game – it’s pure luck, similar to the game of War. In this particular game, the a player is the winner when they no longer have any cards in their hand.