25 Card Games You Can Play With a Standard Deck (and Their Other Names)

One deck of 52 cards holds more games than most game shelves. This list covers 25 of the best card games you can play with a standard deck, from games for one player through big-group party games, with quick rules for each so you can start playing tonight.

Card games also travel under a lot of names. The game one family calls Cheat is BS at a college party and I Doubt It in an old rulebook, and Nertz is Pounce or Racing Demon depending on where you grew up. So every entry lists the other names it goes by. If you’re looking for a game you remember by a different name, search this page for it.

The games are grouped by how many people they need, starting with one player. We haven’t written full reviews of these, so each entry links to a detailed rules source, mostly Pagat, the most thorough card game rules site there is, and Bicycle’s how-to-play library.

Some links below are Amazon affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate, King Panda Games earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure.

All you need for most of these is one deck. A plastic-coated deck lasts far longer than a paper one, especially with kids and slapping games.

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Last verified: October 2026.

1. Klondike — The Solitaire Everyone Means

Also called: Solitaire, Patience · Players: 1

Deal seven columns, one card in the first up to seven in the last, with only the top card of each face up. Build down in alternating colors, move kings into empty columns, and work every suit up from ace to king on four foundation piles. Turn cards from the leftover stock one at a time, or three at a time for the harder version.

It’s the game most people picture when they hear “solitaire,” and the version that came with Windows for decades. Not every deal can be won, which is part of the pull. Wikipedia’s Klondike page covers the scoring variants.

2. Clock — Pure Luck, Perfect for Killing Ten Minutes

Also called: Clock Patience, Travellers · Players: 1

Deal the deck into thirteen piles of four, twelve in a circle like a clock face and one in the middle. Flip the top card of the middle pile and slide it under the pile at its hour, where jacks are 11, queens 12 and kings go to the center. Then flip the top card of that pile and keep going.

You win if every pile is turned face up before the fourth king appears. There are no decisions at all, which makes it a good way to show a young kid how cards work. The Clock Patience page has the full layout.

3. Gin Rummy — The Classic Two-Player Card Game

Also called: Gin, Gin Rum · Players: 2

Each player gets ten cards. On your turn you draw from the deck or the discard pile, then discard one card, trying to build sets of the same rank and runs in the same suit. When your leftover unmatched cards add up to 10 or less, you can knock and end the hand, and if you have no unmatched cards at all, that’s gin.

It’s the deepest two-player game on this list that most people can learn in one hand, and games are usually played to 100 points. Pagat’s Gin Rummy rules cover the scoring bonuses. If two-player card games are your thing, our best 2-player card games list has the boxed ones too.

4. Speed — No Turns, Just Hands

Also called: often confused with its close cousin, Spit · Players: 2

Each player gets a five-card hand and a fifteen-card draw pile, with two face-down piles to the side that refill the middle when you’re both stuck. Two cards are flipped into the center, and both players race to play cards one rank higher or lower onto either pile, refilling their hand as they go. There are no turns.

The first player to empty their hand and draw pile slaps the table and wins. It’s loud, fast and great for siblings. Spit is the close cousin, played from rows of face-up piles instead of a hand, and Bicycle’s Spit rules cover that version. The Speed page has the standard setup.

5. Cribbage — The Two-Player Game With a Board

Also called: Crib · Players: 2 (3 or 4 with variants)

Each player gets six cards and puts two face down into the “crib,” a bonus hand for the dealer. Players then take turns laying cards and calling the running total, scoring for hitting 15 or 31, pairs and runs. After that, each hand and the crib score for the same combinations, and points are pegged around a board.

The first player to 121 wins. It takes a game or two to learn the scoring, and it’s the one on this list that grandparents most often teach. You need a cribbage board for the pegging, and Pagat’s Cribbage rules are the clearest we know.

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6. War — The First Card Game Most Kids Learn

Also called: Battle · Players: 2

Split the deck evenly face down. Both players flip their top card, and the higher card takes both. When the cards tie, it’s war, where each player puts three cards face down and one face up, and the higher face-up card takes everything.

There are no decisions, so it’s a counting and comparing game for young kids, and it can go on for a long time. Many families set a timer and count cards at the end. Pagat’s War rules list the variants.

7. Egyptian Ratscrew — The Slapping Game

Also called: Egyptian Rat Slap, ERS, Slap · Players: 2 to 6

Deal out the whole deck. Players take turns flipping their top card onto a center pile without looking first. When a face card or ace comes up, the next player gets a set number of tries to play a face card of their own, one try for a jack up to four for an ace, or the player who played it takes the pile. Anyone can slap the pile when two cards of the same rank land in a row, and the first hand down wins it.

Most groups add extra slaps, like a “sandwich” with one card between a matching pair. Slap at the wrong time and you pay a card. Bicycle’s Egyptian Ratscrew rules list the common slap rules.

8. Kings in the Corner — Solitaire for a Whole Table

Also called: Kings Corners, Corners · Players: 2 to 4

Deal seven cards to each player and set four cards face up around the deck, one on each side. On your turn you play cards down in alternating colors onto any pile, move whole piles onto each other, and put kings into the four corners to start new piles. The first player to empty their hand wins.

It plays like a shared game of solitaire, which makes it easy for anyone who already knows Klondike. It works well with a grandparent and a seven-year-old at the same table. The Kings in the Corner page has the scoring variants.

9. Crazy Eights — The Game Uno Was Built On

Also called: Switch, Swedish Rummy, and close cousin Mau-Mau · Players: 2 to 7

Deal five cards each, or seven with two players. On your turn, play a card that matches the top of the discard pile by suit or rank, or draw. Eights are wild, so you can play one any time and name the suit the next player has to follow. The first player out of cards wins.

If you’ve played Uno, you already know this game, because Uno is essentially Crazy Eights with its own deck. That makes it the easiest game here to teach a family. Pagat’s Crazy Eights rules cover scoring across several hands, and our card games like Uno list has the boxed step-ups.

10. Rummy 500 — Rummy Where Every Meld Scores

Also called: 500 Rum, Pinochle Rummy · Players: 2 to 8

Deal seven cards each, or thirteen with two players, and spread the discard pile so every card shows. On your turn you can draw from the deck, or take any card from the discard pile as long as you take every card above it and use that card in a meld right away. You score for every card you meld, and lose points for cards left in your hand.

The open discard pile makes it more strategic than plain rummy, and games run to 500 points over several hands. Pagat’s Rummy 500 rules have the card values.

11. Golf — The Lowest Score Wins

Also called: Six-Card Golf, Polish Polka, Crazy Nines · Players: 2 to 6

Each player gets six cards face down in two rows of three and turns two of them up. On your turn you draw from the deck or discard pile and swap the card into your grid, or throw it away. Matching ranks in the same column score zero, so you’re hunting for pairs while trying to keep your total low.

A game is nine hands, or “holes,” and the lowest total wins. Kings are worth nothing and twos are worth minus two, so the scoring has some surprises. Pagat’s Golf rules and the Wikipedia page cover the four-card and eight-card versions.

12. Go Fish — The Family Classic

Also called: Fish · Players: 2 to 6

Deal five to seven cards each. On your turn, ask another player for a rank you’re holding, like “do you have any sevens?” If they do, they hand them all over and you go again. If not, they say “go fish” and you draw. Any time you have all four of a rank, you lay down a “book.”

The player with the most books at the end wins. It teaches young kids to read ranks and remember what other people asked for. Pagat’s Go Fish rules cover the variants. For more games at this age, see our best board games for kids list.

13. Old Maid — Don’t Get Stuck With the Queen

Also called: no common other name · Players: 2 to 8

Take one queen out of the deck, so one queen has no partner. Deal the rest out and have everyone discard their pairs. Then take turns drawing a card from the player next to you, discarding any new pair you make. Whoever is left holding the unmatched queen at the end loses.

There’s a little bluffing as you try to steer your neighbor away from the queen. It’s a game for kids who can recognize pairs, and you don’t need a special Old Maid deck. Pagat’s Old Maid rules cover the variations.

14. Hearts — The Best Trick-Taking Game for Four

Also called: Black Lady · Players: 4 (3 to 6 with variants)

Deal all 52 cards. Each player passes three cards to someone else, then the player with the two of clubs leads. You have to follow the suit that was led if you can, and the highest card of that suit takes the trick. Every heart you take is a point against you, and the queen of spades is worth 13.

The lowest score when someone reaches 100 wins, unless a player takes every heart and the queen, called shooting the moon, which flips the points onto everyone else. It’s the best introduction to trick-taking games there is. Pagat’s Hearts rules have the passing rotation.

15. Oh Hell — Bid Exactly Right

Also called: Up and Down the River, Blackout, Oh Pshaw · Players: 3 to 7

The number of cards dealt changes every round, often going down by one each hand and then back up. After the deal, a card is turned to set the trump suit, and every player bids exactly how many tricks they’ll take. You only score if you hit your bid exactly, so taking too many is as bad as taking too few.

Most groups play that the bids can’t add up to the number of tricks, so somebody always misses. It’s the trick-taking game for groups too big for Hearts. Pagat’s Oh Hell rules cover the scoring.

16. President — The Game With a Pecking Order

Also called: Scum, Capitalism, and a few ruder names · Players: 4 to 7

Deal all the cards. The first player leads a single card, a pair or a triple, and each player after has to beat it with the same number of higher cards or pass. When everyone passes, the last player to play leads again. The first player out of cards becomes President and the last becomes the lowest rank.

The fun is the next round, when the lowest-ranked player has to hand their best cards to the President. It works brilliantly with a bigger group and is a favorite with teenagers. Pagat’s President rules cover the many house rules.

17. Blackjack — Get to 21 Without Going Over

Also called: Twenty-One, Vingt-et-Un, and the British cousin Pontoon · Players: 2 or more

One player is the dealer. Everyone gets two cards and tries to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over, asking for more cards one at a time. Face cards count 10 and aces count 1 or 11. The dealer has to draw until they reach at least 17.

At home you can play for chips, matchsticks or nothing at all, and rotating the dealer keeps it fair. It’s easy enough for kids who can add. Pagat’s Blackjack rules explain doubling and splitting.

18. Texas Hold’em — The Poker Everyone Plays

Also called: Hold’em, Texas · Players: 2 to 10

Each player gets two cards face down, and five shared cards are dealt face up in the middle over three rounds. Players bet in between, and the best five-card hand from your two cards plus the five shared cards wins the pot. You can also win by betting enough that everyone else folds.

It’s the most popular poker game, and the rules take two minutes. Getting good takes much longer. You’ll want chips, even if you’re only playing for fun. The Texas hold ’em page has the hand rankings.

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19. Palace — The Game You Don’t Want to Lose

Also called: Shed, Karma, and a ruder name · Players: 2 to 6

Each player gets three cards face down, three face up on top of those, and three in hand. On your turn, play a card equal to or higher than the top of the pile, or pick up the whole pile. Twos reset the pile and tens clear it away. Once the draw pile is gone, you play from your hand, then your face-up cards, then your face-down cards blind.

The first player out wins, and in many groups the last player left is the loser for the next round. House rules vary a lot, so agree on special cards first. Bicycle’s Palace rules give one common version.

20. Cheat — The Bluffing Game

Also called: BS, I Doubt It, and a ruder name · Players: 3 to 10

Deal out the whole deck. Players take turns playing cards face down in rank order, aces first, then twos, then threes, saying out loud what they’re putting down. You can lie. If anyone thinks you’re lying they call it, and you flip the cards. If you lied, you take the whole pile, and if you told the truth, the caller does.

The first player out of cards wins. It’s the easiest bluffing game to teach, and it works with a big group. Bicycle’s I Doubt It rules and the Cheat page cover the variations. For more lying, see our best social deduction games list.

21. Spades — The Partnership Game

Also called: no common other name · Players: 4, in two teams

Partners sit across from each other and everyone gets thirteen cards. Each player bids how many tricks they’ll take, and partners add their bids together. Spades are always trump, and you can’t lead a spade until one has been played on another suit. A team that makes its bid scores points, and a team that misses loses them.

The first team to 500 wins. Bidding nil, betting you’ll take no tricks at all, adds a big swing. Pagat’s Spades rules cover sandbags and the nil rules.

22. Euchre — The Midwest Favorite

Also called: no common other name · Players: 4, in two teams

Euchre uses only 24 cards, the nines through aces, so take out everything from two to eight. Partners sit across from each other and get five cards each. One card is turned up, and players decide whether that suit becomes trump. The jack of trump, called the right bower, is the highest card, and the other jack of the same color is second.

The team that called trump has to take at least three of the five tricks. The first team to 10 points wins. It’s fast once you know it, and in parts of the Midwest it’s practically a regional sport. Pagat’s Euchre rules explain the bowers.

23. Spoons — The One Where People Dive Across the Table

Also called: Pig, Tongue · Players: 3 to 13

Put spoons in the middle of the table, one fewer than the number of players. Everyone gets four cards. The dealer takes a card from the deck and passes one to the left, everyone else does the same, and cards keep moving around the table as fast as you can go. When anyone gets four of a kind, they grab a spoon, and then everyone grabs. The player left without a spoon gets a letter.

Pig is the same game with no spoons. You touch your nose instead, and the last person to notice loses. Bicycle’s Spoons rules and Pig rules have the scoring. For more loud games, see our best card games for adults list.

24. Nertz — Solitaire as a Race

Also called: Pounce, Racing Demon, Peanuts · Players: 2 to 8

Everyone plays their own game of solitaire at the same time, each with their own deck. You each have a pile of 13 cards called the nertz pile, and the aces go into a shared space in the middle that anyone can build on in suit. The first player to empty their nertz pile shouts “Nertz” and the round stops.

You score for every card you got into the middle and lose points for cards left in your nertz pile. It’s chaotic and very fast, and you need a deck per player, ideally with different backs. The Nertz page covers the scoring.

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25. Slapjack — The Easiest Slapping Game

Also called: Slap Jack · Players: 2 to 8

Deal the whole deck face down. Players take turns flipping their top card onto a center pile. Whenever a jack appears, everyone slaps it, and the first hand down takes the pile. Slap a card that isn’t a jack and you give a card to the player who flipped it.

The player with every card at the end wins. It’s the simplest slapping game there is, and a good warm-up before kids move on to Egyptian Ratscrew. Pagat’s Slapjack rules list the variants.

When You Want a Boxed Game Instead

A lot of the best-selling card games are souped-up versions of the classics above. Uno is Crazy Eights with its own deck, and Phase 10 and Five Crowns are both rummy with a twist. If your family already loves one of the standard-deck games, these are the boxed games we’ve reviewed that build on them, with our Bamboo (how easy to learn) and Pandas (how fun) scores.

Five Crowns — 5 / 4 Bamboo / Pandas. Rummy with five suits and a wild card that changes every hand. We’ve played it at kitchen tables, on camping trips and through a three-hour power outage.

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Phase 10 — 5 / 4 Bamboo / Pandas. Rummy where everyone races through ten set phases. We’ve played it more than 100 times, and it’s our camping staple.

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Skip-Bo — 4 / 5 Bamboo / Pandas. A stacking game that plays like a competitive solitaire, great with two.

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Sequence — 5 / 4 Bamboo / Pandas. Cards plus a board, played in teams, where you claim spaces to make five in a row.

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The Quick Picks Table

All 25, grouped by how many people they need, with the common other names for each game.

For two players, start with Gin Rummy or Speed. For a family with young kids, Crazy Eights, Go Fish or Slapjack. For four, Hearts, or Spades and Euchre if you like playing in partners. For a big group, Spoons, President or Cheat. More picks for every table size are on our best board games list, and our card games for a BBQ list covers the outdoor ones.