My wife and I have been playing different types of board games lately, and I’m always tempted to run off to the game store and buy more (I do the same thing with video games, and have managed to build up quite a healthy backlog thanks to digital download services and my impulsive buying habits). In an effort to stem the flow of cash from our checking account to the game store I decided to start researched fun games that can be played with a regular deck of 52 playing cards.
Besides the standard Texas Hold’Em, 5 card stud and black jack games (which aren’t so fun for two players in our case), what are some of your favorite card games to play?
A recent discovery I made (I think in a thread somewhere on boardgamegeek) is an Ecuadorian game called Cuarenta. It’s a pretty fast paced game that only took us a few minutes to learn once we plowed through the instructions, and it is very well suited for two players (you can play with two or four players).
Because I’m not at all familiar with games like Gin, Hearts, Spades, and have only dabbled in Rummy (twenty years ago), I can’t really compare this game to any others I’ve played.
The basic gameplay involved laying cards down between the players and subsequently trying to scoop them back up using a couple different methods by either match them with cards in your hand or using a couple other methods which add to the complexity and potential strategy of the game. The winner is the person to earn 40 points first.
Cribbage is the best 2-player card game I’ve ever played. Once you get into the strategic layers of the game, it gets even more fascinating. That and spades (with the right house rules) are the two best 2-player card games I know of.
Oh, and “Asshole” is the name of a card game, usually involving a lot of drinking.
Oh yea, by the way I welcome two player games, but feel free to add 4 player games etc too. My wife and I have been having a couple over for the last couple months and so now we have four people to play with. Yee haw.
Also, I used to play Crazy Eights years ago. Plays like Uno.
Also, yea I figured Asshole was the name of a card game, I was being hipster.
Cribbage is absolutely awesome. I only ever got to be mediocre at it, but always enjoyed it a great deal. Hearts and Spades are good light games. I’ve also played more Gin and Gin Rummy than I care to admit. Great games. Those get even more fun 4 handed. Canasta is good fun, but is generally better with four players than two (imo anyway).
And what card game doesn’t involve a lot of drinking? Just curious, as I’ve never heard or played such a game.
We played this at work at lunch for quite awhile. Our variant eliminated any double sequences. It’s main attraction is that it’s so simple, but still has quite a bit of strategy.
Cribbage is a game made for two and is/was huge not only in England but also in Maine. It can also be played by three or four and does not play like many other card games keeping it unique. Plus you can get all nutty finding unique and fun cribbage boards like here: http://www.houseofcribbage.com/
Bridge is amazing for 4 players, although it takes some learning. 2 player 500 is quite enjoyable, but you probably need to play some 4 player 500 first to get the idea of it.
You can also get a hell of a lot of mileage out of some dice and this book.
Not a good 2 player game at all. Asshole requires passing out all the cards, and two people holding 26 cards each just doesn’t make for a fun game, especially since the game is based heavily on people playing out of turn (making quads or doubles for a social) and the social structure of the king going down to the asshole.
The best five-player game with regular cards is Sheepshead. As far as I can tell, the only people in the world who play it are people from Wisconsin, but don’t let that invalidate my claim.
