10 Most Popular Card Games in the World

Although video games are certainly becoming more popular, this does not mean that good old-school card games have gone out of fashion. What’s nice about card games is that of course, all you really need is a deck of cards. Sure, some require just a basic playing card deck and others require specialized cards, but that said, as long as you have those cards, you can play.

Let’s get to it and take a look at the 10 most popular card games in the world.

1. Blackjack

When it comes to card games that are popular in casinos, blackjack is one of the biggest ones out there. When it comes down to it, blackjack is also one of the simplest card games that you can play. The dealer gives you two cards, one of which is face down and one of which is face up.

Only you know which cards you have, and the aim is to get 21. If you go over 21, you go bust. The person who gets as close to 21 as possible without going over is the winner.

Although blackjack may seem deceptively easy, beware of the fact that some people have learned how to master this card game by counting cards. This is a very fast-paced game that can lead to you either winning or losing a whole lot of money in a very short period of time.

2. Poker

Seeing as we’re already on the subject, we figured that we would go with another good card game that is super popular in casinos. What we’re talking about here is of course poker. The objective of poker is to form the best five-card hand possible out of all opponents. There are a variety of hands that you can get, with each one being better than the other.

Of course, one can also win at poker by bluffing the opponent. If you don’t have a good hand, you can always bluff and hope that the opponent folds. Be aware that there are of course different variations of poker that you can play.

Casinos aside, poker is also a very popular game to play at home with your family or friends.

3. Uno

OK, so this is the first card game on the list that requires its own specialized deck. The game of Uno requires you to have the Uno card deck. The aim of Uno is to be the first person to lay down all of your cards. The cards you lay down have to match the previous cards, either by color or number.

This is a very simplistic game that is ideal for families as it is a very child-friendly game. No, this game has nothing to do with gambling. But that said, it can still be a whole lot of fun. There’s also the fact that up to 10 people can play with a single Uno deck, plus there are also a few variations of it that can be played.

4. Euchre

If we’re talking about card games that are popular among the older folks, particularly in Canada, specifically in the province of Ontario, then euchre is one that you need to know about. Euchre is a so-called trick-taking game, with the game being played by two teams of two, and the objective is to win at least three tricks with the team getting a bonus for winning all 5 tricks.

In euchre, there is one suit that is known as the trump, which means that all cards of that suit are the highest-ranking cards. What’s interesting to note is that euchre does not allow players to talk to each other, which means that knowing your teammate is essential to success.

5. 500 Rummy

This is another great card game that can be played by families and friends alike, and by anywhere from two to eight people. This game is played by getting sequences of at least three cards. These can be sequences such as ten, jack, and the queen, or you could also get three tens, three jacks, or three queens.

A round ends when a player has no cards left in their hand, and if you do have cards left in your hand when a player finishes the value of those cards is deducted from your score.

Although this game does involve a good deal of luck, there is also a good deal of strategy involved as well. Keep in mind that there are various versions of Rummy, with 500 Rummy being just one of them. A little tip for newbies here is to try to go for three of the same cards instead of sequences. It’s much easier to do.

6. Solitaire

If you’ve ever owned a computer from 1990 onwards, you’ve probably played solitaire before. Solitaire is a great game to play if you are just a single person, as it only takes one person to play. In fact, solitaire cannot be played by multiple people.

It is therefore ideal to play if you have no one else to play with you. This is an extremely strategy-heavy game, and although that computer of yours might make it seem fairly easy, there is actually a whole lot to think about.

There are easier and harder versions of solitaire that you can play, but if you try the harder versions, the chances of you winning a game are extremely low. You really have to know what you are doing to be good at solitaire. This really isn’t a child-friendly game at all.

7. Crazy Eights

If we were to describe how Crazy Eights is played, it is more or less like the game of Uno, but with a regular deck of cards instead of the Uno deck of cards. Crazy Eights is played in rounds with the objective of each round being to be the first player to lay down all of your cards. You have to match cards either by suit or by number.

And yes, there are some special action cards, for instance, the two is a pickup two card. The reason why the game is called Crazy Eights is that the eight is generally the joker or wild card (which number is the joker or wildcard depends on the exact round). This is a game that can be played by anywhere from two to eight people as well as one that is family-friendly.

8. Go Fish

When it comes to super simple, easy, and fast family-friendly card games, Go Fish is of course one of the best. The aim of this game is to lay down all of the cards in your hands by matching your own cards with those of your opponents. So if you have a king in your hand, you would ask does anybody have any kings?

If your opponent has kings, they have to give them to you, and when you match two, three, or more, you can lay them down. The first person to lay down all of their cards is the winner.

In terms of card games that are perfect for kids, this is one of the best ones out there hands down. In fact, there are even special themed decks to make the game more fun and even educational for smaller children.

9. 99

Yes, we thought it would be funny to put a card game called 99 in the number nine spot on our list, just for a bit of a laugh. This is another very simple card game. The objective of the game is to not cause the pile in the middle to reach a value over 99.

Each player must continuously lay down cards when it is their turn, and if that player causes the value of the pile in the middle to go over 99, they lose. There are various cards that have designated actions that can benefit you or negatively impact other players.

10. Cribbage

Here we are finishing off with a game called Cribbage, one that is more ideal for adults than children. This is the kind of game you would play with your friend as you drink a couple of glasses of wine. It’s not really very child-friendly as it is somewhat difficult.

At the very beginning of the game, each player gets 6 cards but must discard two of them which go into the so-called crib, which is the extra hand that the dealer can use to score points.

The aim of the game is to score either 61 or 121 points. This is accomplished by forming groups of two or more cards that have the same value as well as forming runs and card combinations that add up to 15. What is cool is that this game combines both luck and strategy because which cards you get depends on luck, but that strategy you use to win the game is all up to you.

Summary

There you have it folks, the ten most popular card games out there.

We have done our best today to include ones that are ideal for adults, ones that are ideal for children, and ones that are ideal for the whole family, both young and old.