Card games to play by using a standard deck

Looking for card games to play with friends and family? We have crafted a list of popular card games to play in 2024. Playing these games is like a mental gym, a memory-sharpener, and a fun game of skills. These tags can be accurate; however, they show card games’ modesty.

Card games to play in 2024

Playing with friends and family is always a blessing. There are certain card games that you can play with your family at events, family gatherings, or parties. All you need is a sharp mind and enthusiasm to win and enjoy. Over the years, the 10 card games listed below have gained popularity in India, and card players have invested their time in mastering these games.

Now play simple and real money winning card game on Zupee!

Trump cards Mania by Zupee is a 2-player game, where each player gets 11 cards with all-time top 100 IPL batsmen. Select the cricket stat to challenge your opponent. The higher stat wins the round and the player who earns the maximum points wins the game. Besides, you can also stand a CHANCE TO WIN 10 lakhs!

Here is the list of 10 popular card games to play:

1. Poker
2. Memory
3. Buff
4. Blackjack
5. Rummy
6. Bridge
7. Gin Rummy
8. War
9. Solitaire
10. Go Fish

Card games to play	No. of Deck	Objective
Poker	1	You need to win the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets made by all players in any one deal. You win the pot by either having the highest-ranking poker hand or making a bet that no other player calls.
Memory	1	The game’s objective is to collect the most pairs of cards.
Buff	1	The game’s objective is to get rid of all your cards before your opponent.
Blackjack	6-8	You need to collect more points than the dealer without going over 21.
Rummy	1-2	Create a winning sequence that can be either – three/four of a kind of the same rank or 3+ sequential cards of the same suit.
Bridge	1	The game’s objective is to win tricks greater than or equal to the number of bids in each level.
Gin Rummy	1	You need to be the first player to reach an agreed-upon score, usually 100 points.
War	1	The game’s objective is to win all the cards.
Solitaire	1	The objective is to make four stacks (one of each suit) in ascending order (Ace to King) from a shuffled deck.
Go Fish	1	The goal is to collect four numerically matching cards (one from each suit).

Let’s look at how to play these card games in detail.

Poker

Poker is one of the most popular card games you can play in your free time. The first step to acing every possible thing on this planet is practice. As a newcomer, you need to put in effort to master poker. Rather than a game of luck, it is a game of skills. Hence, practice is essential.

No matter what type of poker you play, the winning hands will remain the same. Take a look at the image below to know poker hands and their ranking:

Here is an overview of how to play poker:

• Place the starting bets.
• Have a look at the two cards the dealer offered you.
• Call, raise or bet. If you do not want to bet, say check. Say fold if someone else has a bet and you don’t want to match their bet.
• Turn the cards to see if you have a good pair.
• The dealer will flip 3 cards face-up on the table, called community cards. Compare community cards and the cards in your hand to place a bet or call a fold or raise.
• After the second round, the dealer will flip another card, making it 4 cards face-up on the table.
• Call, raise, fold or bet after analyzing the 4 cards on the table plus the two cards in your hand.
• After the third round, the dealer will flip another card, making it 5 cards face-up on the table. The fifth card is called the river card.
• Call, raise, fold or bet after analyzing the 5 cards on the table plus the two cards in your hand.
• Every player’s hand is revealed in the clockwise direction in the showdown.

Want to play Poker like a pro? Here are related articles on Poker games – How to play poker (with pictures), poker rules, how to keep a poker face, and poker rankings and order.

Memory

Memory is another popular card game under the matching card game category. As you already know, the brain is the center of your body and is responsible for regulating every action, learning, experience, and cognition. However, this game is much more than only working your brain; it is a super-fun card game to play and indulge in. The player who can match the maximum number of cards wins.

Here is an overview of how to play the Memory card game:

• Place all cards separately in a deck face down.
• The first player flips two different cards.
• If the card numbers are not similar, you flip them back. All the players need to memorize the card and its position.
• If the card ranks are the same, players keep the cards, and they get to go again.
• The player continues to take chances till they match the cards.

Bluff

Another top-rated card game among millennials is Bluff. The other name of this game is ‘Lie Detector.’ You play with 4-6 people at a time, and only one can be the winner. Here, the deck of 52 cards is distributed equally among all the players. You receive an equal number of cards, as do the other players.

Here is an overview of how to play bluff:

• You have to choose and lay one or more cards announcing the rank of the cards you’re placing (face down). 
• Now, it’s crucial to know that you can declare the ranks truthfully or play out a Bluff! Bluffing can help you get rid of your cards earlier, which is the game’s goal.
• If your bluff gets caught, you will have to take back all your cards and those laid by the other player.

Blackjack or 21

Known as a popular casino game, the Blackjack or 21 is known for its unique ability to teach the art of calculation. As a result, this game is pretty popular among different age groups. The game generally includes two players called the dealer and the player. The face cards (King, Queen, and Jack) are 10 points, whereas Ace is 1 or 11 points. Note that all the other cards are worth the same as their face value. The aim here is to get a total of 21 at the end.

Here is an overview of how to play blackjack:

• The player on the left makes the first move and decides whether to go with a stand or hit.
• The player either stands 2 cards or asks the dealer for more cards. (One at a time).
• If the player takes the card from the dealer, he either loses, or the dealer collects them all.

Now play simple and real money-winning card game on Zupee!

Trump cards Mania by Zupee is a 2-player game, where each player gets 11 cards with all-time top 100 IPL batsmen. Select the cricket stat to challenge your opponent. The higher stat wins the round and the player who earns the maximum points wins the game. Besides, you can also stand a CHANCE TO WIN 10 lakhs!

Rummy

Rummy is one of the most popular card games to play in social gatherings or at home. Every time you start to play rummy and sit for a set of games, it’s natural to develop a liking for the game. The primary objective of rummy is to arrange all 13 cards in the proper sequence and set. The player must make at least two sequences to win the game. Without the sequences, it is impossible to make the correct rummy declaration.

Take a look rules to play Rummy.

Suits and face values in Rummy

Suits – The cards in the suit in Rummy rank from low to high. It starts with Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, and King.

Points value of each card in Rummy

Every card in Rummy has a certain number. The player losing the match gets points equal to their hand score computed as J, Q, K, A of any suit carrying 10 points each. Other cards have the same point as their face value.

Bridge

You play the Bridge card game between two teams of 2 members each. The most common type of Bridge is the Contract Bridge. You need 4 players, a scorepad, a deck of 52 cards, and something to write on to play this game. Both teams are referred to as pairs. In a pair, the player playing is the Declarer as they declare the trump suit.

Here is an overview of how to play Bridge:

• The player on the left of the Declarer starts playing by making the opening lead. They are responsible for naming the trump suit. They can also make the hand to be played without a trump suit, called “notrump.”
• After the opening lead, 13 cards of the dummy are placed face-up on the table. The dummy is the declarer’s partner who places the hand face-up on the table after the bidding is done.
• Once the bidding is done, if your opponent feels that it’s an optimistic bid, they can double it.
• Whoever plays the highest card wins the game.
• The cards rank downwards in this order – ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
• The ranking of the suit is in this order – no Trump, spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs.

Gin Rummy

A type of rummy, Gin Rummy is another popular card game to play with the objective of reaching the decided number of points or more before the other player does it. The number is generally 100. Same as Rummy, the players here try to form melds while following all the rules: sequences of three or more cards in the same suit or three/four cards for the same rank.

Here, the cards should be listed from the highest to the lowest, starting from the King to Ace in decreasing order. Remember, Gin Rummy is not a game of luck but skills and practice. Here is how you can play Gin Rummy:

• Sort your cards into melds.
• Choose whether to take cards in the discard pile.
• Each turn, pick up the new card and discard cards that are not required.
• If only two different stocks are left, end the game.

War

The cards are divided equally among two players in the War card game. You are asked to place your topmost cards in the quickest succession, one after another. The highest one enjoys the opportunity to take two different cards. The player with all the cards, in the end, wins the match.  You need two players and a deck of 52 cards to play the War card game.

The essential steps to playing the War card game are:

• All 52 cards are equally given to the players.
• Keep all the cards on the table face-down.
• All the players flip a card on the count of three.
• Check your cards to see if it is higher. The player who has the higher card value wins and takes all the opened cards in that round.
• Keep on playing until all cards are over. The player who collects all cards wins the game.

Solitaire

Solitaire is ideally a single-player card game to play in 2024.  Although it does not involve a lot of skills, it is fun and exciting to play. The game’s objective is to set up the four piles of cards. These are in ascending order – King (high), q, j, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, ace (low).

The important steps to playing solitaire:

• Start with aces to build your foundation piles.
• Use the stocked cards if you run out of the moves while making piles.
• During the gameplay, uncover all hidden cards in the tableau columns.
• Use the King to start the new tableau column.

Go Fish

Go Fish is the classic card game to play.  You play this game by using all kinds of cards in a deck. Although there are specially designed cards to play this famous Go Fish game; you do not necessarily need them. Every player gets the chance in clockwise order, and it continues until a player wins. During every turn, a player asks another player if they have a card of a particular rank. The principal objective of the Go Fish game is collecting the maximum sets of the four.

• Start the game with the shuffling of cards. Have a dealer shuffle and make sure you’re dealing cards out of every player.
• If two players are playing, then 7 cards are dealt. With more than 2 players, 5 cards are dealt.
• Place the left-out cards in the middle of the table while facing downwards.
• The player who sits on the left-hand side of the dealer will go first.
• Ask a player if they have a particular card.
• If they’re in your hand, give all cards of a specific rank.
• Go for another chance if you managed to get the cards you needed.
• If you do not have the asked card, say “Go Fish.”
• Whenever you have to go fishing, pick up one card from the pile of cards placed in the middle. These are called fishing ponds.

Benefits of playing card games

Here are 10 benefits of playing card games:

1. Fun and entertaining: Card games are a fun and entertaining way to the pastime. The balance of skill and chance makes them appealing, and even basic games can keep a person mentally sharp.
2. Helps to reduce stress:  playing card games is an excellent way to relax and enables you to forget about the hustle and bustle of life. It helps you to shift your focus from things that stress you out and provide a sense of pleasure.
3. Improves your social skills: Unless you are playing a solo card game, you are bound to improve your social skills. All the card games involve interaction between the players and offer much-needed friendly competition for social relationships.
4. Keeps your mind active and sharp: Card games like poker require you to employ various mathematical and intuitive strategies to win the game. Playing card games is a good exercise for your brain because you will be learning about different strategies and rules to win the game.
5. Helps to improve concentration: Games like Rummy, Bridge, and poker require you to remember the ranking and winning sequence with concentration. Playing blackjack involves mathematical and counting skills, without which you won’t be able to win the game. Thus, playing card games, in the long run, helps you to concentrate better in your daily life.
6. Boosts memory skills: Generally, card games rely on short-term memory skills like the memory card game, but some improve long-term memory and cognitive functions.
7. Improves mathematical and logical thinking: Research found that those who play card games are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life. They score much better on thinking tests. Playing card games generally involve you facing a problem and thinking of a solution to solve that problem. Card games like war and Go Fish is the perfect example.
8. Enhances strategic thinking: Some card games like Blackjack and poker involve you in planning competitive strategies. This can teach players the value of strategic planning.
9. Improves Productivity: Is your work getting tiring? Play a round of solitaire or any other card game. Playing short card games between work enhances your productivity.
10. Patience: playing card games teaches you to achieve your goal and how to handle a loss. Fair play and patience can be taught by playing card games.

Now play simple and real money-winning card game on Zupee!

Trump cards Mania by Zupee is a 2-player game, where each player gets 11 cards with all-time top 100 IPL batsmen. Select the cricket stat to challenge your opponent. The higher stat wins the round and the player who earns the maximum points wins the game. Besides, you can also stand a CHANCE TO WIN 10 lakhs!

Card Games to play – FAQs