Cards games are generally fun and entertaining which makes them a great choice for social events such as game nights or family occasions. In this piece, we have compiled some 2 player card games you may want to try out.
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Peanuts
Peanuts, also known as Nerts, Nurtz, Nurts, Pounce, and Solitaire Frenzy is a form of multi-player solitaire. It is a fast-paced as players play simultaneously. The objective is to empty your draw pile by building on the four cards laid horizontally in front of you and also on the foundation piles. The game is played in rounds and a round of the game ends when a player uses up all the cards in their peanuts pile and yells “Peanuts” to notify the other player. Players are scored at the end of each round and the first player to score 150 points wins the game. A standard deck of 52-cards is required for each player involved in a game of Peanuts. Each card deck must have a different back design.
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Golf
Golf card game is known by other names such as Polish, Polka, and Polish Poker. There are several variants of the game based on the number of cards used in playing. There is the 4-card, the 6-card, the 8-card, the 9-card and the 10-card Golf game. The different versions of the game have some similarities but the rules and gameplay for each differ.
The game is played over 9 or 18 deals (rounds) which correspond to 9 or 18 holes in the regular golf game. In each round, players try to improve their score by drawing new cards and discarding unwanted ones. The player with the lowest score after 9 or 18 deals wins the game. Minimum of two players is needed to play a golf card game.
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Rummy
Rummy is a popular card game with various other card games such as Gin Rummy designed after it. Rummy is played using a standard 52-card deck. The objective is to be the first player to use up all your cards by forming melds. A meld can be of two types. Runs which is three or more cards belonging to the same suit, or Books which is three or four cards of the same rank.
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Egyptian Rat Screw
This is a fast-paced card game in which players try to collect all the cards in the deck. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck and all the cards are shared evenly between the two players. The goal is to end up with all 52 cards in your hand.
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Rack-O
This is a very simple game to play. Players try to stack their cards in their rack in numerical order from the highest to the lowest to win a round of the game. Points are awarded to each player at the end of each round with the first player to score a total of 500 points winning the game.
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Idiot
The game is played with a 52-card deck. 3 face-down are shared to each player, and another 3 face-up cards are shared on top of the first 3. Lastly, each player gets 3 cards which they hold. The remaining cards form the draw pile. Players then try to get rid of all their cards following the game rules. The first player to discard all of their cards wins.
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Sushi Go
In Sushi Go, the objective is to score the most points at the end of the game by combining food cards to create the most valuable food you can. Play lasts for three rounds and scores are awarded at the end of each round. The game is played with 108 Sushi Go cards.
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Thirty-One
Build the cards in your hand to as close to 31 as possible to win a round of the game. A hand that is worth exactly 31 points is the best. The player with the lowest hand at the end of each round loses and must forfeit one of his/her tokens. Players are given three tokens each at the start of the game. The last player with a token(s) wins the game. A standard 52-card deck is used for playing a game of Thirty-one.
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James Bond
James Bond is a fun card game of speed and memory. It can be played by two or three players. The objective of the game is to collect four a kind in each of the card piles laid in front of you. In a two-player game, there are six piles for each player.
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Phase 10
Phase 10 is another rummy-like card game. There are 10 Phases in the game which players have to complete in arithmetic order starting with Phase 1. The first player to complete all 10 Phases of the game wins. The game is played using 108 cards that are of four different colours (red, green, yellow, and blue). The cards are also numbered from 1 to 12, and there are two cards for each number for each colour.
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Uno
Uno is a popular card game globally. The game is fun and easy to play. The objective is to get rid of your cards by playing a card on the discard pile on each turn. To play a card on the discard pile, the card must match the current top card of the pile in colour, number or symbol. If you are unable to play a card on the discard pile on your turn, you must pick a card from the draw pile. The first player to discard all their cards wins the game. The game is played using the Uno card deck. There are various adaptations of the original Uno such as Uno Flip, Uno Attack, and so on.
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Canasta
Canasta is played similarly to rummy. It is usually played as a team game for four players split into two teams but two-player games are possible. The game is played in rounds, using two card decks with jokers. For two-player games, each player is given 15 cards by the dealer. The objective is to discard your cards by forming melds. Players receive points for melds that they form. A meld is a combination of 3 or more cards of the same rank. The game is played in rounds and scoring takes place at the end of each round. The first player to score a total of 5000 points or more wins a two-player version of Canasta.
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Hand and Foot
This game is similar to Canasta. It is also commonly played by 4 people in two teams but 2 player games are possible. Players also form melds of three to seven cards of the same rank to get rid of their cards. Players must first get rid of their “Hand” cards before moving to the “Foot” cards. The game is usually played in four rounds. Players receive scores at the end of each round and the player with the most points at the end of the fourth round is declared the winner.
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Speed
Speed is a fast-paced card game for two players. There are no turns as both players play simultaneously. The first player to discard all of their cards wins the game. Speed is played using a standard 52-card deck. The game is also known as Spit or Slam.
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Five Crowns
This is another rummy-like game. It is played in 11 rounds using two standard card decks with jokers. Players get rid of their cards by playing card combinations of “Books” and “Runs”. A combination of 3 or more cards of the same suit that are in sequential order e.g. 3 of Hearts, 4 of Hearts, and 5 of Hearts is called a Book. A Run is a combination of 3 or more cards of the same rank irrespective of suit e.g. 3 of Hearts, 3 of Spades, 3 of Diamonds. Players are scored at the end of each round. The number of cards given to each player varies per round. At the end of the 11th round, the player with the lowest total score wins the game.
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Crazy Eights
This card game is quite similar to Uno. Crazy Eights is played using a standard 52-card deck. Each player is dealt 5 cards initially and the players try to get rid of their cards. There are special cards in the game that perform various roles. The first player to successfully get rid of all their cards wins.
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Slapjack
Cards are shared to each player face-down after which the players take turns to play the top card of their dealt cards to the centre. Immediately a Jack is played, all the players slap on the card with the fastest player taking the entire pile. The player that ends up getting all the cards wins the game.
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Beggar My Neighbour
This game is fun and easy to play. It is played using a standard 52-card deck. The entire deck is split evenly between the two players. The players then take turns to play the top card of their hand into the middle until a face card or an Ace turns up. These cards are penalty cards for one’s opponent. Once the opponent has paid the appropriate penalty, all the cards played so far into the middle are packed by the player that played the face or Ace card. Play continues until all the cards are in the hands of one player.
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Palace
A game requiring a simple strategy and a bit of luck to win. The game is played using a standard 52-card deck if just 2 players are involved in the game. The objective is to be the first player to get rid of all of the cards in your hand while keeping to the rules of the game.
Those are some 2 player card games you can enjoy on your next game night with your friends or your family.