If you are looking for 3 player card games that will provide quality entertainment for you and your friends or family, we have compiled a list of some of the best and popular 3 player card games available. The games range from the easy ones to the strategy ones and those that require a little bit of luck for you to win. Find out which 3 player games made it to our list below.
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Three Handed Euchre
Traditionally, euchre is played by four players but in the absence of a fourth player, three-handed euchre can be played. The players end up playing 2 vs 1 but there are no permanent partnerships in the game and players lose or win on their own. Three-handed euchre is played using the standard 24 card euchre deck that consists of 9’s through Ace’s.
In the absence of the standard euchre deck, the regular 52-card deck can be used but the deck is stripped of other cards leaving just 9’s through Ace’s. The game is played in “hands” and each hand lasts five “tricks”. Players are scored at the end of each hand. The first player to score 10 points wins a game of three-handed euchre. There are several variations of three-handed euchre, a popular one is Cutthroat.
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Thirty-One
A fun card game that can be enjoyed by three players. The game is played in rounds and players try to build a 31-point hand in each round. The closer to 31 your hand is, the better. The player with the lowest hand at the end of each round loses and must give up a token. The players are handed three tokens each at the start of the game which they try not to lose. The last player with a token(s) wins the game.
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Uno
Uno is a fast-paced card game that involves players trying to get rid of their cards to win. On each turn, a player must play a card that matches the top card of the discard pile in colour, number, or symbol. A player that is unable to do this must take a card from the draw pile. To win the game, be the first player to discard all your cards. Other Uno games played similarly to the original Uno but with slight modifications include Uno Flip and Uno Attack.
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Old Maid
Old Maid is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. One of the four Queens in the deck is removed, leaving a total of 51 cards. The 51 cards are shared between the players. Some players will end up with more cards than others. The players will check their dealt cards and discard any pairs they have. If a player has three of a kind, they discard two of the cards.
Each player then offers their remaining cards to the player on their left who removes one card from it and discards any pair that may have been formed by the drawn card. Play progresses this way until all the cards are paired. The remaining card will be the odd Queen which cannot be paired and the player who owns that card is the loser and earns the title of Old Maid.
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Rummy
Discard your cards by combining them to form melds. Meld is of two types, Runs which is a combination of three or four cards of the same rank, and Books which is a combination of three or four cards of the same suit. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins a game of rummy. The game is played using a standard deck of 52 cards.
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Phase 10
Phase 10 is similar to rummy in some aspects. In Phase 10, players have to complete 10 phases of the game in order. The requirement to complete each Phase of the game varies. The first player to complete all 10 Phases of the game wins. A player can only complete one Phase per round and a player that is unable to complete a Phase before a round ends must attempt to complete the same Phase in the next round.
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Golf
Golf card game is also known as Polish, Polka, and Polish Poker. There is the 4-card, the 6-card, the 8-card, the 9-card and the 10-card Golf game based on the number of cards used in playing. The different versions of Golf card game share some similarities but the rules and gameplay for each one differ slightly.
The game can be played over 9 or 18 deals (rounds) just like 9 or 18 holes in the regular golf game. The player with the least score after 9 or 18 deals wins the game.
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Rack-O
Rack-O is quite simple to play. Simply try to stack your cards in numerical order from the highest to the lowest in your rack to win a round of the game. You earn points at the end of each round. A total of 500 points is needed to win the game.
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Go Fish
Go Fish is a fun card game for kids but adults equally find it entertaining as well. The objective of the game is to create more “Books” than your opponent. A book is created using four cards of the same rank. Go fish is played using a standard 52-card deck.
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Skulls
This bluffing game is quite easy to play. Players place cards face-down in front of them and then attempt to win bets. The first player to win two bets wins. To win a bet, a player must open the number of cards they bid during the bidding round without opening a skull card. You lose the bet once you open a skull card. 6 packs of cards are used in playing the game. Each pack has four cards with identical backs. Three of the cards are rose cards with the fourth one being a skull card.
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Sushi Go
Create the most valuable food you can by combining food cards in Sushi Go. Earn points at the end of each round for the food you create. After 3 rounds, the player with the most points wins the game. The game is played using 108 Sushi Go cards.
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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 dealt shared to each player face-down after which the players take turns to play the top card of their dealt cards to the center. 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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Pit
Recreate the frenzied atmosphere of the marketplace in this game of Pit. Players trade cards blindly while trying to corner the market by having all 9 cards of a particular commodity. A round of the game ends once a player has all 9 cards of one commodity. The player earns points for the commodity they cornered. To win a game of Pit, a player must be the first to score 500 points.
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Peanuts
Peanuts, Nerts, Nurtz, Nurts, Pounce, and Solitaire Frenzy all refer to the same game. This fast-paced form of multi-player solitaire is fun and easy to play. All the players play simultaneously and try to empty their draw pile by building on the four cards laid horizontally in front of them and also on the foundation piles.
The game is played in rounds. Once a player uses up all the cards in their peanuts pile and yells “Peanuts”, a round of the game ends. That player wins the round. Scores are awarded after each round and the first player to score 150 points wins the game. A standard deck of 52-cards is needed for each player involved in a game of Peanuts and each card deck must have a different back design.
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Skat
Skat is a 3 player alliance game that pits two players against one. The game rules are quite complicated which makes it not so much easy to learn and play. The game was originally played using German-suited cards but a classic French 32-card deck can be used to play the game. Each player is dealt 10 cards while the remaining two cards are placed face-down as the Skat.
The declaration phase which is an outbidding battle firstly between the other two players excluding the dealer begins after. The dealer then squares off against the winner of the first battle. The winner of the second battle becomes the declarator. The declarator may choose to see the Skat or play without it. The trump suit is also chosen by the declarator. The declarator is the pitched against the two other players who become allies. 61 points are needed to win a round of Skat.
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Canasta
Canasta is popularly played as a team game for four players in two teams, but three-player games are possible. The game is played in rounds, using two card decks with jokers. For a game involving 3 players, each player is dealt 13 cards initially by the dealer but a player must take two cards instead of 1 each time they pick from the draw pile.
Players earn points for forming melds. A meld is a combination of 3 or more cards of the same rank. At the end of each round, players receive scores at the end of each round with the first player to reach a total of 5000 points declared the winner of the game.
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Hand and Foot
Hand and Foot is commonly played by four people in two teams, but it can also be played by three people playing individually. 5 standard card decks including jokers are used to play the game.
Starting with their “Foot” cards before moving to their “Hand” cards, players must form melds of three to seven cards of the same rank to get rid of their cards. The game is played in four rounds with players receiving points at the end of each round. The player with the most points at the end of the fourth round wins the game.
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Five crowns
This game is played in 11 rounds using two standard card decks with jokers. Cards must be played in combinations known as “Books” and “Runs”. A “Book” is 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. 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.
At the end of each round, players are scored. The number of cards given to each player at the start of each round varies. The player with the least total score at the end of the 11th round wins the game.
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99 Card Game
Try not to lose your three tokens in this fun card game of 99. The game is played in rounds and each round, players try not to be the one to take the value of the discard pile above 99. The player that ends up taking the value of the discard pile above 99 in each round loses and must give up a token. The game continues until only one player is left with token and that player is declared the winner.
Those are some 3 player card games you can enjoy on game night with friends or family. Have fun!