Rules of Card Games » card games

Rules of Playing the Old Maid Card Game

karl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:54:48 +0000

“Old Maid”, card game is part of a collection of games called scapegoat games, where the goal is to avoid a particular set of cards or card during gameplay. The game can be played by 2 to 8 players with a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal of the game is to avoid being the last player holding the “Old Maid”. The setup involves removing 3 queens from the deck of cards leaving the remaining queen to be the Old Maid. Alternatively, one queen could be removed and the remaining queen of the same color becomes the old maid.

After this step choose a dealer and deal the cards evenly among the players in the group. It is okay for some players to have more cards than others. The gameplay involves players looking for similar cards and disposing them. When a player has a match of 3 cards, he or she discards 2 and remains with one. The dealer will then offer the player on his or her left a hand side to randomly select a card from him. If the selected card matches one he or she has at hand, he or she drops the pair; otherwise he or she keeps it.

In a clockwise direction, this player then offers the player to his or her left the hand and the player repeats the same process. This cycle is repeated until there are no pairs left, except of course for the old maid. The player who is found holding the Old Maid at this time loses the game. Special old maid pack of cards can also be used to play this game. These cards contain a special ‘old maid’ that is decorated or uniquely different. Otherwise the rest of the cards remain the same. Whatever kinds of cards are used, the game proves to be fun to card players.

Below is a picture of a deck of old maid cards:

How to Play the Go Fish Card Game

karl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:05:17 +0000

Go fish game is popular for its simplicity and use of silly phrases. It is an ideal game for children since they find it enjoyable and in the process learn to recognize numbers by taking turns. Playing this game requires use of cards and it is played as follows: first and foremost the players should range between two to six. Each player is dealt a number of cards. If the players number four or less they seven cards but if they are more they are receive five cards. Players should hold their cards facing them. The rest should be placed at the center or fish pond/pool where players will draw them from.

The first player is identified and players determine the cards they plan to collect in groups of four. The player that is the first to get the most number of sets is the winner. Players are free to ask others for specific cards they are looking for and if a player has a card that is asked for they have no choice but to hand it over which allows the receiving player to play again. Players that do not have the requested cards tell their counterparts to “go fish”, which means one has to choose one card from the pool of cards at the center.

If one draws their preferred card they have fished upon their wish and can go again, if not their turn ends and the next player on the left takes over. Sets of four that are collected should be placed on the table and wins are determined once the fish pond or pool is depleted. The player with the most number of sets becomes the winner of that particular game. Players get immediate gratification and make the game move faster when they collect and lay down pairs as opposed to waiting till they get foursomes.

Here is a video explanation of how to play the Go Fish card game:

How to Play the Crazy Eights Card Game

karl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:02:31 +0000

The Crazy eights card game is a game for 2 to 8 players. The objective of this game is aiming to be the first player to discard all cards. The standard 52 deck card is used to play the game. The dealer deals 5 cards to all players. If only 2 players are playing, each of them is dealt 7 cards. The remaining cards are piled on top of the table upside down and one card is turned the right way up to create the discard stack. The player situated to the left of the dealer starts the game in a clockwise direction. Players pick cards from the stack of discards or the cards that have not been dealt.

If the card on top of the discard stack is an eight, a player can play with any card that has been nominated as a suit by the previous player. Any card that matches the suit can be played. If the top card is not number 8, any card which matches the suit or rank of the previous card can be played. For example, if the top card was a 5 diamonds, then the next player can play a number 5 or a diamond. The player that drops all of his or her cards wins the game. The rest of the players are penalised depending to the cards they still have at hand. For example, an 8 is worth 50 points, a picture is worth 10 and all spot cards hold their face values. The game can contain a number of variations. One of these is to give certain cards special meanings, like having the gameplay reversed when an ace is played or having the next player pick 2 cards from the un-dealt pile if the previous player drops a number 2. However, before making such changes, ensure all the players are familiar with the changes.

Below is a Video explanation of How to Play Crazy Eights