Unique card game

So you have a beautiful deck of custom playing cards. Now what? You can certainly put it quietly and safely on your display shelf, occasionally looking at it out of the corner of your eye to remind you that it is really yours, give an admiring glance at the exquisite tuck case, and get a fuzzy feeling inside knowing that it contains some wonderful cards within.

You can even take out the cards from time to time, to feel their embossed and papery touch in your hand, and remind them that they are loved. And maybe you can even take them for an occasional spin with some high flying cardistry magic, or use them for some card magic. This category is somewhat arbitrary in that some of the card games in the other categories can also be enjoyed socially or with children, and the games in this category are certainly not just for children.

But if I was looking for a fun and lighter game that is easy to learn and play, these are all excellent choices. By drawing and discarding a card each turn, the aim is to try to improve your three card hand to have the closest to 31 points in one suit. The aim is to be the first to get rid of all your cards, and you can bluff about what cards you are playing on a turn, but if you get challenged and caught out you have to pick up the entire pile.

Egyptian Ratscrew players - This is a quick-slapping game that is like Slap Jack on steroids, and has been published commercially under the name Slamwich. In turns players play a card to a common layout, which will begin with sevens as the foundation for each suit. Once a seven is played, you can build up or down on that suit, with the aim to be the first to play all your cards.

Golf players - A great casual game for two players that also works with 3 or more. There are many variations, the most common one being six card Golf, where everyone has a 3x2 grid of cards worth varying points, that you try to improve. Just like in real golf, the goal is to get the lowest score possible over nine holes or hands.

The Diamonds are point cards corresponding to their value, and revealed one at a time in random order. Players each get an entire suit as their hand Clubs or Spades , and play a card of their choice, with the revealed point card going to the higher played card. Knock Out Whist players - Also called "Trumps", this is a simplified version of Whist , where the aim is to avoid elimination after each hand by winning at least one trick. The first hand has seven tricks, and it becomes harder to stay in the game because each successive hand has one less trick.

A perfect game to introduce people to trick-taking. Mao players - This game has especially been popular in college and university crowds since the s, and the aim is not just to win but to have fun. Essentially it is a Crazy Eights variant with special additions, but the rules may not be discussed; new players are expected to try to figure out the rules by observing a game and by trial and error.

Theoretically there are overtones of Mornington Crescent, Fizzbin, and Calvinball, but Mao is actually a playable game. A very light casual game, where the aim is to avoid being last to get rid of your cards. Players each have a row of three face down cards, a row of three face up cards covering these, and a hand of three cards.

On your turn you play cards equal or higher than the card on the discard pile, otherwise you pick up the entire pile. The aim is to get rid of cards as soon as possible, and you must play at least as many cards as the previous player, but with higher values. Depending on the order in which players go out, a new hierarchy of players is established. A variation of this was published commercially as The Great Dalmuti.

For more advanced climbing games, see Big Two later on this list. A simple game of passing cards around, with a high luck element, the player with the lowest card at the end loses a chip, and the aim is to avoid being eliminated by losing your chips. Rummy players - A classic card game, in which players draw and discard cards, trying to get "melds" that typically consist of sets of the same values or runs of consecutive values.

Many variants exist, including Gin Rummy , which is an excellent game and appears later on this list, as well as some commercially published games like the Mystery Rummy series.

Contract Rummy players also developed from Rummy, and adds the complication that in each round players have to fulfil a different contract, which is a fixed combination of sets or runs, that they must have before they can meld. It's great for game night.

There's a reason this game is called Shadows , and it's not just because you're meant to play it in the dark. Players work together to move each Shadowling away from the light of the lantern in the center of the board, however one player the Seeker is on a mission to catch them in the light.

The Seeker is the only player able to move the lantern according to their glow-in-the-dark dice roll — but if the Shadowlings are all able to gather in the same shadow before the Seeker freezes them, they win. According to reviewers: "Such a fun game! I know it says ages 8 and up but got this to play with my 5 year old and she loves it.

We like add some light spooky sound effects turned down in the background to add a little more atmosphere to the play. Awarded the Best Mind Game award by Mensa, Spy Alley has players bluff, deceive, and use deductive reason to expose other spies while simultaneously completing their secret mission. The game requires a lot of interaction between players which makes it great for family game night, though it does take some thinking. While the rules are easy to understand within a few minutes, it does require a fair amount of logic and reasoning out of players.

Purchased with 8-yr-old grandchildren in mind, and it captivated not only the kids but parents and grandparents. Provides great variations for different levels of play from simple to more complex strategies. And game conversations can be delightful because of the roles and the intrigue. As far as educational board games go, Photosynthesis is able to blend fun with facts so that you'll barely even notice you're learning.

Players compete to grow trees from seeds to adulthood, with points awarded after trees have reached full maturity. The leaves on the trees collect light points that let you grow and plant additional trees, but be careful — you can't just plant a tree anywhere on the board, as trees planted in shadow won't receive any sunlight.

According to reviewers: "Don't be fooled by the beautiful artwork, or the adorable little illustrated animals hidden within the components, Photosynthesis is a vicious abstract strategy game, and it's probably the best use of thematic gameplay for any tabletop game [in recent years], worthy of being equated with other top tier uses of theme in designing gameplay, such as Shadows Over Camelot, Blood Rage, and just about anything produced by Fantasy Flights.

Ever wonder what it's like to be a monster hunter? You can get the tiniest taste of it by playing Ravensburger Horrified , during which players get to defend the town against famous monsters like Dracula, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the invisible man.

While the strategy gameplay takes only an hour and the rules are very easy to understand, it can be played over and over again with its varying difficulty levels and thoughtful design.

According to reviewers: " The Universal Monsters theme is put to great use in this co-op board game. Replayability is high with each monster having unique abilities and players having to solve mini game-like challenges i. If you have trouble getting into regular Monopoly, this cat-themed version makes the game much more accessible. Players travel around the board purchasing different cat breeds while trying to avoid flea-themed pay spaces.

The back of each "deed" card contains fun facts about cats, but be careful not to wind up in jail — or in this game's version, a pool of water. According to reviewers: "Cutest Monopoly-based game ever. I played a game with my 82 yr old mom, and we have never laughed so hard nor had such a great time playing a board game.

Lovely way to spend 3 hours on a cold afternoon. Whereas Scrabble has players build words off of each other, Upwords has you stack letters on top of each other to create new ones. And unlike Scrabble, the Upwords board rotates so that it's easy to see all your moves without having to read upside-down.

According to reviewers: "This is much more fun than scrabble and easier to play for all the family. It is much more compact than the original Upwords game so much easier to store and take with you. Catan the base game has upwards of 20, reviews and an overall rating of 4. Even though it can be learned in minutes, the various strategies, player interactions, and development cards ensure that each round is different for years of entertainment.

According to reviewers: "I have been playing Settlers of Catan for over 15 years and while many other games have come and gone, I still think this is my favorite game of all time. This is a great strategy game that isn't hard to learn, but like an onion there are many levels to [peel] back. By Rebecca Martinson. Updated: Dec. Originally Published: June 15, So, what are you waiting for? The color or suit of the cards does not matter.

Once a stock pile is empty, place one of the face-up cards from another stock pile into the space and reveal the next face down card. If there are no plays using any of the available stock cards, turn up one from your draw pile and play it if possible.

Otherwise, keep drawing until you have a play. Either spit pile is eligible for the players to use to get rid of their cards. The first player to get rid of their cards wins the game. This Italian card game is played with two decks of 52 playing cards, minus the jokers.

The person who is dealing gives each player 13 cards, dealing them face down one at a time. The remaining cards are put down in the middle of the table, face down because they are the draw cards.

The object of the game is for each player to get rid of their cards. They need to be in valid combinations, which are:. The aces can either be high or low, but now both. For instance, 2-A-K is invalid. Each player takes a turn and can either take a card from the stock pile and add it to their hand, or play one or more cards from your hand onto the table, as long as you can put them in valid combinations. If a player makes a move they cannot complete, such as removing cards from their hand to play on the table, they must take them back and draw three cards as a penalty.

The first player to get rid of their cards wins, and the other players are accessed a penalty point for each card left in their hand. Many of the two-player games can be played with three or more players, but you should read the rules to find out how to play the games with three or more people. Several of these games are unique strategic unique card games that are challenging, as well as entertaining. Many of the two or more player card games you find are fun to play and may have players laughing throughout the game.

Some of these games include:. While many of these games are suitable for playing with children, there are often adult versions too.

However, if you just want to have fun, you and your friends, or your spouse, can learn these games to play after dinner or while you have a few cocktails on the weekend.

Kids can use these games to learn spelling and math skills like addition, subtraction, and counting by putting cards in sequential order. Whether you want to play a game alone or with your spouse, there are many unique card games of which people have never heard.