Game On!

Three card games that are perfect for your next family game night

To celebrate the launch of our fun and seriously funky playing cards, we’ve shortlisted three of our favorite card games. Kid-friendly and easy-to-learn they’re perfect for family gatherings, camping trips, plane rides and more. Let the games begin!

Go Fish

The aim of Go Fish is to win the most “books” of cards. A book is any four of a kind, such as four kings or four aces. The game’s rules allow you to steal cards from other players, making it particularly fun for kids.

The Deal:

Cards are dealt face-down. If two or three people are playing, each player receives seven cards. If four or five people are playing, each player receives five cards. The remaining cards are placed face-down in the middle of the table to make the “fish pond”, where players go fishing when they need to pick up a card.

Game Rules:

1. The player to the left of the dealer starts the game.
2. The player asks one other player for all of their cards of a certain rank. For example, they may ask, “Give me all your queens” or “Give me all your fours”. The player who is “fishing” must have at least one card of the rank they are requesting in their hand already.
3. The player who is addressed must hand over all the cards requested. If the player has none, they say, “Go fish!”. Then, the player who made the request must draw the top card from the “fish pond” and add it to their hand.
4. If a player steals one or more cards successfully, their turn continues, and they are allowed to ask the same or another player for a card. The player can ask for the same card or a different one. The player’s turn continues until they are unsuccessful in stealing a card.
5. When a player gets the fourth card of a book, they must place them on the table face-up.
6. The game ends when all thirteen books have been won. The winner is the player with the most books. If a player needs to ‘go fish’ during the game, but there are no cards left in the fish pond, they are out.

Crazy Eights

The goal of Crazy Eights is to get rid of all your cards. For older kids, Crazy Eights Countdown offers a fun and slightly more complex twist to the original game.

The Deal:

If two people are playing, each player is dealt seven cards. In a game with three or four players, each player is dealt five cards. The rest of the cards are placed face-down in a pile, with the top card turned face-up beside it. This becomes the discard pile.

Game Rules:

1. The player to the left of the dealer starts the game. First, they discard a card from their hand that matches either the number or suit of the top card in the discard pile. For example, if the card is a seven of spades, they could play any spade or any seven.
2. If they do not have a matching card, they continue picking up cards from the deck until they get one that is playable.
3. Eights are considered “wild cards” and can be put down for any suit. For example, an eight could be played to match a heart or a club. However, the next player must match their card to the number or suit that the eight covered.
4. Play continues with players matching the card at the top of the discard pile.
5. The first player to discard all of their cards wins. If the deck runs out before the game is over, the discard pile can be used.

War

A super-simple game for two players, the goal of War is to be the first player to win all 52 cards.

The Deal:

All 52 cards are dealt to the two players face-down. Neither player must look at their cards.

Game Rules:

1. Both players turn over their top card and place them side-by-side, face-up in the middle of the table.
2. Whoever has turned over the highest-ranking card wins both cards and adds them to the bottom of their pile.
3. This continues until two cards of the same value (for example, two fives or two kings) are placed down together. The game is now in a state of “war”.
4. To continue, players take two new cards and put one face-down on top of the card they have already placed in the middle and one face-up. Whoever puts down the highest-ranking card wins all six cards.
5. The game ends when one player has won all the cards.