Top 10 popular card games

10. Spades

Spades evolved in United States in the 1930s and can be played singles or teamed. At the beginning each team bids certain number of tricks and to win the team is bound to win at least that committed number of tricks. The ultimate objective of the game is to reach 500 points first.  Each player plays with 13 cards in his hands. A suit is also decided by the bidder which acts as a trump for the game. The game is played till a team finally accumulates 500 points.

9. Solitaire:

Solitaire is the most unique of all card games since you can play it alone too. It is a puzzle like game and several software variants have emerged now but the basic rules remain same. This game is won by arranging the cards in sequence with Black and Red cards alternated to each other. The four different suits don’t hold significance, what matters is the color. Several versions of this game are found in different demographics including UK and China.

 8. Spite and Malice:

Spite and Malice is a Solitaire like card game, it can be played by two to four players. This game is played with three decks of playing cards while the Jokers are optional. In case of more than four players extra decks can also be added. Queen is ranked highest and Ace is lowest, kings are wild cards and can replace other cards. Initially every player is dealt with 26 cards known as goal pile. Person you first moves all the cards from goal pile to playing piles wins the game.

7. Hearts:

Hearts is another popular trick taking game just like spades and Bridge. The game is best played by four players with a regular deck of 52 cards. All 52 cards are first distributed amongst the four players. All heart cards carry one point and Queen of spade carries 13 points. The goal here is to earn least number of points. The game is played numerous times till one person reaches a total of 100 points. At that time, player with least points wins the game. Lastly, if a player obtains all 26 points then the other three players are added with 26 points each.

6. Spoons:

Spoons is a quick game which involves bluffing at times. Along with a regular plying card deck you would need some spoons or any other object for that matter. The goal here is to collect four of a kind and the not be the last one to pick up a spoon. As soon as any player picks up a spoon, others can pick spoons too. Every time you pick the last spoon you get one letter from S-P-O-O-N. The one who gets the whole word “SPOON” looses the game.

5. Gin Rummy:

Gin Rummy is from the Rummy family of card games but it is relatively faster. Initially all the players are dealt with 10 cards each. You have to make runs and combinations by eliminating useless cards. You can make a set of 3 cards with same rank or make a set of 4 cards in sequence of the same suit. When your turn comes around you either pick a card off the unused card piles or from the last card played. Then the player discards one card maintaining the set of 10 cards. The useless cards in your hand are called deadwood and contribute to points in your hand, motive is to have zero deadwood points.

4. Bridge:

Bridge is one of the most complex games played using playing cards. This game is played by four players with two competing teams. Players facing each other are in the same team and the game involves several dealings. Two other popular variants of Bridge are Rubber and Duplicate Bridge. Bridge is played at big world level tournaments too. It is believed to have emerged out of Russia and later popularized in the world. The game involves bidding and scoring maximum points.

3. Blackjack:

Blackjack, more popularly known as 21 in casinos is a gambling card game. The game is played against the dealer of the house. A player is dealt with two cards and the motive is to score 21 or less. You can ask for an extra card by saying hit, but if the sum exceeds 21 you lose the game. The player with the closest total to 21 or exactly 21 wins the game and the bidding amount too. This game is known to be harassed by card counters who keep track of cards from the deck.

2. Texas Hold ’em:

Texas Hold ‘em is a very popular variant of Poker and involves even more mathematical and psychological calculations. Like Poker, Texas Hold ‘em also involves betting and the person with best card combination wins the game. The winner gets all the collections in the pot of betting. In Texas Hold ‘em you have the chance to bet four times hence making it complex strategically. This game was evolved in Texas in 1900 and later moved to other parts of the world, including Las Vegas.

1. Poker:

Poker is one of the most played betting card games. The winner in this game is decided by the combination of cards obtained. Each player is dealt with certain number of cards, on those cards player bets, only if he thinks he has the highest combination. If the player feels his hand is bad or low he can fold and quit the game. Poker has many forms which are played in different parts of the world but the basic game-play remains intact. Poker is very popular amongst casinos along with Blackjack. The game concludes when a person asks for show. It is the time when everyone declares their cards and the winner is chosen in the basis of best combination. Being a good poker player involves luck and psychological interpretations both, making it a complex and highly enjoyable game.