Two Person Card Games
The electricity’s not cooperating. There’s no TV or Internet. It’s just the two of you and– what’s this, a deck of cards. Hmmm…what was that two-person card game that never got boring?
It can be played by two couples or with just you and your partner—either way, it's not intended for those who blush easily, although it is definitely one of the more tame couples games on this list. Each card lists five suggestive clues describing a totally innocent word, and to win you have to get your head out of the gutter and come up with. Check out these 10 best two-player card games for a fun time with your pal. Having a deck of cards on hand is always a good idea in case you're in the mood for an impromptu game night. With these easy 2 person card games, you’ll be able to have some fun without all the fuss. Slapjack – Slapjack, also known as Slaps, is a simple standard-deck card game, generally played among children. It can often be a child’s first introduction to playing cards. The game is also sometimes known as Heart Attack. Apr 29, 2020 (Of course, if you’re looking for fun two-person games that require nothing but a deck of cards, you can try rummy, gin rummy, double solitaire, crazy eights and war.) There’s a pretty pink tarot card deck to give readings to your roommate and a mini Zoltar kit if you’ve always wished to foretell your fortune.
Gin or Rummy For nonstop action that’ll make you forget YouTube for the night, deal up a hand of Gin and be prepared to lose track of time. Gin uses a standard deck of 52 cards, so you’re good to go as soon as you bust them out of the package. Sometimes known as Rummy, the object of the card game is to focus on building “runs” and “sets” (three-of-a-kind or four-of-a-kind). The game plays out quickly and the cards are the cards: they have no alternate ranking. If your partner is new to Gin (or Rummy) they can learn it quickly – and you may find that your familiarity with it is no match for even a newbie. The game, invented in 1909 by father and son Elwood and Graham Baker, has multiple variations and lends itself to making up your own interesting versions.
Dead Man's Draw Dead Man's Draw was originally created as an iPhone and PC game. It was popular enough that the creators were urged to make it into an actual board game. The board game can be played with two to four players. The play mats aren't required but they add a nice bit of fun to the game. The game can be ordered here: Dead Man's Draw.
Spit This is one of those two-person card games that’ll refuse to get boring no matter how long you play it. It’s also known as Speed, and that’s probably because the pace of playing is always furious. Both players get 26 cards. Each player lays out a set of piles similar to those used in Solitaire; however, Spit only uses five piles. The remaining cards that each player has are called the 'Spit' cards. When both players are ready, get ready to yell, 'Spit!' Turn up a card and start playing the same as you would Solitaire. What makes it challenging is that you can only use one hand and can only move one card at a time off of your piles to work the Spit piles. Even more fun is that you don’t have to be too picky: suit and colors do not matter in this game.
Crazy Eights Should your opponent happen to be significantly younger, you can’t go wrong with the perennial favorite two-person card “kid-approved” game of Crazy Eights. Each of you gets seven cards. The rest of the cards are placed in a pile between you. The dealer takes the first card off of the top of the pile and turns it face up to start the discard pile. The other player can discard a card that is the same number or that is from the same suit as the card that the dealer turned over. For example, if that card is a six of hearts, you can discard any six or any heart in your hand. If you don't have a card that you can play, you will have to draw. The winner of the round is the first person that gets rid of all of his or her cards. The loser must tally up the value of the cards in his or her hand.
- Negative 50 points for an eight
- Negative 10 points for face cards
- A single negative point for an ace
- Negative face value for all other cards
I couldn’t find any rules for the variation of Euchre for two players anywhere on the web, so here are the rules I learned. If you’ve never played this card game before, you can read up on normal, four-handed Euchre in many places online — here are a couple:
Best Two Person Card Parlor Games
The Cards
All the cards are the same as in normal Euchre: 9, 10, J, Q, K, A of each suit.
The Deal
Deal 4 face-down, 4 face-up on top of the face-down cards, and 4 in the hand to each person. The resulting table looks like this:
The Play
Euchre is a trick-taking game. The non-dealer has the opportunity to call trump or pass. If they pass, the dealer is forced to choose (like in “screw the dealer” in normal Euchre).
Once trump is chosen, the non-dealer leads normal play. To reiterate, it doesn't matter who chose trump — the non-dealer always leads. Each player must follow suit, playing from the face-up cards in front of them on the table or in their hand. When a card on the table is played, the card below it (if there is one) is turned over once the trick is complete.
There are twelve tricks to be played. To win the hand, you must take 7 of the 12 tricks. Each player gets one point for each trick they took. If the trump-caller fails to take 7 tricks, they have been “Euchred”, and the other person gets all 12 points.
The game is over when one player reaches 31 points.
Notes
Reneging. If you, or your opponent, realizes that one of you has played out of turn, played a card that they shouldn’t have, or made some other similar error, it is called reneging (it’s pronounced like renegging, with a short e or short i sound). When that happens, the player who made the mistake loses the hand immediately, and the opposing player gets 12 points. In other words, it’s the same as getting Euchred. Don’t do it!
Remember that you have cards in your hand that the other player can’t see. That sometimes will determine who wins.
Two Person Card Games Online
Variations
Readers have informed me of many variations on the deal. Any of these will work nicely:
- Play works the same as outlined above, except each player has five sets of two cards on the table, with two in the hand.
- Get rid of the 9s, then deal three set of two in front of each player, and three for each player's hand. Two cards will be left over. The dealer turns over the top card, representing trump. The other player can accept it or pass; if either player accepts the trump, the dealer has the opportunity to exchange one of his face-up or in-hand cards for the turned-up trump card. If neither player accepts the turned-over card, it is turned over, and they choose one of the remaining three suits for trump, as normal.
- Same as above, only keep the 9s, and each player has three groups of two cards on the table, with five cards in the hand.
- Deal each player three sets of two cards on the table, five in each hand, leaving two. Turn over the top of these two leftovers, which is your trump to bid on. If neither player takes it, the card is turned over, and non-dealer can choose from the remaining three suits as usual.
There's also a variation on scoring that's more like regular Euchre (where you use 2 five cards). Instead of 31 points, you play to 10 with the following point assignments: take 7 tricks, get 1 point; 8 tricks, 2 points; 9 tricks, 3 points; 10 or more; 4 points. The person who calls trump is the only one who can earn points unless he is Euchred. If that happens, the other player wins two points for that round. This scoring method doesn't require paper, which is nice, although it does require remembering something slightly more complicated than 1 trick equals 1 point.
Gratitude
This page has gotten a fair amount of attention from people who can't always scare up enough others to play four-handed Euchre, and while I'm glad to offer it, I've had some help.
Card Games With Regular Deck
- Thanks to Steve from Ottawa, IL for originally teaching us this variation on Euchre.
- Thanks to Amanda for helping clear up some confusion.
- Thanks to Mike Peters, Mike Miller, and Michele (so many Ms!) for the variations.