# Card games to play with kids **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 24, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636 "2004-07-24T03:06:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/1 "2004-07-24T03:06:15Z")
I’ve tried a few times and can’t seem to find one that works. Too easy for me, too tough for the kids, no fun etc. What’s worked for you at different ages? While we’re at it, how about board games? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/2 "2004-07-24T03:13:49Z")
I learned to play blackjack at an early age. I loved math and tried to learn how to count cards in a 52 card deck. Contract Bridge is also easy to learn for many kids. Hearts is also a good choice. Chess is an excellent board game to learn. I also played Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Backgammon, and Risk. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/3 "2004-07-24T03:17:32Z")
I’ve been playing poker since I was nine, euchre since I was twelve. We’re big on cards in my family. For younger kids, I’d recommend rummy, gin, Michigan rummy, and Crazy 8’s. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/4 "2004-07-24T03:40:52Z")
Uno, Pit, Skipbo (or the face card version called Spite and Malice), I Doubt It, Stealing Bundles, Pig, and Snap. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/5 "2004-07-24T04:37:18Z")
[Casino](http://www.pagat.com/fishing/casino.html). Good way to teach adding, too. If those rules are too confusing, here’s the gist of the game: Four cards are placed face-up in the center and each player has four cards in their hand. The object is to capture the face-up cards. This can be done by matching cards in pairs (or more), adding vaules of two (or more) cards, or by both matching cards and adding values. That didn’t help, did it? I’ll explain further. [ul][_]Players take turns by placing a card face-up on the table or capturing one of the face-up cards.[_]If a player holds a seven and there’s a three and a four on the table, the seven can take both cards.[_]If there’s a three, a four, and a seven on the table, the player can make seven out of the three and four and take all three cards.[_]If a player holds two sevens, they can make a seven out of the three and four and place one seven on top of them, intending to take the three cards on the next turn. However, another player with a seven can do the same on their turn.[_]10s and face cards can only be combined with cards of the same value.[_]Players cannot combine a three and a four to take a seven.[_]If a player cannot make a legal play, they must lay down one of their cards face-up with the others.[_]Once each player has played their four cards, they get four more.Play cotinues until the deck is run through.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/6 "2004-07-24T04:43:58Z")
I know from personal experiance that a 6-year old can play Texas Hold 'Em. ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/7 "2004-07-24T11:50:24Z")
Poker was the first card game I learned to play followed by Crib. Kids pick up just about any card game very quickly. My kids also particularly liked Uno and Uno Hearts, Scrabble, Backgammon, Chess, Monopoly, Game of Life, and just about anything I was willing to play with them. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/8 "2004-07-24T11:54:17Z")
You have to get a special set of cards, but [Mille Borne](http://www.centralconnector.com/GAMES/Milleborne.html) is the _best._ I loved that game as a kid and I think I’m going to get a set and start playing it again. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/9 "2004-07-24T12:04:01Z")
Oh, [here’s an Amazon link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004SDAP/104-8174436-5769552?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance) for Mille Bornes. (I forgot the “s” at the end there.) Read the customer reviews. A lot of people love it as much as I did. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/10 "2004-07-24T12:05:49Z")
Old Maid can be played with a regular deck. Just throw in a Joker. Concentration, where you lay out the cards face down for the kids to match up, is a good one too. Depending on how old the kidlets are, you may not want to use all 52. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/11 "2004-07-24T12:21:05Z")
We used to play “Fleece the Father” all week long on family vacations, during otherwise idle times. This is poker, with Dad giving everyone a pile of money and then trying to win it back from them. Kids are allowed to cash in any time they want, and don’t spend any of their own money. Each child gets maybe $5 or so in chips, or in actual coinage (the merry chink of pennies hitting the pot adds to the fun). Straight 5-card poker is the easiest to teach, though it’s rarely played. You deal 5 down cards, have a round of betting, then the showdown. 5 card draw is quite easy for kids to learn. 5 down cards, round of betting, draw, another round of betting, then showdown. It can be tedious when every dealer gets to name his own game. 9-card stud with one eyed jacks wild and odd diamonds dead after first up queen is just about impossible to imagine strategy for when you were already thinking about bed time. One downside - little kids never want to fold, which messes up bluffing. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/12 "2004-07-24T12:36:06Z")
For younger kids, you can’t go wrong with War. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/13 "2004-07-24T13:32:52Z")
I started playing Tonk (which is good for practicing addition) and slap jack at around age five. ---
**Author:** ![Magickly\_Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magickly\_Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magickly_Delicious)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/14 "2004-07-24T14:04:18Z")
[Enchanted Forest](http://www.funagain.com/cgi-bin/funagain/05148) and Othello are good board games. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/15 "2004-07-24T15:51:23Z")
Another vote for Mille Bournes and Uno. My son is almost 8 and plays both. Don’t bother with Uno Junior (or whatever the kiddie version is called). He’s been playing regular Uno since he was four. Sorry is another good board game. Again, don’t bother with the kiddie version. The regular one is just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@Bren\_Cameron\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bren_Cameron_1)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/16 "2004-07-24T16:02:00Z")
Paidhi Girl loves Uno. I’ve been trying to teach her Cribbage, but she’s not quite ready for it yet. (She’s seven). Go Fish and Old Maid are also popular here. I’m working on spades–the only tricky part is bidding, but I think Paidhi Girl will catch on pretty quickly. Both she and Paidhi Boy (four) love Junior Monopoly, and recently I picked up Mancala at the store–that one’s a winner with pretty much everyone. I highly recommend it. Oh, and there’s always Yahtzee. That’s a good one, too. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/17 "2004-07-24T16:28:24Z")
Cheat (aka Bullshit/I Doubt It) Rules: [http://www.pagat.com/beating/cheat.html](http://www.pagat.com/beating/cheat.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/18 "2004-07-24T16:36:43Z")
A third vote for **Mille Bornes** and **Uno**. I played them both as a kid, and we play them today with our six year old daughter. They’re fun for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/19 "2004-07-24T16:56:08Z")
Another vote for Uno, 5-card draw poker and blackjack. As far as board games, I always had fun playing Guess Who?, Battleship, Wheel of Fortune and Boggle. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636/20 "2004-07-26T04:14:43Z")
Thanks, everybody, especially cazzle. I played I doubt you in college and hadn’t thought about it in years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/card-games-to-play-with-kids/256636.md?page=2)