Find the deck that suits the table.

Learn a card game

Sixteen games, each with rules in plain words and a free practice game in your browser, with a coach beside the cards explaining the rules and the beginner mistakes as you go. Most also have a narrated game you can watch before you play. New to cards? Start with Go Fish, Crazy Eights or Rummy.

• Go Fish

  2–6 players

  Ask the other players for cards and collect all four of a kind, like four 7s. The easiest first game to teach a child.

  Rules for Go Fish Practice Go Fish Watch a game of Go Fish

• Old Maid

  2 or more players

  Match up pairs, take cards from each other without looking, and try not to be left holding the last queen.

  Rules for Old Maid Practice Old Maid Watch a game of Old Maid

• Crazy Eights

  2 or more players

  Match the top card (a club on a club, a 7 on a 7) and be the first to empty your hand. An 8 can go on anything.

  Rules for Crazy Eights Practice Crazy Eights Watch a game of Crazy Eights

• Rummy

  2–6 players

  Collect groups of matching cards and put them down. The simplest rummy game, and the one to learn first.

  Rules for Rummy Practice Rummy Watch a game of Rummy

• Solitaire

  1 player

  The classic game for one: sort the whole deck onto four piles, from ace up to king.

  Rules for Solitaire Practice Solitaire Watch a game of Solitaire

• Hearts

  4 players

  Everyone plays for themselves, and the goal is to collect as few points as you can.

  Rules for Hearts Practice Hearts Watch a game of Hearts

• Spades

  4 players in 2 teams

  Guess how many rounds your cards will win, then win at least that many with your partner.

  Rules for Spades Practice Spades

• Euchre

  4 players in 2 teams

  A fast partner game played with only 24 cards, where two jacks become the highest cards.

  Rules for Euchre Practice Euchre

• Whist

  4 players in 2 teams

  The old partner game that Bridge grew from: you and your partner win rounds together.

  Rules for Whist Practice Whist Watch a game of Whist

• Pinochle

  4 players in 2 teams

  A 48-card deck, an auction for points, and combinations of cards that score.

  Rules for Pinochle Practice Pinochle Watch a game of Pinochle

• Bridge

  4 players in 2 partnerships

  Partners count their card points to decide which side plays the deal, then try to win as many rounds as they promised. Our practice game is a simplified version called Minibridge.

  Rules for Bridge Practice Bridge Watch a game of Bridge

• Gin Rummy

  2 players

  The classic rummy game for two: make groups of matching cards and end the deal when your leftover cards are worth 10 points or less.

  Rules for Gin Rummy Practice Gin Rummy Watch a game of Gin Rummy

• Cribbage

  2 players

  Play cards toward a total of 31 and count the points in your hand, scored on a pegboard.

  Rules for Cribbage Practice Cribbage

• Rummy 500

  2–8 players

  Rummy with an open discard pile: take cards from deep in it and score what you put down.

  Rules for Rummy 500 Practice Rummy 500 Watch a game of Rummy 500

• Hand and Foot

  2–6 players

  A big rummy game with several decks, two piles of cards each, and groups of seven.

  Rules for Hand and Foot Practice Hand and Foot Watch a game of Hand and Foot

• Canasta

  4 players in 2 teams

  A partner game of matching groups: build a group of seven cards for a bonus and take the whole discard pile when you can use its top card.

  Rules for Canasta Practice Canasta Watch a game of Canasta

All the rules All the practice games

Learn cardistry

Fans, springs and cuts done for how they look, with nothing hidden. Step-by-step moves with diagrams, the words you will hear in videos, and decks that move well.

All the moves and cardistry pages

Start here

Every word of it is above, plus a glossary for the words you may hear at a real card table. Still to come: card games for three, four and five players, and what you can play with a deck you already own.