5 Fun Card Games To Brighten Up Your Family Get-Togethers!

Family get-togethers give us the perfect opportunity to catch up with loved ones and strengthen our bond over food and conversation. But for some, family nights are more than that. It is about having a good time while amusing everyone with exceptional game skills and parlour tricks.

And what’s a better way to both annoy and amuse family members than beating them at some games? So in case your family cards over other broad games, here are some of the most popular ones that you can play with regular or custom game cards at your next family gathering. 

5 Popular Card Games For All!

Check out these perfect card games that you can play at your next family night!

• Slapjack

This game is perfect for a family of four-six members and is suitable for players of all ages. The cards are dealt clockwise in this game, and they kept faced down. Now, each player has to draw a card from atop the deck. Remember to hide the cards you draw from your opponents. 

The remaining deck is placed in the centreunder the watchful eyes of the players. Typically, when this card game is played, the one to slap the card first wins the whole pile.

Those with no more cards may try to earn their way back by slapping a Jack. If they slap a Jack before others, they collect the pile. But what happens when a player slaps the pile incorrectly?The player must pay a penalty card for slapping a card when it is not a Jack. 

Fun idea: You can add a fun punishment with the penalty and make the player silly dare!

• Crazy Eights

Typically, 2-8 family members can play this card game, which is a great way to let everyone participate instead of being a mere spectator.  Now, the primary of Crazy Eight is to get rid of all the cards before other players. In a game of crazy eight, five cards are dealt at once. The dealers start with the player from his/her left.

The cards are faced down,and the remaining are kept at the centre of the table. Players turn the first card up and place it next to the face-down pile. Once eight turns up, the card is buried in the middle of the pack, and then the next card in the lot is turned. These face-up cards will form the starter pile.

Each player will place one card facing upwards on the starter pile. The catch is every card played, which is not an eight, should match the one card placed atop the starter pile either in denomination or suit.

For example, if the starter is a King of Clubs, your card should either be another king or a card from a club suit. 

Note that when a player fails to play the chance, he/she can draw a card from the top of face-down cards. Also, the player has to pass his/her chance to the next player if the face-down pile of cards runs out.

• Go Fish

The numbers dealt depends on the number of players participating. So, if there are two players, each will get 7 cards. In case there are more than two players, each playerreceives five cards. The remaining deck is kept face down at the middle of the table, aka, the fish pond. This is where players go ‘fishing’ if they need a card. 

For example, if you have a King, you may ask another player whether he/she has any Kings. If the player has Kings, he/she has to give you all, but if the player does not have the cards,the player says, ‘Go fish’. 

The player who collects at least four cards of the same rank has to show it to other players. The one with the most books wins the game. It is quite easy to cheat in this game, so make sure to set up some ground rules first. 

To keep the game fun and interesting, you can set your own rules accepted and followed by all players!

• Spades

Keep a standard deck of cards, a score sheet, and a pen handy to play the spades. You will need two teams with two players on each side. Before starting the game,fix the maximum number of points you wish to make by the end of the game. You may also decide to set a time limit for the game, the team with maximum points will be declared the winner.

Once the first dealer is decided, thirteen cards are dealt with each player. Then, the players sitting on the dealer’s left starts the bid. So, the team must meet or surpass the bid during the hand. Each team gets the point reward on meeting the bid, but it must pay the penalty if it comes short.

• Play or Pay

Are you a family of 3 or a big happy 8? No problem, this suits both and is equally important for kids and adults.

This game involves some betting, but your home is no online casino. So, it is totally up to your comfort level if you wish to play for poker chips, cash or candies. The main objective of this game is to complete the suit and be rid of the cards before other players.

Each player needs to put a chip into a pot before a deal, which is usually clockwise, face down and one at a time. If a player receives fewer cards at any time, other members have to add one extra chip. 

All the cards are placed on the table in four rows of four different suits. The first player gets the advantage of playing any card. Note that you have to build a sequence in the suit until all of the cards have been played. Also, the sequence of the suits has to be continuous.

You can use a standard deck of cards to play these games and more. But if you are willing to add an extra dash of spice to your family game nights, you can introduce custom game cards for a more personalised experience. 

Take, for instance, you can get the names of your family members printed on the deck of cards. You may also choose to print your family’s pet or a beloved character’s picture on the card, among other options. 

Like the idea? Then talk to us now, and let us make your card playing experience at family game nights fun and more fulfilling. 

Photo by Sophie Elvis on Unsplash