The 3 Must-Play Card Games of 2024
Card games have always been a popular form of entertainment, with a history dating as far back as the 9th century in China. In 2024, they remain a popular form of entertainment because they are a great way for friends and family to socialize.
The popularity of card games has also enjoyed a long and highly lucrative history as a staple of the gambling industry, from its rudimentary beginnings a few thousand years ago to the present day. These days, modern players prefer online card games, many of which can be played at any online casino. The convenience these platforms offer, like being able to gamble anywhere at any time with nothing more than a smartphone at hand, has made these games vastly more popular than ever before. Traditional card games can be played online for mere fun or practice, as well.
Although many card games are variations of classics that use the traditional 52-card deck, many new card sets have become very popular, such as Scout, Uno, and many more. These are in the spotlight in this guide.
Scout
Scout is a fun card game where players act as rival circus managers on a spree to get the best circus performers. It can be played by any number of people from two players but is more fun when played by three or more people. The goal of the game is to put on the best performance by playing stronger sets of cards than your opponents.
How to Play Scout
Players are given a hand of cards, each with two different numbers on it. When you pick up your cards, you have to choose the side you will use for the entire round. Once the game starts, you are not allowed to rearrange the cards. When it is your turn to play, you can either scout by taking a card from the set of cards on the table and adding it to your hand, or you can play a better combination of cards than the previous player.
The round will come to an end when one player uses all their cards or when no one can play a better combination. You are given points based on the combinations you have played, and if your combinations are stronger, you get bonuses. However, you will lose points if you still have unplayed cards in your hand when the round comes to an end. Since you cannot change the order of the cards in your hand after picking them up, you will have to think ahead and plan your gameplay carefully.
Scout can be compared to classic standard deck games like Rummy. The two games both focus on creating strong combinations of cards by forming sets and sequences to beat opponents. However, Rummy does not have a rule about rearranging your cards once you pick them up. All you have to do is get rid of all your cards and win.
The Fox in the Forest
The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking card game for two players that uses a small deck of 33 cards. The cards are divided into three suits with values ranging from 1 to 11.
How to Play
The Fox in the Forest is a bit different from standard trick-taking games such as Hearts, Spades, or Bridge. The idea in these games is to win more tricks than your opponents, but for The Fox in the Forest, you have to win a certain number of tricks or deliberately lose them.
According to the game mechanics, winning between zero and three tricks makes you humble, 4-6 tricks make you a loser, 7-9 tricks make you a winner, and 10-13 tricks make you greedy, therefore you get zero points.
Being humble or victorious gives you 6 points each, which is why players deliberately try to lose. When playing this game, balance is very important. You have to guess whether your opponent is trying to win or deliberately trying to lose so that you can plan each move accordingly.
Some cards give you certain advantages, like Fox 3, which allows you to exchange one of your cards with the top card of the deck, or Woodcutter 5, which lets you draw an extra card, giving you an advantage.
UNO
UNO is a classic card game that is very easy to learn and uses its standard deck of 108 cards in red, yellow, blue, and green. The cards are numbered from 0-9 and include special cards like skip, reverse, and wild. It is meant for 2–10 players, which makes it more social than The Fox in the Forest.
How to Play UNO
The goal of the game is to be the first player to score 500 points by playing all the cards in your hand. You have to match cards based on color or number and score points based on the cards remaining in your opponent’s hands.
At the beginning of the game, a dealer passes out seven cards to each player. The remainder of the deck is set aside for players to pick cards from. One card is turned over on the floor, representing the first card from those that are thrown into the center. When it is your turn to play, you have to match the last card thrown into the center pile.
For example, if the card on top is a blue 4, you can play any blue card or a 4 in any color. If you do not have a card fit to play, you have to draw one card from the draw pile. If the card you draw can be played, you can play it immediately; otherwise, the turn will pass to the next player.
You can use special cards like skip to skip the next player’s turn or reverse to change the game’s direction. A wild card allows you to choose the color for the next play. If you do not shout “UNO” when you play your second last card, you will be penalized and forced to draw two cards.
Conclusion
Although the 52-card deck continues to be the most popular among players, there are other interesting and enjoyable card games out there too. These have become favorites and offer some very enjoyable alternatives for card-lovers who are looking for something different.