Card games for adults range from relaxed rummy games you can play while chatting to partnership trick-taking games that reward years of practice. This list covers the best and most popular card games for adults, all playable with one or two standard decks, grouped by style so you can pick the right one for your table and the number of players you have.
Each entry shows the number of players, the cards you need and the essentials of how to play, with a link to the full rules. Games usually played for stakes, such as poker and blackjack, are presented here for friendly home play with chips or points only. Our scoreboard handles scoring for any game.
Rummy games
Gin Rummy
Players: 2. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Deal ten cards each. Draw and discard, forming sets and runs. You may knock when your unmatched cards total 10 points or less, and going gin with no unmatched cards earns a bonus. Play to 100 points. See the full gin rummy rules.
Rummy 500
Players: 2 to 8. You need: One standard deck, two for five or more players.
Draw from the deck or take cards from the discard pile, and lay down sets and runs for points. Cards left in hand count against you. The first player to reach 500 points wins. See the full rummy 500 rules.
Canasta
Players: 4 in partnerships (2 to 6 possible). You need: Two standard decks plus four jokers.
Partners build melds of the same rank, and a meld of seven cards is a canasta. Twos and jokers are wild. A team needs a canasta before going out, and the first team to 5,000 points wins. See the full canasta rules.
Hand and Foot
Players: 4 to 6 in partnerships. You need: Several standard decks with jokers, usually one more deck than players.
Each player gets two hands of cards, a hand and a foot. Play through your hand by making melds, then pick up your foot. Teams must complete required clean and dirty books before going out. See the full hand and foot rules.
Indian Rummy
Players: 2 to 6. You need: Two standard decks with jokers.
Deal 13 cards each. Arrange all of them into sets and sequences, with at least two sequences, one of which must be a pure sequence without a joker. The first to declare a valid hand wins the deal, and others count their unmatched points. See the full indian rummy rules.
Trick-taking games
Spades
Players: 4 in partnerships. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Deal 13 cards each. Each player bids the number of tricks they expect to win, and spades are always trump. Teams score 10 points per trick bid if they make it, and extra tricks count as bags, with a penalty for every ten. See the full spades rules.
Hearts
Players: 4 (3 to 6 possible). You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Pass three cards before each hand, then play tricks while avoiding hearts, worth 1 point each, and the queen of spades, worth 13. Take every point card to shoot the moon. When someone reaches 100, the lowest score wins. See the full hearts rules.
Euchre
Players: 4 in partnerships. You need: A 24-card deck, nine through ace.
Deal five cards each and choose trump. The jack of trump is the highest card, and the other jack of the same color is second highest. The team that names trump must win at least three tricks, and the first team to 10 points wins. See the full euchre rules.
Contract Bridge
Players: 4 in partnerships. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Partners bid in an auction to name a contract, the number of tricks and the trump suit. The declarer plays both their own hand and their partner's hand, laid face up as the dummy. It is deep and endlessly rewarding. See the full bridge rules.
Whist
Players: 4 in partnerships. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Deal 13 cards each, and the last card dealt sets trump. Partners work together to win tricks, scoring one point for each trick over six. It is the classic ancestor of bridge and easy to learn. See the full whist rules.
Oh Hell
Players: 3 to 7. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
The number of cards dealt changes every round. Each player bids exactly how many tricks they will take, and in the usual rules the dealer may not bid a number that makes the total equal the number of tricks. Making your bid exactly earns a bonus. See the full oh hell rules.
Pinochle
Players: 4 in partnerships (2 or 3 possible). You need: A 48-card pinochle deck, two copies of nine through ace in each suit.
Players bid, name trump and score points for melds such as marriages and runs, then play tricks to capture counting cards. The first team to reach the agreed target score wins. See the full pinochle rules.
500
Players: 4 in partnerships (2 to 6 possible). You need: A stripped deck with a joker.
Players bid the number of tricks they will take with a chosen trump. The joker is the highest trump. Contracts score by a fixed schedule, and the first team to reach 500 points wins. See the full 500 card game rules.
Pitch
Players: 4 in partnerships (2 to 7 possible). You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Deal six cards each and bid for the right to pitch the first card, which sets trump. Points go for high trump, low trump, the jack of trump and game points from captured cards. See the full pitch rules.
29
Players: 4 in partnerships. You need: 32 cards, seven through ace.
A favorite in India. The jack is the highest card, followed by the nine, ace and ten. Players bid on how many card points their team will capture, with 28 card points in the deck (older versions add 1 for the last trick, which gives the game its name). See the full 29 card game rules.
Fast and social card games
Cribbage
Players: 2 (3 or 4 possible). You need: A standard deck and a cribbage board.
Each player discards to a shared crib, then plays cards toward a running count of 31, scoring for fifteens, pairs and runs. Hands are then counted, and the first to peg 121 points wins. See the full cribbage rules.
31
Players: 3 to 9. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Each player holds three cards and aims for a hand worth 31 in one suit. Draw and discard each turn, and knock when you think you are ahead. The lowest hand loses a life. See the full 31 card game rules.
President
Players: 4 to 8. You need: A standard 52-card deck.
Shed your cards by beating the previous play. The order players go out sets the ranks for the next hand, and the top player gets the best cards from the bottom player. The role reversals make it very social. See the full president rules.
Nertz
Players: 2 to 6. You need: A separate standard deck for each player.
Everyone plays solitaire at the same time onto shared foundation piles in the center. The first to clear their nertz pile ends the round. It is fast, loud and a favorite of competitive game nights. See the full nertz rules.
Screw Your Neighbor
Players: 4 to 12. You need: A standard deck and three tokens per player.
Each player gets one card and may swap with the player to their left, aiming to avoid the lowest card. The lowest card each round loses a token. See the full screw your neighbor rules.
Poker and banking games for friendly home play
Texas Hold'em
Players: 2 to 10. You need: A standard deck and chips.
Each player gets two private cards, and five shared cards are dealt face up in stages. Players make the best five-card hand. Play with chips only, and the player holding all the chips at the end wins. See the full texas hold'em rules.
Poker
Players: 2 to 8. You need: A standard deck and chips.
Learn the hand rankings, then play a simple form such as five card draw. Use chips or matchsticks for friendly home play. Our poker hand rankings chart is handy on the table.
Blackjack
Players: 2 to 7. You need: One or more standard decks and chips.
Players try to beat the dealer by getting closer to 21 without going over. The dealer must keep drawing until reaching 17 or more. Rotate the dealer role at home and play for chips or points. See the full blackjack rules.
Teen Patti
Players: 3 to 6. You need: A standard deck and chips or matchsticks.
An Indian three-card game where the best hand is a trail, three of a kind. Play it for points or matchsticks at a family gathering. See the full teen patti rules.
How to choose a card game for adults
| Players | Good picks |
|---|---|
| 2 | Gin Rummy, Cribbage, Pinochle, Rummy 500 |
| 3 | Hearts, Oh Hell, 31, Rummy 500 |
| 4 in partnerships | Spades, Euchre, Bridge, Canasta, Pinochle, 29 |
| 5 or more | President, Nertz, Screw Your Neighbor, Hand and Foot, Texas Hold'em |
- Easy card games for adults: Rummy 500, 31, President and Hearts can be learned in one hand.
- Strategy games: Bridge, Pinochle, Cribbage and Euchre reward practice and partnership.
- Agree house rules first. Many games have regional versions, so settle scoring and special cards before the first deal.
Questions people ask
What are the best card games for adults?
Spades, Hearts, Euchre, Gin Rummy, Cribbage and Canasta are among the best card games for adults. They balance skill and luck and stay interesting for years. Bridge is the deepest of all if your group wants a long-term challenge.
What are fun card games for adults at a party?
President, Nertz, Spoons, 31 and Screw Your Neighbor are fun card games for a party. They play quickly, handle larger groups and create plenty of laughter. Use chips or tokens to keep score.
What are easy card games for adults to learn?
Rummy 500, 31, Hearts and President are easy to learn in a single hand. Gin Rummy is also simple to pick up while offering lots of strategy once you know it.
What are good 2 player card games for adults?
Gin Rummy, Cribbage, two-handed Pinochle and Rummy 500 are excellent two player card games for adults. See our card games for two page for more ideas, including fast games like Speed and Spit.
What card games can one adult play alone?
Solitaire, Spider Solitaire and FreeCell are the classic single player card games. They need only a standard deck and are great for unwinding. Our solitaire rules page explains the classic layout step by step.