3-player card games

Blackjack

aka Twenty-One, Vingt-et-un

Draw cards to get closer to 21 than the dealer without going over. Learn to hit, stand, double and split.

Players

2–8

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Brisca

aka Briscola

A fast trick-taking game where Aces and Threes are worth the most. Partners often signal with winks and faces.

Players

2–6

Deck

Spanish 40

Level

Easy

Canasta

Partners build melds of seven cards called canastas, using 2s and Jokers as wild cards.

Players

2–6

Deck

52 + Jokers

Level

Medium

Casino

aka Cassino

Capture cards from the table by matching ranks or building sums. Big and Little Casino are worth bonus points.

Players

2–4

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Cheat

aka BS, I Doubt It

Play cards face down and claim their rank. Call out a liar and they pick up the pile — but guess wrong and it's yours.

Players

3–10

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Chinchón

Draw and discard to form sets and runs, then close the round with a low hand — or a perfect Chinchón.

Players

2–8

Deck

Spanish 48

Level

Easy

Cribbage

Score combinations in play and in hand, pegging your way around the board to 121.

Players

2–4

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Cuarenta

Capture cards by matching and adding, race to 40 points and watch for the instant-win caída.

Players

2–4

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Durak

Attack and defend with trumps; the last player holding cards is the durak — the fool.

Players

2–6

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Egyptian Ratscrew

aka ERS, Slap

Take turns flipping cards to a central pile. Slap it on doubles and sandwiches to win the whole stack.

Players

2–6

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Escoba

aka Escoba de 15

Capture table cards that add up to 15 with a card from your hand. Clear the whole table for an escoba.

Players

2–4

Deck

Spanish 40

Level

Easy

Go Fish

Ask other players for ranks to collect books of four. The player with the most books wins.

Players

2–6

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Golf

aka Six-Card Golf

Swap cards into your face-down grid to build the lowest-scoring layout over nine rounds.

Players

2–6

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Hearts

Dodge every heart and the Queen of Spades — unless you can take them all and shoot the moon.

Players

3–6

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Nertz

aka Pounce

Everyone plays solitaire simultaneously onto shared foundations, racing to empty their Nertz pile.

Players

2–8

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Oh Hell

aka Oh Heck, Up and Down the River

Each round, bid the exact number of tricks you'll take. Hit your bid on the nose to score.

Players

3–7

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Old Maid

Pair off your cards and draw from your neighbor — whoever is left holding the unpaired Queen loses.

Players

2–8

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Rummy 500

aka 500 Rum

Meld sets and runs, lay off on anyone's melds and take whole runs of the discard pile — first to 500 wins.

Players

2–8

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Siete y Media

A banking game like Blackjack: draw cards to reach 7½ without going over. Court cards count half a point.

Players

2–8

Deck

Spanish 40

Level

Easy

Spoons

aka Pig

Pass cards around the table to collect four of a kind, then grab a spoon — the player left without one is out.

Players

3–13

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Easy

Texas Hold'em

aka Hold'em, Poker

Make the best five-card poker hand using two hole cards and five community cards across four betting rounds.

Players

2–10

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Tiến Lên

aka Thirteen, Vietnamese Cards

Beat the previous play with a higher single, pair, triple or run. 2s are high — and bombs can beat them.

Players

2–4

Deck

Standard 52

Level

Medium

Truco

A trick-taking and bluffing game played in teams across Argentina, Uruguay and beyond, with Envido and Flor bets.

Players

2–6

Deck

Spanish 40

Level

Medium

Tute

Win tricks and declare King-and-Knight pairs (cantes). Collect all four Kings or Knights for an instant win.

Players

2–4

Deck

Spanish 40

Level

Medium