Playing cards has been a past time activity for many people, for many years now. For some of us in India, playing cards are considered auspicious during certain festivities, and besides this cards are a companion during travel, especially in the trains. Card games have proved to be beneficial for many reasons, for instance, it helps in boosting concentration, keeping an active mind, and is a medium to socialize.

But with time, card games have also evolved and people have developed interest in using their intellect for many new games. Below are some games that you can learn and teach today.

• Crazy Eight Games

This game can be played with 2 or more players. The reaming cards form a pile with the top card is turned face down. The game starts with distributing five cards to each player. The 1st player should play a card that will match the face-up card by either suit or number. Eights can be played over any card as they considered to be the wild cards. If you have played an eight, then you can say “suits are now jacks”. If the players don’t have the jack, they’ll have to pick a card or set of cards. The player who gets rid of all their cards first wins the round.

• Go Fish Game

The purpose is to collect a set of 4 cards by the same number. A player collect the desired card(s) by asking other players. It is necessary for a player to have at least one card of that set to ask for other cards. If one receives the cards, then they will get additional turn. However, if the player does not have the requested card/set, they would be told to ‘Go Fish’ where they have to take 4 cards from the top of the pile. If one makes a set of 4 cards, they are discarded to the pile and player who gets rid of all their cards wins the game.

• 31 Game

This game is as simple as its name and it needs basic knowledge of Math. You can play it with the kids and one will need at least three or more people to play this game. Each player will be given 3 cards face down and the rest will be kept in the middle. Players are allowed to look at their respective cards without revealing them. The aim is to score a total of 31 before the other player achieves the same. The players need to pick up a card from the pile while discarding a card from their own hand. The value of an Ace can be either 1 or 11, depends on the set of cards, where the value of Ace will be 11 if paired with King, Queen, and Jack; and the value will be 1 if paired with 2-3-and-4. Other cards will hold as per the respective number.

• Bluff/Challenge –

This is a multiplayer game. You have to distribute the cards equally, depends on the number of people. The first player can throw up to 4 cards at one time as a set of 4. (Set of kings, Jacks, etc.). If next player suspects it to be a false claim, one can challenge the other person to show the cards. If the cards turn out to be genuine, then the one who challenged pick all the cards. And if the cards are not what player claimed to be, then they need to collect those along with other cards played before. The player who’s left with no cards in hand is the winner.