Hearts (3–6 players)
A trick-taking game where you want the FEWEST points. Each Hearts card is worth 1 point and the Queen of Spades is worth 13 — so you’re trying to avoid winning tricks that contain them.
- Deal the whole deck out evenly. Each player passes three cards to an opponent before play.
- The player with the 2 of Clubs leads it. Players must follow the led suit if they can; otherwise play anything.
- Highest card of the led suit wins the trick and leads the next. You can’t lead Hearts until they’ve been "broken" (played on an off-suit trick).
- When all tricks are played, count points. Play to 100 — lowest score when someone passes 100 wins.
Rummy (2–6 players)
Collect sets and runs to empty your hand. Deal 7–10 cards each (fewer with more players). The rest forms a draw pile, with one card turned up to start a discard pile.
- On your turn, draw one card (from the deck or the discard pile), then discard one.
- Lay down "melds" when you can: a set of 3–4 of a kind, or a run of 3+ consecutive cards in one suit.
- First player to meld their entire hand wins the round and scores the value of the cards left in opponents’ hands.
Crazy Eights (2–5 players)
Be first to empty your hand by matching the discard pile. Deal 5–7 cards each; flip one card up to start the discard pile.
- On your turn, play a card that matches the suit or rank of the top discard. If you can’t, draw until you can (or pass).
- Eights are wild — play one anytime and name the suit the next player must match.
- First to play their last card wins. (It’s the public-domain ancestor of many modern shedding games.)
Go Fish (2–6 players, great with kids)
Collect "books" of four matching ranks. Deal 5–7 cards each; the rest is the draw pile.
- On your turn, ask another player for a rank you hold ("Got any sevens?").
- If they have any, they hand them all over and you go again. If not, they say "Go fish" and you draw from the pile.
- Collect all four of a rank to lay down a book. Most books when the cards run out wins.
Protect your deck
A deck you play with often gets shuffled hundreds of times. Sleeving the cards keeps them sliding smoothly and hides back wear, and a soft playmat makes single cards easy to pick up off the table. Both are cheap upgrades that make a well-loved deck last for years.