10 fast and fun card games for Scouts

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal the cards.

For 2 to 3 players, deal 7 cards to each player. For 4 or more players, deal 5 cards to each player.

Spread the rest of the cards out face-down in the middle of the players. This creates the draw pile, known as the ‘fishing pond’. Make sure all of the cards stay face-down, so that no one can peek.

In this game, you’re trying to find a set of four cards. You can’t hold four-of-a-kind matches in your hand. As soon as you get a set of four cards of the same number, lay them down in front of you so that everyone can see it. It’s a good idea to make matches as quickly as possible to win the game and make sure your cards can’t get taken off you. If you do get to lay down a match, your turn continues. 

At the start, if anyone does have any sets of four cards, they should remove them and place them in a pile in front of them.

The first player should ask another player if they’ve a specific card. You don’t have to ask in a circle or certain order. However, you can only ask someone else for a specific card if you already have one or more of them in your own hand already. For example, you can’t ask for threes if you don’t have a three in your hand already.

Players can only ask one person at a time, and you can only ask about one rank of card at a time. Rank means number or face cards, not suit. For example, you could only ask about Queens or only ask about 5’s.

The player who was asked should give all their cards of a specific rank to the player if they have them in their hand. For example, if someone asks you if you have any Queens and you do, then you have to give all of your Queens to that person. You can’t keep any back in your hand or hide any.

If you get given the cards you need, take another turn after making any matches you can. You can ask the same person about a different card, or ask a new person.

If someone doesn’t have the cards you’re asking for, they should tell you to ‘go fish’. Pick up one card from the ‘fishing pond’ pile whenever you have to 'go fish’ and make any matches you can. The turn then passes to the next player.

The first person to get rid of all their cards is the winner.

• For a fun variation, use 2 decks of cards and double how many cards each player is dealt. The game will last longer and it’ll be harder to remember which cards everyone else has.
• Choose to ask about cards you already have multiples of, so you can make matches quickly. For example, if you have 2 jacks in your hand, you only need 2 more to make a match.
• Once you ask about a specific card, the other players will know that you have that card in your hand. You can try to keep track of who has what to give you the advantage in the game.
• To make it easier, 2-card matches can be played.

Deal the cards face-down one at a time, until all cards have been dealt. It’s OK if some players have a few more cards than others.

Players mustn’t look at their cards, but should keep them face down in a pile in their hand or on a table.

Each player will take turns to flip over the top card of their pile and place it at the top of the centre pile.

The first player turns the card on the top of their pile over and places it face-up in the middle of the table. The next player should do the same, then the next player and so on. All players will add to this central pile throughout the game.

Everyone must turn over their top card quickly, so that no advantage is given to one person by seeing the card first.

The first person to notice that two cards with the same rank (such as a pair of twos or a pair of Kings) are on top of each other on the pile, should put their hand on the pile and shout ‘Snap!’ Remember that the suit does not matter. 

The player who calls ‘Snap!’ collects the centre pile and adds it to the bottom of their card stack.

Continue playing until only one player is holding all the cards. The player who has won all the cards, so all the cards are in their hand and there are none left in a central pile, wins the game.

• Try to flip the card over outwards towards the other players. This way, if the card is flipped too slowly, the player flipping the card will be the last person to see it.
• The person who calls ‘Snap!’ doesn’t have to be one of the players with the matching cards. However, to make it harder, you can play a variation with the rule that it does have to be one of those players.
• If a player calls ‘Snap!’ incorrectly, the player who wrongly called ‘Snap!’ must give their top card to the player on whose card they mistakenly called ‘Snap!’ on.
• Create a snap pool when multiple players call ‘Snap!’ at the same time during the game. When this happens, push the centre pile off to the side. Continue play with a new pile. The first player to spot a card that matches the top card in the original centre pile calls ‘Snap pool!’ and collects both piles. The cards are added to the bottom of their card stack.

Deal 8 cards to each player. If there are only two players, only deal 7 cards instead of 8. 

If there are more than 5 players, use two decks of cards together. When each player has 8 cards, set the remaining cards face down in the centre of the playing area to form the draw pile. 

Turn over the top card in the draw pile and set it beside the draw cards. This will become the discard pile.

If an 8 is turned, return it to the middle of the pack and turn over the next card.

The player to left of the dealer is the first to play a card after the cards are dealt. 

To play a card, players must either match the rank (for example, 4, 10, King, Ace) or suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs) with a single card in their hand. For example, if the Queen of Clubs is the starting card, the next card must be any club or any Queen. This card is placed face-up on top of the discard pile.

The turn passes to the next player on the left. 

Any 8s are wild cards in this game. When you play an 8, you'll have to declare the new suit. The next player must play either a card of the specified suit or an eight.

If you don't have any cards in your hand that match the rank or suit of the top card, draw and collect cards from the draw pile until you get a playable card. Play the card and then continue as normal.

Once the player to the left of the dealer has played a single card, the next player to the left goes. Players keep discarding (or drawing until they can discard) a single card at a time. 

Players on their last card should say ‘last card’. If you don’t announce your last card, you must draw two cards. The person who gets rid of all their cards first is the winner. A round ends when a player has no more cards in their hand.

It’s possible that the draw pile will run out before the game is finished. If it does, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw pile. Alternatively, if players are unable to play when there’s no draw pile, the player must pass. 

If you’re playing multiple rounds, you’ll need to score each round. 

The player that’s the first to have no cards left wins the game. The winning player collects points from each other player based on the value of the remaining cards they’re holding as follows:

• Each 8 is worth 50 points
• Each K, Q, J or 10 is worth 10 points
• Each ace is worth 1 point
• Each other card is worth it’s number value

You can then set a target to reach, such as 100 points, and the first person to reach or go over this is the overall winner.

• Some players only allow one card to be drawn per turn. Draw rules are often determined according to player preferences.
• The more cards in your starting hand, the longer the game will go on. However, doing this will decrease your draw pile, which could have the opposite effect and shorten your game. You may want to play with two decks combined.
• Assign actions to certain cards. This addition to the game really makes it fun. Your imagination is the limit. For example, if a 3 is played, the player has to run around the table three times. Or, if a 7 is played, the last person to put their hand on the pile has to draw 7 cards.
• You could also choose to include draw cards and blocker cards. For example, playing an ace forces a one card draw or playing a 2 forces a two card draw. Blocker cards, such as a 10 or a Jack, can level the playing field. Play blocker cards after a draw card to cancel the effect of the draw card.

If you have more than 8 players, you can play with two decks. Make sure the decks are identical.

Select an Old Maid deck or a standard card deck. You can use a deck specifically designed for Old Maid, but a standard 52 card deck works well, too.

Remove three queens if you're using a standard deck. The one queen left is the Old Maid. In decks specifically designed for Old Maid, you can skip this step. These decks will already have an Old Maid card. You can  also add a joker from an identical deck to be the Old Maid.

Start by selecting a dealer, who will shuffle and deal the cards. Deal all the cards to the players. The goal of dealing is to distribute the cards as evenly as possible among the players.

Going around the circle of players, the dealer should place a card facedown in front of each player, continuing until all the cards are handed out.

Some players may end up with one card more than others, which is fine.

All players should look at their cards and remove any pairs in their hand. Place each pair face-up in front of you. If there are three of the same card, remove two and keep the other in your hand. If you’re using a standard deck, you should match the cards by rank. This means that two sixes would make a pair, regardless of their colours.

When everyone’s ready, the first player should hold out their cards face down to the player on their left, the second player. The first player should fan out the cards, so that the player can see the back of each one. The second player should pick any card they want from the first player's hand.

Then, without showing anyone the card, the second player should add their chosen card to their own hand. If the card makes a pair with any of their current cards, they should put the pair down in front of them, face-up. Remember, don't show your unpaired cards to anyone else!

Next, keeping going in a clockwise direction, until there is one card left. The player that just picked a card should hold out their cards to the next player, and that player should select a card and check for pairs. Go around the circle until the last pair has been made. 

The player holding the Old Maid card, which has no pair, is the loser and the player with the most pairs (who’s not also holding the Old Maid) wins! 

• Pair cards by rank and colour for a more complex game. For example, a six of hearts and a six of diamonds would make a pair, because they are both red. However, a six of hearts could not pair with a six of spades, because the six of spades is black.
• Since the person with the Old Maid loses, you'll want to develop tactics to get the person to your left to take it. You might want to hold the Old Maid card a little higher than the others. Or, try to ‘hide’ your Old Maid card, so it seems like you don't want them to pick it. They may think it's a regular card and grab it!
• If the player taking from you always picks a card from the same location in your hand, try putting the Old Maid there.
• After a couple of rounds, you might want to change the game to keep things lively. You could reverse the rules so that the person left with the Old Maid is the winner.

Count your players, then place however many spoons is one less than the number of players. For example, if you're playing with 6 people, use 5 spoons. Arrange the spoons in a small circle in the middle of the table.

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal 4 cards to each player.

Keep the remaining cards in a deck next to the dealer. Each player holds 4 cards throughout the entire game.

The aim of the game is to create a 4 of a kind set.

Everyone takes one of their cards and puts it in front of the player to their left. The person to the right of the dealer puts their card in a separate discard pile, while the dealer picks up a new card from the deck. This allows new cards to be added to the game.

Players should pick up the card they’ve just been given and add it to their hand.

If you don’t want the card you’ve just received, you can pass the card to the player to your left in the next turn. It’s best to exchange cards for a card that matches another card that you already have in your hand.

Players continue to pass their cards around the circle, keeping the game going quickly. It can get hard to keep track of what’s going on, but that makes the game more fun and exciting!

The first person with 4 of a kind, such as all 4 Aces or all 4 Nines, picks up a spoon.

As soon as someone picks up a spoon, all the other players can try to grab one to, even if they don’t have their own 4 of a kind. The person left without a spoon at the end of the round loses and is out of the game.

Grab a spoon as soon as you notice that one is missing. Although you can get caught up trying to get your own 4 of a kind, it’s important to pay attention to other people's movements and check the number of spoons on the table throughout the game.

Remove a spoon every time you remove a player from the game. For example, if the first round has 6 players and 5 spoons, the second round has 5 players and 4 spoons. Keep playing until only one player is left and they’re the winner.

• Usually, players are sneaky about grabbing a spoon so the others continue the game without realizing one is gone. 
• You can use the spelling method to score points. The losing player of each round is given a single letter from the word ‘Spoon’, such as they get the letter ‘S,’ and then ‘P’. The first player to receive all the letters to spell out the word loses. With this variation, the rules stay the same, but the game takes a little longer
• Play the ‘extreme’ version of the game. Instead of arranging the spoons in the middle of the table, place them in random locations in the room you’re playing in. For example, you can position them along the wall or underneath furniture to make the game even more action packed and exciting.
• Use jokers as wildcards. If you’re looking to make the game a little easier, include the 2 jokers in your deck. Since the joker is a wildcard, you can use it with any combination of cards. This means you can reach your 4 of a kind faster.

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal the cards.

Deal the cards face-down one at a time, until all cards have been dealt. It’s OK if some players have a few more cards than others.

Players mustn’t look at their cards, but should keep them face down in a pile in their hand or on a table.

Each player should organise their cards in number order, from Ace to King. This makes the game much simpler to play and follow.

The first player starts by putting down any card in the middle of the playing area.

The next player looks to see if they’ve any cards of the same number, regardless of rank. If so, they put them down. If not, play passes to the next player.

When a player puts down the second card with the same number, they say ‘Snip’, as they do so.

When the third card of that number is placed down, the player says ‘Snap’. 

When the final card of that number is placed down, the player says ‘Snorem’. The player who puts down the final card is then allowed to play any card in their hand, starting the play off again.

The winner is the person who gets rid of all their cards first.

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal the cards.

Deal the cards face-down one at a time, until all cards have been dealt. It’s OK if some players have a few more cards than others.

Players mustn’t look at their cards, but should keep them face down in a pile in their hand or on a table.

The aim of this game is to get rid of all your cards. A turn consists of getting rid of one or more cards face down on the pile, and calling out their rank. The first player must discard Aces, the second player discards Twos, the next player Threes, and so on. 

The first player should place any Aces in their hand facedown in the middle of the table to create the discard pile. 

Since the cards are discarded face down, you don’t have to play the rank you’re calling. Therefore, if the player doesn’t have any Aces, they will be forced to play some other card or cards, so can bluff and put down another non-Ace card.

Regardless of what cards the player uses, as they place the card down, the player announces their play to the table by saying the number of cards they’re playing and that rounds card type, so for example ‘One Ace’

The next player plays 2s, the next player plays 3s, and so on. After Tens come Jacks, then Queens, then Kings, then back to Aces.

If another player thinks someone is putting down different cards to what they announce, they can call ‘Cheat!’

The person who played the cards must turn them over and show the challenger, whether they’re bluffing or not. 

If a player is caught bluffing, then they must pick up the entire discard pile and add it to their stack.

If a challenged player isn’t bluffing, then the challenger must pick up the discard pile. 

The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. Usually, this is the first player to actually have the last card that must be played on their turn.

• In some variations, a player may also lie about the number of cards they’re playing, if they feel confident that other players will not notice the discrepancy. This can be challenged and revealed in the usual manner.
• You could allow a player to pass their turn if they don’t wish to lie or if all the cards of the required rank have clearly been previously played.
• In some variations, all cards are publicly revealed after a challenge, provide information about which players lied about their cards, which can be noted by other players.
• Some people may worry that this game teaches how to lie. However, this game allows young people to practice observing and identifying the behaviour of liars and truth-tellers, which is an important skill to have in life.

Shuffle the cards, then spread out a pack of cards face-down on the table or floor.

No-one should be able to see what each card is.

The first player turns over two cards, letting all the players see them. 

If the cards match (for example, a pair of twos), the player picks them up and keeps them. The player then has another turn, until they find a pair that doesn’t match.

If the pair of cards doesn't match, the player turns them face-down again, placing them back where they were from, and play moves to the next player on the left.

When all the cards have been paired up, whoever has the most pairs is the winner.

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal the cards.

Deal the cards face-down one at a time, until all cards have been dealt. It’s OK if some players have a few more cards than others.

Players mustn’t look at their cards, but should keep them face down in a pile in their hand or on a table.

The first player starts the game by turning over the top card from their stack and playing it in the middle to start a central pile. If the card has a rank of 2 to 10, play passes and the next player does the same.

When a player turns over a King, Queen, Jack or Ace (known as ‘court cards’ in this game), the next player must pay an ‘honour’ according to the following:

• If an Ace is played, the next player must turn over four cards, one at a time.
• If a King is played, the next player must turn over three cards, one at a time.
• If a Queen is played, the next player must turn over two cards, one at a time.
• If a Jack is played, the next player must turn over one card.

If all of the cards in the honour are number cards, the player who played the King, Queen, Jack or Ace takes all the cards in the middle. 

However, if one of the cards in the honour is a King, Queen, Jack or Ace, the player paying the honour stops immediately turning over cards. The next player must now pay an honour, based on the payment amount above. 

If that honour is paid with only number cards, the cards in the middle of the table are collected by the last player who played a court card.

This continues until one player wins all the cards in the middle, including the central pile. That player then puts the pile at the bottom of their stack. Play then continues with the next player turning over a card, creating a new central pile.

When a player runs out of cards, they’re out of the game and the other players continue to play.

The first player to win all the cards is the winner. This game can take a long time, so players may agree that the player with the most cards at the end of a pre-determined time is the winner.

Remove all the Jokers from the deck, then shuffle and deal the cards.

Deal the cards face-down one at a time, until all cards have been dealt. It’s OK if some players have a few more cards than others.

Players mustn’t look at their cards, but should keep them face down in a pile in their hand or on a table.