Card games have been the best pastime for any group of adults for centuries now. If we look back at the history of cards, the first deck was invented back in ancient China. From the Ancient Far East to the modern society of today the popularity of cards never veined. We’re lucky for it to be like that because some traits of older civilizations are slowly dying due to fast-paced technological developments. While it is nice to live in an era of the Internet, mobile devices, and artificial intelligence, going back to roots is a fine move sometimes.
Almost all card games we’re going to mention in this article are now available in electronic form one way or another, but playing with your friends with a physical deck is simply a better option. Yes, we understand that today, people love to have everything in the palm of their hands and that it’s equally fun to play poker or blackjack at Stake.com with virtual friends the same as if you were playing with real ones.
Different life situations will force you to get the good old physical deck out and play real card games with your close ones. When a situation like this one arises, you need to be prepared. The best way to prepare yourself is to read this article and check out the best card games for adults. We’re talking about games that are suitable for any group size. Check them out.
Poker
Poker is one of the most popular card games for adults in the world. Its title as one of the best card games means that most people have heard of it and many have played poker during their lifetimes. We do not believe that there is a person who hasn’t heard of poker. Today you can play poker live at land-based casinos, you can play online, and you can play it with your friends in the warmth of your home. If you’ve been paying attention to James Bond films you could have picked up the rules there.
The thing that makes poker so popular is the fact that it has a drama to it that can’t be replicated by any other game. It is a game of nerves. Poker requires both luck and skill which makes it quite appealing to players. To win a game of poker among a larger group of people you need a serious strategic approach.
The ultimate goal in poker is to beat your adversaries by having the strongest hand when all cards are drawn. There are many hands in this game that can win you any round of poker. The weakest link is a pair, and that’s when you have two cards of the same kind. Beyond that, you can have three of a kind, a poker (four of a kind), straight (when cards are aligned in numerical order), a flush (having the cards of the same suit), and Royal flush (when you have cards of the same suit aligned in a numerical order from 10 to K). Poker is seen as one of the easy card games as it can be played by only two players and by a bigger group up to eight players.
Hearts
If you’re in for one tricky card game Hearts might just be that. The goal in Hearts is a bit different than in regular games. The tricks, which are scored as pits, are the game’s objective. The trick is in the fact that you need to collect fewer points than your opponents. It is a game for four players and among evasive games, it is one of the more popular card games. While it’s best played by four people, you can practice it as one of the 3 player card games.
When the cards are dealt to the players it is important to know that each card with a heart scores one point. Queen of Spades is valued at 13 points and it’s to be avoided. One of the strategies you want to apply if you have lower-ranked spade cards is to play them first to draw the queen out. The end game in this easy card game is when one of the players reaches 100 points. When you’ve had a loser, the winner is the player with the lowest score point tally.
Another trick in this game is the so-called shoot the moon play. If you have cards that would allow you this, you can try to collect all of the hearts at the table and the Queen of Spades. If you do this your score will be reduced by 26 points or, as an alternative, you can choose to add 26 points to the rest of the players. One of the reasons why this game should be brought out when you have company over and want to play cards is the fact that almost every person is familiar with it.
Every person who ever owned a computer and Microsoft Windows played it at least once as the game was included in every operating system since the first installment in 1992. So, if you’re an adult today, you have certainly played a few rounds of Hearts.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a simple card game. It can be played by a larger group and it can be approached as a 2 player card game. Yes, a dealer and one player are enough to play blackjack. This game is also known as 21 in some parts of the world. Despite what you call it, the rules are always the same. It is a game where the player who is closest to 21 wins. The interesting part is that you do not play against other players but only against the dealer.
While the rules are simple, you still need a strategy to win. What makes blackjack so popular is the fact that it doesn’t favor the house when you play, not that this matters when you’re playing among friends. So, how does it work? Each player is given two cards, and the same goes for the dealer. The only difference is that the dealer keeps one of his cards face down. So, when you see your cards, you decide whether to hit or stand depending on how close you’re to 21. If you go over 21 it is called a bust and the dealer wins.
The cards in blackjack are counted as you see them for numerical cards. Ace is counted as either 1 or 11 depending on what other cards you draw, and face cards such as J, Q, and K are all counted as 10. You can pull 21 after the first two cards and that combo is called blackjack. Any other combo leading you to 21 is not called a blackjack.
The reason why blackjack is so popular among bigger groups of people as a card game and is a fan favorite at parties is its simplicity. It requires only two people and it can be played by up to seven. The rules are easy to learn and follow. With a bit of luck and a viable strategy, you can come out victorious from every party and casino you attend where blackjack is played. Also, it is one of the fastest card games out there, so you can never get bored while playing blackjack.
Cheat
Cheat is an amazing game. You can learn it as a kid, but playing it as an adult adds another layer of excitement to it. As a card game, it is simply a classic, fun-to-play, and easy-to-learn card game. The final goal in Cheat is to get rid of all of your cards and to do it in a sequence. It is played by a standard 52-card deck when you have only four or fewer players and by two decks if there are more players than four.
When the card dealing starts, the players receive all of their cards face down. This is where the fun starts. The game is called Cheat because you can lie when it comes to discarding 5s and 7s. so, when it’s your turn to discard 7s you can pretend that you do not have them, and discard other cards instead. But, if another player suspects that you’re lying they can scream ‘Cheat’ and your discarded cards are checked by players. After inspection, if you lied you get the player’s cards who said ‘Cheat’ discarded pile. But, if they were wrong they get yours.
You can make the game even spicier by adding Jokers who can replace any card value, so discarding them adds another layer of intrigue to the game. Also, some players decide to give the Joker zero value so discarding them gets complicated and a move that must be made. Either way, it is a fun little game when there are more people involved.
Cribbage
People who play Cribbage know that it’s best played if you have a board to keep the score. Yet, even if you do not have one nearby it doesn’t matter. You can keep the score by simply writing it on a piece of paper with a pen. It doesn’t take anything away from the game. The rules remain the same and the goal is to either reach 61 or 121 all depending on what the players agree. The points are gathered by collecting two or even more cards of the same value.
These collections are called runs and they can be collected up to 15 points by various card combinations. While you’re on the run, the total you collect during it can’t exceed 31 during one play. The game consists of three phases within each of which it’s possible to collect points but it doesn’t make the game any more complicated than it has to be.
The game starts when six cards are dealt to every player. Each player then discards two cards which are added to the crib. From the crib, the dealer can score extra points by having that one extra hand. Just like many card games on this list, Cribbage is a combination of both luck and a viable strategy. Before the game starts you need to have a strategy prepared if you’re to execute it during the gameplay. What makes strategy a requirement is the fact that at all times there is one card turned face up on the table and every player can count on it as part of their hand. Because of this, you can discard any of your cards in the hope that the right one will pop out at the right moment.
The game ends when one of the players reaches the agreed threshold.
99
We’re going to wrap it up with one fast-paced card game. This one has no luck involved, but it requires quick thinking. You assign values to certain cards and actions and write them down on the cheat sheet before the start of the game so that everyone can reference them. If you’ve played this game before you already have that cheat sheet prepared.
This game has only one objective. You need to play your cards but keep them under 99 with the addition of the cards that are sitting in the pile in the center of the playing field. You can use different approaches as you can push the pile to 99 to make others struggle, or you can play to low numbers to keep the game going in your favor if you have the right cards. Most players opt to keep the smaller value cards and actions cards till late in the game but you’re free to use a different approach.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for card games for adults for a larger group of people any of the titles from above should suffice. From the tangibles of poker and blackjack to the easy-going nature of Cribbage and 99 this list has everything in the card department you might be looking for from a card game intended for a group of adults.
