Easy Card Games for Two: 3 Classics to Play Tonight
Three easy card games for two players: gin rummy, crazy eights and cribbage. Simple rules for long fall and winter evenings at the kitchen table.
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Now that it’s dark by suppertime, here’s a cheap and cheerful plan for the long evenings: one deck of cards, a cup of something warm and someone to beat. Card games are good company, easy on the budget and a fine excuse for a little friendly trash talk.
Here are three classics for two players, with just enough rules to get you started.
1. Gin rummy
- Deal: ten cards each. Turn one card face up to start the discard pile, and put the rest face down as the draw pile.
- Your turn: draw one card, from either pile, then discard one card.
- The goal: arrange your hand into sets (three or four of the same rank, like three kings) and runs (three or more in a row of the same suit, like the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts).
- Knock: when your leftover, unmatched cards add up to 10 points or less, you can knock and lay down your hand. Aces count 1 and face cards count 10. If every card is matched, that’s "gin," and you get a bonus.
Keep score on a notepad and play to 100. It’s the kind of game you can play while talking about everything else.
2. Crazy eights
- Deal: seven cards each. Turn one card face up.
- Your turn: play a card that matches the top card by suit or by number. If you can’t, draw until you can.
- The wild card: any 8 can be played at any time, and you get to name the new suit.
- Win: the first player out of cards wins the hand.
It’s quick and easy, and it’s a favorite with grandkids. Fair warning: they will learn to save their 8s.
3. Cribbage
If there’s a cribbage board in the closet, dust it off. Each player gets six cards and tosses two into the "crib." Then you take turns playing cards and counting up toward 31, scoring for 15s, pairs and runs, and moving your pegs along the board. First to 121 wins.
The full rules take a game or two to learn, so ask an old cribbage player to show you, or look up a free rules guide at the library. "Fifteen-two, fifteen-four" is still one of the best sounds in any kitchen.
Try this today
- Find the deck of cards in the junk drawer.
- Teach one of these games to a grandchild or friend.
- Set up a weekly game night on the calendar.
Make it easy on the eyes and hands
- Large-print or jumbo-index cards have big numbers that are easy to read across the table.
- A card holder (a small wooden or plastic rack) keeps your hand steady if gripping cards gets tiring.
- An automatic shuffler is a nice gift for the family’s champion card player.
- Good light over the table helps everyone tell a heart from a diamond.
Not just for two
Many of these games stretch to three or four players, and there’s nothing like a family card game after a holiday dinner. Libraries, community centers and senior centers often host card and game afternoons, too, which is a great way to meet new people.
For more ideas, see Keep Your Mind Sharp and Fill the Quiet Days.
What card game did your family play around the kitchen table? Tell me in the comments.