My Favorite Card Games
One of my goals in 2021 is to learn some more cool card games to play, specifically ones that usea standard deck of cards. Playing the game of pitch and blackjack with my uncles and grandpa were always great family experiences that made me appreciate the concept of the 52 card deck — what a genius whoever created them. There are a seemingly infinite number of games you can play with a deck of cards, but here are some of my favorites.
One of the best games to play in the car as a kid was a game called Egyptian Rats. It could work with more than 2 players, but ideally it is played as a head-to-head between 2 people. It is fairly similar to war, but not quite. You take turns laying cards but you are trying to win piles by getting a face card of your own and then not having the other player match your face card. So, for example, if you happen to lay a Jack — the best card in the game — the other player only has one opportunity to match with another face card (doesn’t have to be a Jack). Queens give the other player 2 chances, Kings 3, and Aces 4. The other way you can win piles is by slapping when the same number gets played consecutively by the players, or a sandwich occurs (Player 1 plays an 8, Player 2 plays a 10, Player 1 plays another 8). The game is over once one player has all of the cards.
A game that I have recently picked up, but has quickly become one of my favorite games, is 5 card draw poker. It is one of the simplest forms of poker, and also one of teh most fun in my opinion. Each player gets their own 5 cards which are unknown to the other players. A round of betting (or folding) occurs after the players look at their initial hands. Then, every player gets an opportunity to exchange any number of their current cards for new cards in the deck. Then, another round of betting occurs and whoever is left reveals their cards. I like it a lot because it’s a better poker game to play with 2 or 3 people than Texas Hold ’Em, which can go too quickly. There is also a lot of strategy involved with the drawing of the cards and watching what others are doing.
Other cards games I enjoy playing are Blackjack (in casinos), Texas Hold ’Em poker, pitch (or euchre, it’s pretty much the same game), and Irish Poker (as a casual drinking game).
