Children and Family Card Games

In this chapter, I have grouped a collection of card games that are easy to play and simple to learn. But despite their simplicity, these games are most entertaining and they provide a fine medium through which card players of all ages may meet for mutual enjoyment.

Requirements

1. Up to 12 players.

2. For five or fewer players, use a standard single 52-card deck; for six or more players, use a double pack, two standard 52-card decks shuffled together.
3. Rank of cards: ace (high), king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two (low).

The players cut for deal, and highest card deals. The cards are dealt out one at a time per round, beginning at dealers’ left and going in clockwise rotation until all cards are given out. It does not matter if some players receive more cards than others.
The Play. The player at dealer’s left must place on the table in front of him, face down, any number of cards from one to eight (four with a single deck); as he puts then down, he must announce that he is putting down as many aces as the number of cards. thus, he may put down three cards, saying “Three aces.” But the cards need not be aces; the player is not compelled to tell the truth.
Any player at the table may then say “I doubt it,” in which event the cards are turned up. If the player’s statement was true (if, in the case cited, the three cards were actually aces), the doubter must take them and all other cards which have been played on the table into his hand; if the announcement was false in any respect, the player himself must take all the cards on the poker scoring table, including his own, into his hand. if two or more players doubt the announcement , the one who speaks first is the official doubter; if two players doubt simultaneously, the one nearer the player’s left is the official doubter.
When an announcement is not doubted, the cards played remain on the table in front of the player until, by the rules of the game, some player is compelled to pick them up and add them to his hand.
After the first player’s announcement has been doubted or accepted, the player on his left must put down one to four cards and announce that he is putting down so many kings; next, the player at his left must put down and announce so many queens; and so on around the table, so that when a player in turn has announced deuces, the next player must start with aces again.
When the double pack is being used, the player is permitted to put down any number of cards from one to eight. The principle is that a player must be permitted to put down every card of group if he holds it; four of kind with a single pack, eight of kind with a double cameroon pack.
When a player puts his last card down on the table and either is not doubted, or, upon being doubted, is shown to have announced correctly, the game ends and each other player pays him one point (one chip). Variant: Some play that each other player must give him one chip for every card remaining in his hand.

1. If a player doubts any player’s announcement before it is made, his doubt is void and he may not doubt that player’s announcement when it is made.
2. There is no misdeal; any irregularity in dealing must be corrected as well as possible by adjusting the cards in the respective hands even if the players have looked at them.
3. It is quite ethical to make false statements, such as saying, when in turn to play sevens, “I haven’t any sevens,” when in fact the player has one or more sevens in his hand.

Three-Card I Doubt It

In one popular card variant of I Doubt It, the cards are dealt around only as far as they will go equally and any remaining cards are put face down in the center of the table. Each player in turn puts down exactly three cards in front of him, and the first player may choose what denomination of cards he will announce; that is, he may say “Three sevens ” or “Three kings ” or anything else he chooses. Each player in turn thereafter, in putting down his three cards, must name the next higher denomination from the player preceding him. When a player has only one or two cards left, he must draw enough cards from the stock in the center of the table to be able to put down three cards. The game ends when a player gets rid of his last three cards.

Cheat

Cheat is an interesting card variant of I Doubt It.
Requirement

1. Four to 12 players.
2. Two standard 52-card decks. (If there are more than eight at the table, use three decks.) ,

The Play. The cards are dealt out as far a they will go. The player to the dealer’s left leads off. He takes any card he likes from hi: hand and places it face downward on the table, at the same time naming its denomination. Thus, if his card is a four, he say! “Four.” He does not, however, show it. The next player must now play a five on top of the four, again face downward; if he has no five (as, of course, may well be the case), he must still play poker a card, at the same time saying “Five”; and must do his best to look as if there is nothing wrong. So the play goes on Six follows five, eight follows seven, and so on. King is followed by ace, then deuce, and so on. Thus, the pile of cards in the center on the table keeps building up as play goes on.

After any player has played his card, he may be challenged by anyone else at the table. The challenge takes the form of a cry of “Cheat,” and quite likely more than one player will challenge, especially toward the end of the game, so it is advisable to appoint someone as referee. Generally it is best to let each player, in turn, stand out for one round so that all his energies can be devoted to refereeing. As soon as “Cheat” is called, the card last played must be turned up. If the challenge is successful (i.e., if the player actually has cheated) he has to take into his hand all the cards on the table. If, however, the challenge is unsuccessful, the player who has first called “Cheat” is awarded the stock of cards. And it is from this point of view that a referee’s services are needed.
After a challenge, the player next to the one challenged plays a six-seven card to the table. He can play any card he likes. It is legitimate to cheat not only by playing a card not of the denomination named, but also by playing two cards at once if one can get away with it. But here, again, of course, one is liable to be challenged. Of course, the first player to get rid of all his cards is the winner.
WAR

The game is also known as Beggar –Your –Neighbor.

1. Two players.
2. A standard 52-card deck.
3. Cards rank: king (high), queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, ace (low).

After a shuffle and cut, the cards. each player turns up his top card and places it face up in front of his face-down pile. The higher card wins the other and both cards are placed face down beneath the winner’s packet.
When the turned-up cards are the same rank, “war” begins. These two cards are put in the center, and each player adds an additional card from packet. Then each player turns up another card, and the higher card of these two wins all six cards. If these third cards are a pair, they also go in the center, and each player adds another card. This continues until one of the turned –up cards is higher than the other and its owner wins the whole group of cards.
The object is to capture all 52 cards, but since this seldom happens, it is usually agreed that the first player to win three wars wins the game.

Persian Pasha

This game is played poker in the same manner as War, except for the following:

1. The two players keep turning up cards, each on a single pile in front of himself, until both players turn up cards of the same suit. The player with the higher-ranking card then captures all of the other player’s cards in the face-up pile.
2. When two cards of the same suit cannot be turned up at the same time, the game ends and the player with the majority of cards is the online poker winner.