Sports Then and Now

Want to start winning every single card game? While many of us are happy to play card games simply to spend time with friends and family and build happy memories, winning is always a plus. After all, isn’t that the aim of any card game? 

While there are hundreds of different card games, some are more well-known than others. In this post, we’ll share some essential winning tips for 7 of the most popular card games: Uno, Go Fish, Poker, Blackjack, Hearts, Rummy and Cheat. Get ready to sharpen your skills and become king of the card table!

Disclaimer: While these tips can help you improve your gameplay, there’s no guaranteed way to win any card game. Luck often plays a significant role and even the best card players get beaten on occasion. However, practising these strategies can certainly give you the edge.

Uno

Derived from the Crazy Eights family of card games, Uno is a shedding-type card game with its own unique deck made up of colors, numbers and special cards. There are a few proven strategies that can help you to be the first to get rid of your hand…

• Change color frequently: Most players will keep playing a single color until they run out of that color. In actual fact, it’s better to keep switching the color by matching numbers instead so that you keep onto as many different colors as possible and keep your options open. 
• Save your special cards: Don’t play all your special cards early! Those skips, reverses, +2 draws, +4 draws and wild cards are great for getting out of sticky situations when you don’t have a color or number to match. 
• Pay attention to your players: It’s easy to focus on your hand and not look at what your players are doing. By paying attention to how many cards players have left and what cards they are playing, you can strategically force other players to pick up cards and even predict what other players are about to play.

Go Fish

Go Fish is one of the most popular card games in the US. The aim of this game is to collect sets of four cards of the same rank (called ‘books’) by asking other players for other cards. There are a few slippery ways in which you can become the master at Go Fish.

• Keep track of what’s been played: Having a good memory is very helpful in this game. Pay attention to what cards your opponents have and which cards they are asking for and try to memorize these as best as you can.
• Maintain a poker face: It’s not just poker that benefits from a poker face! By not letting other players see your reactions, you can stop them from guessing your cards. 
• Ask questions strategically: Don’t be afraid to keep asking for the same card – it may actually make it harder for your opponents to work out what else is in your hand. If you’re struggling to build books and you notice a certain card hasn’t been mentioned, consider also asking for this card, as it could be plentiful in other players’ hands. 

Poker

In poker, you win by having the best five-card hand at the end. Unfortunately, the cards you’re dealt in poker are very much down to luck. The skill is all in how you bet and how you bluff – you can win with a low hand simply by placing a bet so high that every other player folds. Whether you’re looking to conquer the casinos or beat your friends, it could be worth trying to keep in mind these strategies.

• Play tight and play aggressively: In poker, it’s often better to play fewer hands – 15% to 20%. While there are some exceptions, loose players tend to lose more often. When you do play a hand, aim to go all in! This typically throws looser players off guard and makes it harder to know when you’ve got a great hand or when you’re bluffing. 
• Observe your opponents: Observing how your opponents are playing can help you to pick up on expressions and behavioral patterns that give you a better idea as to when a player has a good hand. Even the best poker players will occasionally leave subtle signs. 
• Master the art of bluffing: Being a good bluffer can enable you to win at poker even if you have a terrible hand. This involves learning to play every hand – good or bad – with the same manner and expressions so that no-one can truly work out what cards you have. It’s up to you as to what pokerface you choose: smug, stone-faced or even a look of confusion to disarm people.

Blackjack

Blackjack (also known as ‘21’) is another popular casino game that requires you to get as close to the value of 21 as possible. You are dealt two cards and you must then decide whether to stand (keep your cards) or hit (draw a card). More so than many games, this one is down to luck. But there are still a few basic strategies that can help you win more often…

• Stand when you have 17 or higher: The chance of drawing a 4 or lower is highly unlikely, so it’s often best to stand if your cards equal 17.
• Hit when you have 11 or lower: There’s a very good chance you’ll be dealt a 10 or lower in this situation, so it’s worth always hitting. 
• Know when to double down: When it comes to betting strategies, doubling down involves doubling your initial bet after receiving your first two cards. It’s generally advised to do this if you have a total of 11, or if you have a total of 10 and the dealer’s upcard is 6 or lower. 

Hearts

Hearts is a trick-taking card game in which you must try to accumulate as few points as possible. Points are accrued by collecting hearts (1 point) or the Queen of Spades (13 points). This is a game that’s all about evasion and there are a few popular strategies you may be able to use to win…

• Watch your opponent’s cards: Like a lot of card games, keeping track of what cards have been played can give you an insight into what other players are holding. Pay attention particularly to which suits are being played. 
• Discard high cards early: If you have any high cards at the start, it’s generally a good idea to take early tricks with them and get rid of them. The chance of someone dumping a queen early in the game is low, so it’s worth leading with high cards and hanging onto lower cards until later.
• Hold onto low hearts: Low hearts can be particularly worth holding onto. Yes, hearts score points and you don’t want to end the game with them – however they can help you avoid taking tricks later in the game and prevent opponents from ‘shooting the moon’ (taking all the tricks). 

Rummy

The aim of rummy is to discard all your cards by forming sets (three or four of a kind) and runs (numbered sequences of the same suit). It is sometimes scored with points – the value of the cards you have left at the end of each round is added up, and ideally you should end with as few points as possible. Below are some tips on how you can win at rummy.

• Track your opponents’ discards: Seeing what cards other players are throwing away can give you an idea as to what may be in their hand. If your opponents keep throwing away certain suits or numbers, you know that no-one is collecting these. 
• Stay flexible when building melds: Sets and runs are known as ‘melds’.Try to keep your options open when building melds and don’t become obsessed with collecting a single card that someone may be hanging onto for the whole game. Focus on building two or three melds at once.
• Don’t hold onto high cards: If you’re playing the scored version of rummy, make sure that you’re not hanging onto high cards once you start reaching the end of the game. If other players seem close to winning, it could be dangerous to try to collect runs of high cards (e.g. jack, queen, king) as you’ll end up with a lot of points if someone wins the game before you’ve laid them down. 

Cheat

Cheat is a game that encourages cheating. You must get rid of all the cards in your hand, discarding each one face down and declaring which cards you discard – however you can lie about which cards you place down! The downside is that if someone calls you out, you have to pick up all the cards in the discard pile. There are a few tips that could help you to win this game.

• Play safe at the beginning: While the game may be called ‘cheat’, it’s actually often better to tell the truth in the beginning. People are more on alert for cheaters at the beginning of the game and consistently being honest about the cards you’re playing could convince some players that you’re going to play the whole game honestly – allowing you to get away with cheating later.
• Bluff confidently: When you do decide to cheat, make sure you do it confidently. Any hesitation could encourage people to call you out.

Call strategically: Some people will cheat and you need to be willing to call them out, but you also don’t want to pick up the discard pile, so only call out a cheater if you’re 100% or if there’s only 1 or 2 cards in the discard pile.