You do not need to buy Uno, Exploding Kittens, or any other special deck to have a great card game night. A standard 52-card deck (the kind you probably already have in a drawer somewhere) is all you need for some of the best card games ever invented.

1. London Blackjack (Switch)

Players: 2-4 | Time: 5-15 minutes

The king of London card games. Match cards by suit or rank, use power cards to wreck your opponents, and be the first to empty your hand. Black Jacks force a pickup of 5, 2s stack for cumulative punishment, and the Joker can become anything. Fast, aggressive, and endlessly replayable. You can play it online at ldnblackjack.com.

2. Rummy

Players: 2-6 | Time: 15-30 minutes

Draw and discard cards to form sets (three of a kind) and runs (consecutive cards of the same suit). The first player to arrange all their cards into valid combinations wins. Rummy rewards pattern recognition and memory - can you remember what your opponent picked up three turns ago?

3. Cheat (BS / I Doubt It)

Players: 3-6 | Time: 10-20 minutes

Players take turns placing cards face-down, claiming they are a specific rank. "Two threes." But are they really? Anyone can call "Cheat!" and flip the cards. If the player was lying, they pick up the entire pile. If they were telling the truth, the accuser picks it up. A game of bluffing, nerve, and poker faces.

4. Snap

Players: 2-4 | Time: 5-10 minutes

The ultimate reflex game. Players take turns flipping cards onto a central pile. When two consecutive cards match in rank, the first player to shout "Snap!" wins the pile. Simple enough for young children but competitive enough for adults who take their reaction times seriously.

5. Go Fish

Players: 2-5 | Time: 10-15 minutes

Ask other players for specific cards to complete sets of four. "Do you have any sevens?" If they do, they hand them over. If not, you "go fish" from the deck. A classic starter game that teaches young players about sets and strategic questioning.

6. Spoons

Players: 3-8 | Time: 10-15 minutes

Place one fewer spoon than there are players in the middle of the table. Players rapidly pass cards around trying to collect four of a kind. When someone gets four, they grab a spoon. Everyone else scrambles for the remaining spoons. The player left without one is eliminated. Part card game, part physical comedy.

7. President (Scum)

Players: 4-7 | Time: 15-30 minutes

Play cards in ascending order. The first person to empty their hand becomes President, the last becomes Scum. In the next round, the Scum must give their best cards to the President. A brilliant social hierarchy game that rewards both skill and ruthless political manoeuvring.

The Verdict

All of these games work with a standard deck, require no setup beyond shuffling, and can be learned in under five minutes. London Blackjack sits at the top because of its perfect balance of luck and strategy, plus the raw satisfaction of dropping a Black Jack on someone who just played their second-to-last card.