A standard deck of playing cards is one of the best entertainment investments you can make. For the price of a coffee, you get access to hundreds of games that have entertained people for centuries. Here are 15 genuinely fun card games you can play right now with a normal deck.

For 2 Players

1. Switch (Blackjack / Crazy Eights)

The most popular social card game in the UK. Match the top card by suit or rank. Power cards (Black Jacks force 5-card pickups, 2s force 2-card pickups, Aces change suit, 8s skip turns) create chaos. First to empty their hand wins. Fast, tactical, and extremely replayable. Play it free online.

2. Speed

Both players simultaneously flip cards onto two central piles. Valid cards are one higher or lower than the top card. No turns - just raw speed. The fastest hands win. Extremely addictive, best of three format recommended.

3. Gin Rummy

Draw and discard to build sets (matching ranks) and runs (sequential same-suit cards). Knock when your unmatched cards total 10 or fewer points. More strategic than Switch, longer games, very satisfying.

For 3-4 Players

4. Cheat (BS)

Place cards face-down claiming specific ranks. Other players call your bluff. Liars pick up the pile. The first to empty their hand wins. Gets louder and funnier the more people play.

5. Rummy

Build sets and runs while preventing opponents from building theirs. Discard wisely - your opponents are watching what you throw away and drawing accordingly.

6. Go Boom

Similar to Switch but without the pickup penalties. Match by suit or rank each round. Win tricks. First player to empty their hand wins. Gentler introduction to trick-matching games for younger players.

7. Snap

Flip cards onto a pile. Shout "Snap!" when consecutive cards match. Speed and attention required. Works surprisingly well with adults who claim to have grown out of it.

For 4 Players

8. Whist

A classic trick-taking game in two teams of two. Players must follow suit if possible. Trump suit beats all others. The team winning the most tricks wins the round. Foundation for Bridge but far simpler.

9. Hearts

Each trick you win containing Hearts costs you 1 point. The Queen of Spades costs 13 points. First to 100 points loses. Devious play, backstabbing, and genuine strategy all packed into one game.

10. Spades

Teams of two bid on how many tricks they will win, then try to hit their bid exactly. Spades are always trump. Overbidding and underbidding are both penalised. One of the best team card games ever made.

For Any Size Group

11. President (Scum)

Play cards in ascending order. First to empty their hand becomes President. Last becomes Scum and must give their best cards to the President next round. Creates a social hierarchy that makes every round different.

12. Spoons

Collect four of a kind, grab a spoon. One fewer spoon than players. The player without a spoon is eliminated. Gets increasingly frantic with more players.

13. Old Maid

Remove one Queen. Deal all cards. Players discard pairs. Draw cards from neighbours to form more pairs. The player left with the single Queen is the Old Maid. Quick, simple, fun for all ages.

14. Slapjack

Deal all cards face-down. Players flip one card at a time onto a central pile. When a Jack appears, the first player to slap it wins the pile. The player who collects all the cards wins.

15. War

Split the deck evenly. Flip simultaneously. Higher card wins both. When cards tie, place 3 face-down and flip a 4th - winner takes all 10. Complete luck, endlessly playable, great for killing time.

Play Card Games Online

When everyone is not in the same room, LDN Blackjack lets you play Switch online with friends in real time. Create a private room, share the 6-character code, and you are in. No app, no account required.