Card Games for Two Players

This is the full index. For recommended games see best 2-player games.

• Games for Two Players
• Explanation of Symbols
• Adapting trick-taking games for two
• Other games that are possible with two players

Games for Two Players

This is a list of traditional card and tile games that are designed for or work well with two players. Each game is listed just once - for alternative names see the general alphabetical index. For each game the configuration of players and the type and number of cards or tiles is listed. There is an explanation of the symbols below the table.

Explanation of symbols

Configuration

• Individual. With only two players, there is no possibility of forming teams. The players must play against each other - one against one - and there are no "partnership" or "alliance" games.
• Banker. The players have unequal roles: one is the "banker" and the other the "player". These games also work, and are most often played, with one banker and several players. Many casino games have this format, with a representative of the house playing as the banker. In home games, the participants usually take turns to be the banker.

Design

This column indicates the type of cards or tiles needed. See the equipment section of the classified index for further details of the different designs.

Quantity

This column gives the number of cards in the deck, indicates where multiple decks are used, and the number of jokers. Where the game can be played with various sizes or numbers of decks, perhaps depending on the number of players, the possibilities are listed, separated by commas. For example, "2x32" means a double 32-card deck: 64 cards in all with two copies of each card. "52+2J" means a 52-card deck with two jokers. "32, 36" means the game can be played with 32 or 36 cards. "2x52+2J, 3x52+3J" means that the game can be played with two 52-card decks plus two jokers (106 cards) or three 52-card decks plus three 52-card decks plus three jokers (159 cards).

Adapting trick-taking games for two players

Trick-taking games, especially those in which most or all of the cards are dealt, often do not work well with only two players. If you know that your opponent holds exactly the cards that you do not have, the play can become uninteresting. There are several solutions to this.

Undealt cards

The simplest solution is to leave some of the cards undealt and out of play, for example by dealing the same sized hands that would be used with three or four players. It will be impossible to deduce whether missing cards are held by the opponent or are undealt.

Selective deal

Instead of a normal deal, each player in turn has a choice of two cards, having seen only one of them. At your turn you draw one card and look at it. You may either add this card to your hand and then look at the next card, which you must discard out of the game, or discard the first card face down and take the second card for your hand. This way, you know half the cards that are out of the game, and can guess that of the unknown cards, the higher cards are likely to be held by your opponent.

Discard and draw

Deal some of the cards to the players and stack the remaining cards face down. Then each player in turn may discard any unwanted cards and draw an equal number of replacement cards from the face down pile. As with the selective deal, players know some of the cards that are out of play, and can guess that the high cards are likely to be in play. There can be restrictions on the number of cards each player may discard and replace.

Phased deal

Deal half the cards to the players and play them. Then deal the remaining cards to the players and play those. If you can remember what was played in the first phase you will know what your opponent has in the second phase.

Trick and draw

Deal some cards to each player and stack the rest face down to form a stock pile. After each trick, the winner of the trick draws the top card of the stock and adds it to his or her hand, and the loser draws the following card similarly. When the stock is exhausted, play the remaining cards without drawing. In this endgame, players with good memories will know their opponent's cards. Often the bottom card of the stock is turned face up and turned at right angles to it. The suit of this card is the trump suit, and this trump will be acquired by the loser of the last trick before the stock is exhausted.

Dummy hands

Deal more than two hands. Two hands belong to the two live players and the remaining hand or hands are dummy players. Dummy hands may be face down, face up or partly face up, and there are various options for who plays from the dummy hand(s) and what to do when a dummy wins a trick.

Packets on the table

This is probably the most recently developed method and is one of the most successful. Each player is dealt a hand of cards plus a number of packets of cards which are placed in a row on the table with the top card of each packet face up and the cards under it face down. When playing a card, you may use either a card from your hand or the top card of any of your packets. Whenever you play a card from a packet, you turn the next card of the packet (if any) face up - this may happen immediately after you play the card or at the end of the trick, depending on the rules of the game.

Possible for Two Players

Here is a list of other traditional card and tile games that can be played by two players. Although these games are possible for two, they are not particularly recommended, since they work better with some other number of players.