Card Games to Play at a Party
and More Party Games
Looking for the best card games to play at a party? This selection of card games for 5 or more players will have everyone in on the action!
For games other than card games, be sure to visit our home party games pages.
For a casino themed party Black Jack and Poker are the most popular card games in America. But if you're just out for a fun filled evening, "I Doubt It," is for you!
Here's a list of best bets for card games to play at a party:
- Number of Players: as many as can sit at the table.
- What You'll Need: two shuffled 52 card packs, a dealer, betting chips.
- Object of the Game: reach 21 without going over.
Decide demonimations of your poker chips, i.e. white, $1, red $5, blue $10. Give each player a set amount, i.e. $30.
Hold back the majority for the dealer's bank.
Each player places his bet in front of him on the table. There is usually a set minimum and maximum bet.
After bets are placed, the dealer gives each player one card face down. He finishes by giving himself one card face up. Then the dealer gives one card face down to each player including himself. Each player then has two cards face down and the dealer has one card face down and the other face up.
The object is for each player to get 21 or as near to 21 as possible, without going over. Face cards count as 10. Aces count as 1 or 11, as the player wishes. All other cards are valued by their number.
Each player (excluding the dealer) views his cards. If he has a total of 21 with the first 2 cards, it's referred to as a "natural" or "black jack" and the dealer pays him 1 and 1/2 times his bet. Therefore, for a $10 bet you win $15, and you take your $10 chip back.
If the dealer's face up card is an ace, 10 or face card, he may look to see if he has a natural as well. If the dealer has a natural black jack, he collects all the money from each player (except those with naturals). If both a dealer and a player have a natural black jack the player takes his chips back - neither pays nor collects.
After all bets are settled regarding naturals, if the dealer does not have a natural, he turns to the player to his left and offers a 3rd card. A player must accept cards one at a time until he reaches 17. The player may stand if he has at least 17 or take another card. If the card causes the player to go over 21, it is a bust and the player looses his chips. The dealer moves to the next player after the previous player has reached 17 or has busted.
When the dealer has served each player, he turns up his own face down card. If the total is 17 or more, he must stand. Any player who has a greater hand than the dealer is paid the amount of their bet. If the dealer goes over 21, he pays each player who stood, the amount of their bet.
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This is among the most hilarious of card games to play at a party -- it's well suited for large groups!
- Number of Player: 6 or more.
- Requirements: two 52 card packs, poker chips if you like.
- Object of the Game: to get rid of all of your cards.
A dealer is chosen at random and deals cards to each player in rotation until all cards are dealt.
The player to the dealers left discards 1 to 8 cards face down on the table in front of him. The first player announces which cards he is discarding. He announces he has any number of aces (even though they may not have any aces). For example: " I have 3 aces". He may or may not tell the truth about the cards he is discarding.
Any player at the table may either say, "I doubt it", or remain silent. If doubted the player turns his cards face up.
If the player's statement was true, the doubter must take the cards. If the player's statement was false, the player himself must take all players' discarded cards.
When an announcement is not doubted, the cards remain on the table until a player's announcement is doubted and found to be false, at which time that player picks up all the cards on the table, according to the previous stated rules. If two people simultaneously doubt on the same hand, the first speaker is the offical doubter.
If two people simultaneously doubt on the same hand, the first speaker is the official doubter.
The second players' announcement must include cards that are of the next lesser denomination. For example, the first player announces, "The aces". And the second announces she is discarding 1 to 8 kings"; the next player must announce, "Queens", and so forth.
A player may state that he has no queens and discard jacks instead. Whether of not it is true is not relevant. When the announcements reach deuces, the next player must announce that he is discarding aces.
The game ends when a player lays down his last cards, and it is either not doubted or doubted and found to be true.
The winner receives one point for each card held by other players or each player pays one chip for each card he holds in his hand.
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- Straight Flush
Five cards of the same suit in sequence.
For example, the highest straight flush is A, K, Q, J, 10 and the lowest is 5, 4, 3, 2, A. A straight flush beats all other hands.
- Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank. Four kings, for example. Four of a kind beats all hands except a straight flush.
- Full House
Three cards of one rank and two of another. Three 10s and 2 Queens, for example.
- Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Example: A, K, 4, 3, 2 of hearts beats a flush of Q, 10, 9, 7, 6.
- Straight
Five cards in ranking in consecutive order. They can belong to two or more suits. Example: A, K, Q, J, 10 belonging to clubs, hearts and spades.
- Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank.
Example: Three 10s.
- Two Pairs
Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
Example: two queens and two 7s.
- One Pair
Two cards of the same rank.
Example: Two Kings.
- High Card
Single Card of the Highest rank. When no player has a pair or better. The highest ranking card wins.
- Number of Players: 2 to 10
- Requirements: 52 card deck, poker chips
- Object of Game: To have the highest ranking hand
- Rank of Cards: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
There's no ante for five card stud. The dealer gives each player a face-down card, then a face-up card. The the first betting interval begins, the player with the high card must place the first bet.
After the first betting interval, the dealer gives another face-up card to each active player. There is another betting interval.
This continues until all four rounds are complete, at which time the fifth card dealt determines the winner.
A player may fold and be removed from the game during any betting round, but he forfeits the chips he has bet until that point.
Each player may match the previous person's bet or raise the bet. If a player raises a bet, all other players must increase their bets to that amount for that round.
The player with the highest ranking suit after at the end of the fifth round wins the hand and the pot.
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Here's what you'll need:
- A deck of uniquely patterned playing cards.
- Small prize for the winner of the game.
- Pretend money, or chocolate coins.
- Casino attire.
- Casino night invitations as they are part of the
game.
- Poker Ranking Sheet
The best card game for party activity is poker.
Send invitations with one randomly selected card from a deck (excluding
jokers), keep the rest of the deck for the
party.
Inform guests that the card they recieved is part of a party game,
so they should bring it with them.
After all the guests arrive, a special round of five card stud poker is played with the
remaining cards from the deck. During any round of the poker game, each guest may replace one card in his hand with the card sent in the invitation.
A prize, such as poker chips, a nice deck of cards, or an enticing bottle of liquor can be given to the
lucky winner.
We have a template of our favorite conversation starter cards here.
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