Ever find your family suffering from boredom on a holiday weekend? We can be very close with our family, however, our hearts and minds can be far away. Spending the holidays in another city seems quite expensive and unsafe, given we are on high alert because of coronavirus, 2 player card games at home may be the answer.

If you are looking to spend quality time at home with your family and friends, you can do it without breaking the bank. While it is very challenging in the U.S. to go on vacation for under $500, you can however buy 2 player card games very inexpensively and spend some quality time together. Playing card games is a great way to exercise your brain while having fun at the same time with your family and friends.

Here are the best 2 player card games of 2021 for adults, families, and kids. Let us dive in without further ado:

Go fish

Go fish is a classic 2 player card game. Even though Go fish is designed for kids, parents can play and have a fun time. The name seems a bit bizarre; however, it is just like any other card game in your routine activities. It includes a standard deck of cards for children ages 5 and up.

One player must deal 7 play cards to the opponent, one at a time. Moreover, the other decks lying on the side are known as the ‘pond’ or the ‘lake’. The person watching over the game must scatter them between the two players.

After the cards are distributed, the 2 players have to organize the 7 cards while keeping an ascending order in mind. The player, who did not deal with the cards has to fish and ask the 2nd player for the card with a number. However, they must have another card with the same number. Or else, the ‘fish’ deal will not count.

It continues until all the Go fish cards are distributed or organized in sets of 4. (that is 4 threes, 4 aces, 4 kings). It is a fun game, and your kid will want to continue for hours. But, the game ends when one of the players gets the most matched sets.

Old Maid

Old maid is one of the best 2-player card games with a unique yet traditional theme. It revolves around one rule and it is quite simple: do not have the old maid card even if all the cards have been paired. While adults can buy the specialty sets, children ages 4 and up can play the game using standard cards.

It begins when the players start to remove the queen from the card deck. The queen with no pair is regarded as the ‘old maid’. It does not just end here though. Then peek through their cards and remove all the matched sets. Moreover, the 2nd player must draw one card from the 1st player’s hand. If the drawn card matches with the card the 1st player has, the matched set has to be placed on the table.

The card game continues until all the cards except the first drawn card (old maid) are trashed. The player that gets the old maid card loses.

Slapjack

Slapjack is one of the best 2 player card games for kids that involves fast reflexes. The goal of the game is to win the most cards while slapping the jack first. However, slapjack requires recognition, focus, and speed. Therefore, it is best for children ages 5 and up.

It commences with handing out an entire deck to each player, however, all the cards should be faced down. After that, the player picks one card at a time and it goes back and forth. Yet, they must lay a card face up in the middle.

The first player to slap the jack card wins an entire pile. In addition to that, they add the pile to their stack’s bottom and continue to play. It continues until one of the players has collected all the cards.

Slapjack is fun; however, one needs a fast opponent to enjoy the game. Therefore, it is a great choice if you need to expel your kid’s energy. Although the game is quite kid-friendly, it can become feisty. So, it is good to have an adult watching over the kids.

Speed

When it comes to talking about the best 2 player card games, we cannot exclude Speed. The rules to play this game are quite simple: get rid of all the cards and win. Even so, the set up for speed is a little bit complicated, parents will get the hang of it after 2 or 3 attempts.

To begin the game, players get 5 cards while 15 cards are placed on the table, adjacent to the draw pile. Two piles of 5 cards each are placed and must only be used if no player can make a move. It is quite complicated to understand at first, however, this video will help you figure it out for sure.

Each player has two cards and they arrange them from the lowest to the highest number. Once you draw 4 cards, you have to choose the 5th one from the draw pile. Speed is a good game for exercising your mind, however, you must be fast to win.

It continues until one of the players has finished his cards. The player who uses or deals all his cards must yell ‘speed’ and claim the prize.

Trash

While the name might have you thinking, it is ‘garbage’, it is one of the best 2 player card games for kids. Trash all the cards or even better, get rid of them and win the game. However, this game is only suitable for children ages 8 and up.

To begin Trash, distribute/deal 10 cards to both the players. Place the cards in 2 rows of 5. The main goal is to line up all the cards in sequence, that is from 10 to ace.

The youngest player or the 1st player starts by drawing a card. For example, if the player picks up a 10, it must be placed first and if he chooses an ace, it has to be placed at the end. Here is a tutorial video in case you want to understand the game better.

The same player then flips over the card, right after replacing it. It continues until they come across the card they do not want. However, one exception is the King. They are used as wild cards in the game. Moreover, they can be used to replace any card.

Once the player has played the card, they throw it in the trash. The second player plays so in the same way. Trash has different rounds, however, the winner of round 1 has some advantage over the other player in round 2.

Trash is great for individuals who are slow-paced but love to play with strategy.

Concentration/Memory

Memory, also known as concentration, is one of the best 2 player card games for your family. If you want to help your younger sibling learn numbers, this is the best card game to invest in. To set up the concentration game, one must lay all the cards face down like a pattern.

Once this task is done, both the players take a turn in flipping 2 cards at a time. However, the goal is to find a match. Whenever the player finds a match, he gets to keep the set. But, if the player fails to find a match, he places both the cards in the previous positions. The strategy here is to remember the positions of the cards so they can take future turns more effectively.

The player with the most matched sets wins.

Crazy Eights

Crazy Eights is a complex game for adults as well as kids. While the name says ‘8’, it can only be played by 2 people. The goal of the game is to get rid of all the cards. Each player deals 5 cards. The left-over pile is placed in the middle. It serves as a stockpile, yet players can draw cards from it as well. The top card of the pile is placed separately and serves as a starter of the game.

It begins when one of the players places a card on top of that card. However, the card should match the topper card. For example, if the stockpile’s top card is a diamond, the card placed by the player should be a diamond as well. If the suit does not match, the number can match.

If they are unable to match with the stockpile’s starter, they must switch cards until the right card shows. If you are lucky, you will make use of your turn. Otherwise, the other player gets the turn.

All 8 cards left, serve as wild cards. The person who plays all the cards on hand wins the game.

Double Solitaire

If you love solitaire, you might label it one of the best 2 player card games of the century. The goal of double solitaire is to create 8 foundation piles. Moreover, each pile must begin with an ace and end with a king. Because we need 8 aces to complete 8 foundation piles, double solitaire is played with 2 standard decks of cards.

Each player gets a deck and places all the cards face-down, making a tableau. The first tableau begins with one card while the other has 2 cards. Similarly, the 3rd tableau has 3 cards. Each player then takes turns to turn over the top cards of all the foundation piles.

Each player uses and reveals the remaining cards from the stockpile in sets of 3. A player can place the cards on their tableau; however, they can use the opponent’s stockpile as well.

While it is a simple game, some players build a strategy and help others with moves to win the game. The player to get rid of all the cards and utilize them in building the foundation wins the game.

Scrimish

Like others on the list, Scrimish is one of the best 2 player card games of 2021. The set comes with special cards, designed only for Scrimish. It uses a recall strategy where you must figure out your opponent’s hidden crown card. If you successfully figure out where it is hidden, you win the game.

Scrimish cards are divided equally among the 2 players. Each player places 5 piles of cards, all faced down. While they are placing the cards, they should hide their crown card as well. Moreover, they should hide it from the other player so that he does not sense it.

Both the players then take turns to select the top card from the 5 piles and place it on the opponent’s pile. This strategy is known as an attack. The defending player then turns over a card to stop the attack. The player with the highest numbered card wins. While the winning card is returned, the losing card is trashed or discarded.

In addition to that, if both of the cards are of the same value, it is a tie and both cards get discarded. It continues until players complete the hunt of finding crown cards.

Uno

While Uno is thought of as a group game, it is considered one of the best 2 player card games for families and friends. Uno is renowned for its simplicity. The goal of the game is to get rid of all the cards strategically and say aloud, ‘Uno’ before placing the last card. How can one play this? Well, deal 7 cards to each player, all faced down.

All the remaining cards go to the stockpile. Reveal the top card of the pile and begin the game. Players play to discard their cards to the stockpile. You can match the top card with your card by color, number, action. Furthermore, you can play a wild card that changes the color entirely. You can use the ‘draw 4’ cards to slow down your opponent.

Once you have one card left, shout ‘Uno’ and take home the prize.

Conclusion

There you have it, the best 2 player card games of 2021. Playing a card game is a quality way to spend meaningful time with your friends and family. After all, it is fun to exercise your minds together.

I hope you found this article on 2 Player Card Games informative! Kindly share your views in the comment section below