The Absolute Best Two-Player Card Games You’ll Ever Play

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What’s not to love about card games? They’re fun, simple, affordable, and you can take them anywhere you want. Games help you bond with loved ones and create shared memories. You can do all this with a standard deck of 52 cards. But some of the best two-player card games out there today have beautiful and unique decks.

Let us guide you to the best two-player card games around. First, we’ll start with our favorite two-player card games you can play with a standard deck of cards. We will tell you what they’re about and give you the basic rules. Then, keep reading for games that come with unique decks that you may have never heard of.

The Best Two-Player Card Games With a Standard 52-Card Deck

A standard deck of 52 playing cards offers flexibility and, for me, nostalgia. I grew up on classic card games like these. As such, they will always have a special spot in my heart. I truly consider these some of the best two-player card games out of all the cards games you could play with a standard deck.

If you’re short on decks of cards, I love the look of my Animal Portraits Playing Cards. For a more classic deck, I usually prefer Bicycle Playing Cards.

Casino

Despite its name, this card game doesn’t actually involve gambling or betting of any sort. I couldn’t even really tell you why it’s called that. I can tell you, though, that this game is great fun.

To play Casino, deal each player a hand of four cards. Then, flip up four cards in the center. Your goal is to get the most points. You can earn points for having the following kinds of cards in your pile once the deck runs out of cards.

• Most Cards (3 points)
• Most Spades (1 point)
• Aces (1 point each)
• The Ten of Diamonds (2 points)
• The Two of Spades (1 point)

You take cards mostly by matching them to the cards in the center. For example, you can take a seven with another seven.

You can also take cards by adding them up to make larger cards. For example, if you have a seven in your hand, you can take a three and a four together since they add up to seven. You can even build towards something by playing a four in your hand onto a three. In this way, you can come up with clever ways to get the cards you want.

The game will continue for as many rounds as it takes for a player to reach 21 points. The first player to reach 21 points wins.

Cribbage

Cribbage may not seem like a standard card game at first as most people play it with a board. However, a board is not actually required as long as you keep score on your own. Plus, if you’re worried about portability, there are travel cribbage boards available for purchase.

This classic two-player card game is straightforward to play once you get a hang of the scoring. Your goal is simple: be the first to reach 121 points. You do this over a series of rounds, which consist of three parts.

In the first part, you will have a hand of six cards. You must choose two of those to put in the “crib” (an extra hand for the dealer) and which four you would like to keep.

In the second part, you will play out the cards between the two players to score points.

Finally, you will score the cards in your hand based on the combinations you have.

Many points you can earn are similar to poker hands. You will get points for pairs, flushes, and runs. However, there are certain rules about what makes a flush or a straight, and three of a kind are actually considered three sets of pairs. You can find a full rulebook for this wonderful two-player card game here. You can also try it out for free online here.

Kings in the Corner

Also known as “Kings Corners,” you want to be the first player to get rid of all the cards in your hand in this classic card game. To play, deal out seven cards to each player. Then, place the deck on the table between the two players and flip up four cards, one for each side of the deck. If any of them are Kings, place them in a corner between the face up cards.

On your turn, play as many cards as you can or would like to under the following rules:

• You can always place a King in a corner.
• You can always place a card in an empty space.
• Played cards must be one face value lower than the card it is placed on and of the opposite color.
• You may move a pile on top of another pile if it follows the previous rule.

Once you have played as many cards as you can or wish to, you must end a turn by drawing a card. If you finish your turn with no cards left, then congratulations! You won. For a full set of rules and scoring, visit this page.

Gin Rummy

A twist on the classic game Rummy, Gin Rummy plays well with two players. You want to get to 100 points before the other player does. How do you do that? By making sets or sequences of cards in your hand each round.

To play, deal out 10 cards to each player, then flip over a card to form a discard pile. This flipped card is called the upcard. Each player will have a chance to take the upcard, starting with whoever did not deal. If neither player wants it, then the starting player will draw a card from the top of the deck, then discard a card.

Your goal for a round is to get sets and runs. A set includes three or four matching cards, like three Jacks. A run consists of three or more cards of the same suit that go in a row. So a 5-6-7 of Spades is a run, but three cards in a row of different suits are not.

A round ends in one of two ways. One player can put all their cards in sets or runs first. A player can also “knock,” meaning they did not complete their sets or runs, but they feel confident enough that whatever they have left over will be lower than what the other player has left over. Either way, whoever has the lower points left over will earn the difference between those points. So while you don’t want points in your hand, you do want to earn points overall.

Golf

Just like a real game of golf, this easy two-player card game is all about going for the lowest score possible.

Using a standard deck of cards, each player is dealt six cards. One card is flipped up to start a discard pile. Players will swap out cards over the course of play to get a lower score. A card is considered played when it is put face-up on the table. Cards drawn from the discard pile must be put face-up, while cards drawn from the deck can be played or held. A round ends when a player has all six cards face up.

The game is played over either nine or eighteen rounds, also called “holes.” The player with the lowest total score at the end of the game wins.

For a full set of rules for other classic two-player card games, check out The Ultimate Book of Card Games. I often check it out when I need to remember the rules to classic solitaire games, two-player card games, and others.

The Best Two-Player Card Games With Special Decks

Each of these games come with their own deck. You can’t play these games without buying the set, but they are well worth it. Some of my favorite games are on this list, and I play them all the time. Most of them work well with more than two players, too, but they all play well as two-player card games.

Love Letter

If I could only play one card game for the rest of my life, this might be it. And considering how much I love games, that’s saying something!

In Love Letter, each player plays as a suitor attempting to win the princess’ heart. However, her mother has recently been arrested for treason! The princess is so distraught, she has locked herself in her room in her tower in her castle and she will not come out for anything. So, in order to get to her to win her heart, you must call for help from different people in her court such as guards, a baron, or the countess.

This game is simple to play. Deal one card to each player. Then, discard one card face-down to the side. That card will not be used in the round. When playing with two players, flip three cards face up to the side. They will not be in play, but you are allowed to look at these three.

When it is your turn, draw a card. Then, choose one of the two cards in your hand to play. To play it, simply discard it in front of you. Once you play it, that card will take effect. Make sure to read the bottom of the card before you play to see what it does! Most cards will help you knock the other player out of the round.

A round ends in one of two ways. Either if the deck can run out of cards, or if there is one player left in the round. If there’s only one player left, then that player wins an affection token and is that much closer to winning the princess’ heart! If both players are still in the round (or multiple players), the player with the highest value card wins the round.

In a two-player version of this game, the first player to seven affection tokens wins. You can get a classic version of the deck here or the newer boxed version here.

The Mind

This newer card game has taken the world by storm. As soon as you play it, you’ll understand why. Players have to work together to win this one, but it’s not as easy as it seems!

Players must place their cards in order (lowest to highest) from the hands they are dealt. The deck has cards numbered 1-100, and players will receive cards equal to the level they are on. In a two-player game, players will attempt to beat 12 levels. So, for the first level, each player will receive one card. In the second level, they will each get two cards. And so on.

There are no turns in this game. Instead, players will try to decide when it’s the best time to play their card. But wait! You can’t ask the other player what they have to know. In fact, there’s no talking allowed in this game. Can you read the other player’s mind? You’ll find out!

A couple of cards can save you from or help you avoid mistakes. Use throwing stars to get rid of the lowest card in both of your hands. Or, if you make a mistake, you can lose a life! The more levels you defeat, the more opportunities you have to get a life or throwing star back. You can buy it here.

Fluxx

The rules to this card game are simple. Draw a card. Play a card. They do not stay simple, though. As you play, you will have the chance to put down “rules” cards, which will change the rules of the game. Maybe you need to draw more cards on your turn. Maybe you need to play more. It’s possible that you will have to draw four but can only hold two in your hand. Whatever the case may be, this game gets wonderfully weird.

Eventually, someone will play a “goal” card. This will tell you how you can win. The goal usually combines two “keepers.” For example, a goal card might require you have both the milk card and the cookies card in front of you. If you manage to meet the requirements of the goal before a new goal card is played, you win!

This great two-player card game has lots of different versions, too. Some of these include

• Batman Fluxx
• Zombie Fluxx
• Math Fluxx
• Fairy Tale Fluxx
• And More!

My personal favorite is the Doctor Who version as it really acts like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff.

Sushi Go!

Mmm, sushi! Whether or not you love sushi, this drafting game makes a great two-player card game. In Sushi Go!, you’ll deal out cards to players. Each card represents a different part of a sushi meal. These might include things like maki rolls, tempura, sashimi, or even the chopsticks! Your goal is to get the most points by having the most delicious and complete sushi meal.

To play, deal out cards to players. In a two-player game, you will deal out 10 cards to each player, meaning there will only be 20 cards in a round. There are no turns in this game. Each player will choose a card from their hand that they want to keep. Then, once each player has chosen a card and put it face down, they will pass their hands to the other player. Now you have a whole new set of cards to choose from!

The round will end when both hands are empty. (This should happen at the same time). Each player will score up their points and return the cards to the deck for a new hand. After three rounds, whoever has the most points wins.

Sushi Go! is the classic, portable version of this game. For sushi lovers, you may enjoy Sushi Go Party!, which comes with extra decks for extra special meals.

Exploding Kittens

You have one simple goal in this game: don’t explode! Exploding Kittens combines everything that’s awesome about Uno and musical chairs. You will win the game by staying safe and making sure your friend or friends explode first. Different cards like Skips, Attacks, See the Future, and Favors will help you do this.

In most card games, you will draw cards, then play cards. This game does not do that. You will play as many cards as you want or can first and then end your turn by drawing a card. That’s because everything you play will help you not explode. Drawing a card, however, might make you explode.

If you do explode, you can only stop it with a “defuse” card. This might include belly rubs, laser pointers, or kitty therapy. Once you defuse an exploding kitten, you put it back in the deck anywhere you want. You can even put it right on top if you want the other player to explode right away! But if you can’t defuse a kitten, then it’s rotten luck. You’ve exploded and lost the game.

While this is a great two-player card game, the standard deck does go up to five players. You can even get the party pack, which allows you to play with up to ten friends.

The Fox in the Forest

Not only is this one of the best two-player card games, it’s only for two players! Fans of the classic trick-taking mechanic will love The Fox in the Forest. Plus, the artwork is absolutely lovely.

Players will compete to take tricks in this game, but not in the usual way. If you take too many tricks, you’re considered greedy. If you take too few, you have poor luck. You’ll want to take only a few tricks in this game to get the most points and win.

And this can’t be played with a standard deck of cards. This unique deck comes with three suits, each suit containing cards 1-11. All the odd-numbered cards also come with special powers. Some allow you to change the trump suit. Others allow you to lead even if you lose the trick. There’s quite a bit of strategy to this modern trick-taking game that makes it a must-have for your card game collection. Buy it here.

Hanabi

This is another cooperative card game where you and your fellow player must work together to win. In Hanabi, you both play as terrible firework technicians. Why are you terrible at your job? Because it’s the night of the big fireworks show and you’ve gotten everything out of order!

Don’t worry, though. There’s still time to get everything back in place before the show begins. To do so, you will need the help of your colleague.

To play, you will deal out a hand of five cards to each player. Don’t look at your cards, though! You must show them to the other player who will give you information about what you have. You, in turn, will tell the other player what they have. On your turn, you can give information to the other player about a single number or a single color. In other words, you can tell them all the ones they have or all the reds they have but not both.  

Once you have a good idea of what you have, you’ll need to play cards to get the fireworks in order. But if you play something out of order or something you’ve already played, the the fuse will get shorter. If it explodes, you lose!

Fortunately, there’s not much winning or losing otherwise in Hanabi. You and your fellow player are going for the highest score possible to make a great fireworks show. Can you get a perfect score?

Gloom

The theme of this game may be dark, but that only makes the game better. In Gloom, players each control a family of five. Your goal is to make your family as miserable as possible and then kill them off with untimely deaths.

“How horrible!” you might be thinking. Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom. (Well, maybe it is. That is the name of the game.) You can also strive to make your opponent’s family a little bit happier and then give them a peaceful untimely death. It will help you win, but hey, reasons are reasons.

To say this deck of cards is unique would be an understatement. Each card is clear and see through so that you can stack effects to family members on top of each other. As you play cards, you will make family members a little happier or sadder, depending on how the card lines up.

The game ends when someone’s entire family is dead. Whoever’s family members died more miserable wins Gloom.

Which Two-Player Card Games are Good for Kids?

Out of all these amazing two-player card games, you might be wondering which ones are good to play with kids or in families. The good news is, most of these games are great for kids and families! Some of them are better two-player card games for kids than others, though.

On this list, our favorite two-player card games for kids include Kings in the Corner, Fluxx, and Sushi Go. These games are easy to learn, quick to play, and may even teach kids a few things!

What are you still doing here? Start playing! It was difficult to narrow down the absolute best two-player card games, but we’re confident you’ll find one you will love. When you do, let us know by commenting on and sharing this post below. Don’t forget to follow and tag us on social media, too. Let’s all play some great games together!