Card Games for 2 People: 8 Easy Games with One Deck

All you need for a great game night for two is a deck of cards. Here are eight easy card games for 2 people, each playable with one standard deck. They range from quick children's favourites to games with a bit more tactics, and the rules take under a minute to explain. Browse more card games and games and puzzles to stock up.

The plastic coated playing cards come as a 2 pack of standard size decks, which is handy for spares and for games that need two decks. For young players, the jumbo playing cards are 8.7 x 12.8cm and easy to hold. Remove any jokers unless a game says otherwise.

Four quick games for beginners

1. Snap. Split the deck evenly into two face-down piles. Take turns flipping the top card onto a shared pile in the middle. When two cards in a row match in number or picture, the first player to shout Snap takes the whole pile. Win by collecting every card.
2. Go Fish. Deal seven cards each and place the rest face down. On your turn, ask for a card rank you already hold, such as sevens. If the other player has any, they hand them over. If not, they say Go Fish and you draw. Collect sets of four, and the most sets wins.
3. War. Split the deck evenly. Both players flip their top card and the higher card wins both. If they match, each places three cards face down and flips another, and the higher card takes the lot. Aces are high, and the player who ends up with all the cards wins.
4. Pairs. Take ten different ranks, such as ace to ten, two cards of each, and lay the twenty cards face down in rows. Flip two cards on your turn. If they match, keep them and go again; if not, turn them back. The player with the most pairs at the end wins.

Four games with a little more thinking

5. Crazy Eights. Deal seven cards each and flip one to start the discard pile. Play a card that matches the suit or number of the top card, or draw one if you cannot. Eights are wild and let you choose the next suit. First to empty their hand wins.
6. Rummy. Deal ten cards each. On your turn, draw from the pile or the discard, lay down sets of three or four of the same rank or runs of three or more in the same suit, then discard one card. First to get rid of every card wins.
7. Beggar My Neighbour. Split the deck. Players turn cards onto a centre pile. If someone plays a jack, queen, king or ace, the other player must pay one, two, three or four cards. If they play no face cards in that run, the first player takes the pile.
8. Old Maid. Take one queen out of the deck and deal out the rest. Discard all pairs, then take turns drawing a card at random from the other player's hand. The player left holding the odd queen loses.

Choosing a deck for two

Any standard 52 card deck works for every game here. Plastic coated cards wipe clean and hold up well to lots of shuffling, and a 2 pack gives you a spare deck for the days when one goes missing. Jumbo cards are easier for small hands and for anyone who likes to see the cards from across the table. Whichever you choose, count the cards before the first game so you know the deck is complete.

Tips for playing with two

Shuffle thoroughly by cutting the deck in half and riffling the corners together, or let younger players mix the cards face down on the table. Agree on the rules before you start, since families often have their own house variations. Make it a mini tournament by playing best of five across a few different games, and let the loser pick the next one. Mixing a quick game like Snap with a slower one like Rummy keeps two players happy for a whole evening. Keep a spare deck handy, because cards go missing over time.