What is Spider Solitaire?

Different variations of solitary card games are fun and stimulating ways to pass the time. Popular with hospital patients, soldiers and average people just looking for some entertainment, these card games are usually played on a playing surface with standard sized playing cards. However, standard playing cards are not necessary to enjoy a solitary game. Games like Spider Solitaire can also be enjoyed on a computer or via a small electronic single player game.
As a twist on the original card game of solitaire, Spider Solitaire is popular with people of all ages. It is a single player card game that can be played electronically or with standard playing cards on a playing surface or table. The most basic version of the Spider Solitaire card game uses two decks of cards; however, there are also three deck and four deck versions of the game.
The two deck version of Spider Solitaire is considered the basic game. It is always played with 104 cards. Sometimes the game includes two full decks of cards, but it can also be played with 104 cards of two suits. So, for example, four decks might be needed, but only the hearts and spades are included in the game. Easy games of Spider Solitaire are played with only one suit, while the harder games are played with multiple suits.

A basic game of Spider Solitaire starts with 54 cards arranged in ten stacks. These stacks should include a relatively even number of cards in each pile, meaning all stacks in this case will have five cards, four stacks will have six cards. The card at the top of each pile is placed face up prior to beginning the game. The fifty remaining cards, out of the original 104, are placed in the lower-right hand corner of the playing area. They are used during game play. The object of the game is to remove all of the cards from the playing surface, in the fewest moves possible. Game play starts with the cards that are face up. These cards are moved around and placed with other cards in order from ace to king to form a line of cards. A line is complete when it includes all cards from ace to king. Complete lines can be removed from the playing surface.                                            

How to Play the Card Game War

                                                                      

War is an easy card game that can be played even by very young children. The goal of War is to end up with all the cards. The knowledge required is the order of card rank and the ability to count. Since some people play War with Ace high and others play with Ace low, it is important to agree before beginning.

How to Play the Card Game War
The game of war is usually played with two players, though some people vary it and play with more. A single deck of card, with jokers removed, is shuffled and dealt to the two players, one at a time in a face down stack, so that each has 26 cards.
Both players turn over their top card. They determine which card has a higher rank, and that player takes both cards, placing them face down on the bottom of his or her stack. If the cards have the same rank, no matter which rank it is, there is a war.


If there is a war, each player puts takes the next card from their pile and places it facedown on his or her warring card, and follows it with a face-up card. The face-up cards now on top are compared, and the card of higher rank wins, taking all of the cards in both war piles. If the war cards are the same rank, then another war is waged right on top of the earlier one, with one face-down card and another faceup card on each pile, and the winner taking all cards in the war piles.

                                       




Teaching Children to Play the Card Game War
To help children learn the game, a simple chart with card rank can be set beside them to help them remember. Depending on the choice of how the Ace ranks, it would look like one of these lists:
A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
or
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A
If they are not sure which card wins, you can ask them to count from one and see which number comes first.

What Are the Rules of the Game Go Fish?

Go Fish is a popular card game among children. It is a very simple card game that typically includes two to 10 players. Four to six players generally are considered ideal for game play. The rules of Go Fish essentially involve players trying to guess which cards are in their opponents' hands and matching correct guesses with cards in their own hands to create pairs, which are then removed from the players' hands. The winner is the player who has the most pairs at the end of the game.

Setting Up

This card game, like many others, is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages. It usually is played with a normal 52-card deck, although any deck of cards can be used, and special Go Fish card decks are available, especially in children's themes. No matter which type of deck is used, the deck is shuffled before one player acts as the dealer and gives each player a certain number of cards — usually five to seven, depending on the number of players and the specific rules being followed. Generally, games with fewer players use larger hands.

Asking for Cards

The player to the left of the dealer goes first and is allowed to ask any other player at the table for a card of a particular rank. Players are not allowed to ask for cards that they are not holding, although they are permitted to take note of cards for which the other players ask. For example, if a player has a five-card hand containing a 3, a 5, a 7, a jack and a king, he or she might turn to a neighbor and ask whether that player has a 3. If the player being asked has the card in question, the card must be surrendered to the player asking for it. If the player does not have that card, he or she says “Go Fish,” and the player who requested the card must draw a card from the deck, and the next player takes his or her turn.

Forming Pairs

Whenever a player has two cards of the same rank, they form a pair and are placed face up on the table for the other players to see. In some variations of Go Fish, a player must collect all four cards of the same rank, which makes the game more challenging. This rule works well only in games that involve two to four players. If the player draws a card that fills a pair or a quartet, he or she typically must put the cards down on the table immediately. When playing with the pair rule, players are not allowed to hold pairs in their hand.

Declaring a Winner

The game continues until there are no cards left in the deck and all of the cards have been placed in pairs or quartets. If a player has no cards in his or her hand at the time of play, a card can be drawn from the deck so that he or she can ask another player for an equally ranked card. The winner of the game is the player who has the largest number of pairs or quartets when all of the cards have been played.

What is Old Maid?

Old Maid is an easy card game that can be played even by very young children. The goal of Old Maid is to avoid ending up with the Old Maid, represented by a Queen when playing with a standard deck, and a card with a depiction of an old lady when playing with a specialized Old Maid deck. The abilities required are identifying the names of cards, pairing based on criteria, and memory of what players have already asked. A standard deck is prepared before play by the removal of 3 Queens.

How to Play the Card Game Old Maid

The game of Old Maid is quite different when played with two players, although it can be done, because both know where the Queen is, and the game comes to focus on subtly encouraging the other player to choose it by artfully placing it among the other cards. With three or more players, the focus is less on the psychology of choosing cards.
A single deck of card, with jokers and a Queen removed, is shuffled and dealt to the players, one at a time in a face down stack, so that each has as close as possible to an even number of cards – several players may have one extra, depending on how many are playing. After the cards are dealt, each player discards any pairs in his or her hand, pairs being cards of the same rank and color, for example, two red 7’s.

The player to the dealer’s left goes first by holding his or her hand face-down for the player to his or her left to take a card from. If the new card creates a pair, the player places it in his or her stack, and then holds his or her cards out for the player to the left to choose a card, and so on. Play continues until one player is left holding the only queen, and becomes the Old Maid.

Variations on the Card Game Old Maid

• The dealer can remove only one Queen, leaving the other players guessing which color Queen is the Old Maid.
• Rather than removing a Queen, a joker can be added to the deck to be the “Old Maid.”
• A King, rather than a Queen, can be the card to avoid.
• The game can stop upon one player having no cards left, rather than continuing until only one player holds a card.

The Game of Hearts

                                                                                          

Hearts is a strategic card game that involves taking tricks. Players need to plan a strategy for themselves as well as interpret other players moves and remember the cards that have been played. Ace is high in the game of Hearts. The goal of the game is to have the lowest number of points at the end. The game ends when one or more players reach 100 points. Hearts is best when played by four players, and the instructions that follow are for that number. There are many variations that you can find, which include different numbers of players as well as other playing and scoring rules.

How to Set Up the Card Game Hearts

A single deck of card, with jokers removed, is shuffled and dealt to the players, one at a time in a facedown stack, so that each has 13 cards. At this point, players make a preliminary decision about one of two strategies. Players may choose to try to avoid winning any of the 13 hearts as well as the Queen of spades, who is called the Black Lady, or they may try to win all of the 13 hearts and the Queen of spades, which is known as Shooting the Moon.

The First Pass

Having made this preliminary decision, each player chooses any three cards from his or her hand and all simultaneously pass their cards facedown to the player to their left. Only after all cards are passed may players examine their new cards. At this point, the new information will help solidify their strategy. The passing rule is first hand passes left, second right, third across, and then the sequence starts over.