As we head into month six of quarantine, it’s no surprise that you may be going a little bit stir crazy. Even during normal times, boredom can occasionally set in, and it’s good to have go-to games and activities that make downtime more enjoyable.

While there are endless activities you can enjoy without going anywhere, today we want to focus on a classic activity that nearly everyone loves: card games. Aside from simply being fun, playing cards builds community, improves math and logic skills, and can even boost your memory and mental health. 

We all have our favorite card game that we teach all of our friends and never get tired of playing. There’s nothing wrong with that; but it can be fun to branch out, too! We’ve compiled 10 of the best card games for a rainy day, along with links to instructions on how to play. So grab some friends and a deck of cards, and let the games begin!

• Crazy Eights (4–8 players)
  • The object of Crazy Eights is to get rid of the cards in your hand onto a discard pile by matching the number or suit of the previous discard.
• Kings Corner (2+ players)
  • Players try to get rid of their cards by playing them to a Solitaire-like layout of eight piles, built of alternate red and black cards in descending sequence. There are four piles at the start, and four more in the corners can be begun with a king – hence the name of the game.
• Slapjack (4–10 players)
  • In Slapjack, only jacks are slapped. The first slapper collects the cards, and the aim is to collect cards.
• Euchre (4 players)
  • Euchre is a plain-trick game for four players in fixed partnerships, partners sitting opposite. Five cards are dealt to each player, and the object is to win at least three of the five tricks – with an extra bonus for winning all five.
• Solitaire (solo)
  • The first objective is to release and play into position certain cards to build up each foundation, in sequence and in suit, from the ace through the king. The ultimate objective is to build the whole pack onto the foundations, and if that can be done, the Solitaire game is won.
• Poker aka Texas Hold’Em (2–10 players)
  • If you’re in the mood for a betting game, this is the one for you. Poker is all about decision-making and weighing what you know with what you don’t.
• Blackjack aka 21 (2+ players)
  • In this game, each participant attempts to beat the dealer by getting a card count as close to 21 as possible, without going over.
• War (2 players)
  • This game is known to be never-ending, which is great if you have time to kill and one friend to play with. The goal is to be the first player to collect all 52 cards.
• Hearts (3+ players)
  • When playing Hearts, you want to be the player with the lowest score at the end of the game. When one player hits the agreed-upon score or higher, the game ends, and the player with the lowest score wins.
• Knock-out Whist (2–7 players)
  • This is a simple plain-trick game, great for kids and adults alike. A player who takes no tricks at all in a hand is knocked out, is dealt no more cards and takes no further part in the game. The game is won by the winner of the one trick on the final hand.

Don’t forget to tag us on social media if we inspired you to pull out a deck of cards and learn a new game. May the odds be in your favor.