Three Card Games Seniors Need to Try
For seniors, card games are a fun, inexpensive way to spend time with friends and family.
But if you’re bored with Bridge and tired of Euchre, it may be time to shake up your game night routine. Here are three card games you should try:
Crazy Eights
Perfect for two to five players, Crazy Eights is fun for the whole family.
To begin, deal each player five cards. (Note: For two-player games, each person gets seven cards.)
The remainder of the deck gets placed at the center of the table. This is the stockpile, which players will draw from. Turn the top card face up, and place it to the side. This is the discard pile.
Rotating clockwise, each player must lay a card on top of the discard pile. The card played must match the number or suit of the card beneath it. For example, if a four of clubs is in the discard pile, a player can play a four in any suit or a club in any number. If you cannot play on the discard pile, you must draw from the stockpile until you get a playable card.
Eights are wild, meaning the player who lays one down must determine the suit they want it to represent. All other players must then follow suit. The first player to run out of cards wins the game.
Slapjack
The grandkids will love this one! The key to the game is speed.
When playing with two to eight people, distribute the entire deck as evenly as possible. Each player should keep their cards face-down. No peeking!
Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, each person should place one card face-up in the middle of the table. Rotate as quickly as possible, while always keeping a keen eye on what’s being played.
When a jack is played, the first person to slap it collects the entire stack of cards underneath. If someone mistakenly slaps a card that is not a Jack, that player receives a penalty and must give one card to the person who last played.
Players without any cards left must sit out their turn; however, they may reenter the game by slapping a jack and claiming the pile. The person who collects the entire deck of cards wins.
Rummy
This one is a classic. Deal each player seven cards. (Note: For two-player games, each person gets 10 cards.)
Use the remainder of the deck as the stockpile, and turn the top card face-up to create the discard pile. Rotating clockwise, each player will either draw from the face-down stockpile or from the face-up discard pile. After picking up a new card, each player must then discard.
Each player must create sets or runs using the cards in their hand. A set is a group of three or more cards of the same number. (Example: A three of hearts, a three of clubs and a three of diamonds.) A run is a consecutive sequence of three or more cards of the same suit. (Example: A nine of spades, a ten of spades and a jack of spades.)
The first player to run out of cards wins the round, but not necessarily the game. Both players must tally their points. Numbered cards are worth five points, face cards are worth 10 and aces are worth 15. The first player to reach 100 points wins the game.
At Generations, we strive to keep our residents engaged with fun, entertaining activities. Contact us to learn more about our independent and assisted living communities.