Howcast

How to Play UNO

Howcast — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:45:49 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Deal 7 cards per player; create a Draw pile with remaining cards Shuffle the deck and deal seven cards, face down, to each player. Stack the remaining cards face down to form a Draw pile.
Step 2: Turn up first card in Draw pile Turn over the first card in the Draw pile to create a Discard pile.
Step 3: Have the person to your left match the Discard card Have the person to the dealer’s left match some aspect of the Discard pile card — either the number, color, or symbol. Place this card face up on top of the Discard pile.
TIP: Play a Wild Card anytime. Tell everyone what color you want the next person to match.
Step 4: Draw from the Draw pile if no match is made Draw one card from the top of the Draw pile if no match can be made with the card on the Discard pile. The drawn card can be played if it matches the Discard pile card.
Step 5: Pass to next player Pass the play to the next player after a match is made or a card is drawn from the Draw pile. Continue counterclockwise, matching the number, color, or symbol with the Discard pile or drawing from the Draw pile.
Step 6: Shout “Uno!” when you have one card left Shout “Uno!” when you only have one card remaining in your hand. Play until one person is out of cards.
TIP: Penalize anyone who forgets to shout “Uno!” when they have only one card left by having them draw two cards from the Draw pile.
Step 7: Add values of cards in opponents’ hands for the score Add the values of the cards remaining in everyone else’s hands, with number cards counting as face value; Draw Two, Reverse, and Skip cards counting for 20 points; and Wild Cards counting for 50 points.
TIP: Shorten the game by playing only one hand, with the person running out of cards first being the winner.
Step 8: Continue playing until someone reaches 500 points Start a new game, and continue playing until someone reaches 500 points.
FACT: UNO was created in 1971 by Merle Robbins, a barber in Ohio. He and his family made the first decks of UNO cards on their kitchen table and sold them at his barbershop.

You Will Need

UNO Cards
Two or more players

How to Count Cards

Howcast — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:15:54 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Use the high-low method Use the high-low method, which assigns cards two through six a plus one, and cards 10 through ace a negative one, while middle cards are worth zero.
TIP: Small cards favor the dealer while large cards favor the player, so when a small card is removed it favors the player and when a large card is removed it is bad for the player.
Step 2: Track all cards dealt Start from zero when the dealer has a new deck and add up all the cards dealt. When you reach a plus two or three, the odds shift in your favor.
TIP: Practice counting with your own deck. If you do it right you can predict the last card — a whole deck always equals zero.
Step 3: Cancel card pairs Cancel card pairs by matching a high card and low card to reach zero. When you reach a plus two or three, the odds shift in your favor.
Step 4: Calculate true count Calculate the true count by dividing your number by the number of decks the dealer has left in his shoe or card collector.
Step 5: Give it time Be patient — you may have to go through several hands before you can estimate which cards remain in the shoe or deck.
Step 6: Walk away Walk away before anyone gets suspicious. While card counting isn’t illegal, casinos can kick you to the curb for counting.
FACT: During operation Iraqi Freedom, the Defense Department issued 55 playing cards with the faces of Saddam Hussein’s regime on them.

You Will Need

Math skills
Deck of cards
Patience

How to Play Seven Up

Howcast — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:01:51 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Choose player Choose seven players to be “it.” Have them stand in the front of the room. The remaining players will sit at their desks.
Step 2: Pick a person Say “heads down, thumbs up – time to play seven up” if you are the teacher.
Step 3: Put thumbs up Put your head down and your thumb up if you are a player.
Step 4: Pick a person Pick one player within one minute if you are ‘it.’ Pick players by touching their raised thumbs. Chosen players lower their thumbs when they are touched.
TIP: Make sure everyone has their head on their desk so they cannot cheat by looking at your shoes as you walk by to tap them.
Step 5: Return to front Return to the front of the class when you are done picking. The teacher then says ‘heads up, seven up.’ The players who had their thumbs touched stand up.
Step 6: Stand up and guess The players who had their thumbs touched stand and take one guess which player touched their thumbs. If they guess right, they switch with the person who touched their thumb. If not, the player who chose them gets to be it again.
Step 7: Continue playing Continue playing until everyone gets a chance to be it.
FACT: Did you know? There are 34 muscles that move the fingers and thumb.

You Will Need

A classroom with desks
A group of 14 or more players
A teacher

How to Play Eleusis

Howcast — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:30:50 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Shuffle cards Shuffle two decks of cards together and deal 12 cards to each player.
Step 2: Dealer writes secret rule Write a secret rule if you are the dealer.
TIP: Secret rule examples include: If the last card played was a spade, play a heart; or if the last card was a diamond, play a king.
Step 3: Turn top card over Offer a hint for the rule and turn the top card over on the table.
Step 4: Player to left goes first Place one card on the table, next to the initial card, and continue play to the left. The dealer confirms whether the card played follows the rule.
Step 5: Playing incorrect cards Place a card that doesn’t follow the rule perpendicular to the last correct card.
Step 6: Incorrect player draws Play a card according to the rule and you don’t draw. Play a card that breaks the rule; draw a card from the deck.
Step 7: Dealer confirms accuracy If you suspect that you know the rule and have no card to play, then you show your hand. The dealer confirms whether you were right.
Step 8: End the game Correctly guess the rule or play all of your cards and the game is over. Six points are awarded for a correct guess, one point is lost for each card left in a player’s hand, and three points are awarded for playing all of your cards.
FACT: A Michigan math professor used Eleusis to help teachers teach students the scientific method.

You Will Need

Three to eight players
Two decks of cards

How To Play Bid Whist

Howcast — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:47:12 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Draw cards to determine dealer Draw cards to determine the dealer. Whoever draws the first diamond deals first. Each player gets 12 cards and six cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form a kitty.
TIP: The kitty can be made at any time during the deal, but the first or last four cards cannot be put in the kitty.
Step 2: Bid from three to seven Bid from three to seven to indicate the “books” above six that your team proposes to win. A bid of five, for example, is a promise to win 11 books. Seven is the highest bid.
TIP: “Uptown” means that high cards will win. “Downtown” means that low cards will win. “No trump” means that if you win the bid, you determine whether high or low cards have preference.
Step 3: Pass or name a bid Pass or name a bid higher than the previous bid.
Step 4: Lead with any card Lead with any card. Subsequent cards follow suit. Players not leading may play a trump or different suit, and a trump beats non-trump cards played.
TIP: The highest trump or card wins the book. The winner leads the next round.
Step 5: A renege is failure to follow suit Fail to follow a suit and the player reneges. Books won by the reneging team must be given to the non-reneging team.
Step 6: End game Earn a score of plus or minus seven or score minus seven or more to end the game.
FACT: Though Bid Whist dates back to the 1930s, professional Bid Whist didn’t begin until the late 1990s, with tournaments and cash rewards.

You Will Need

Two teams of two players
A deck of cards
A pencil and paper

How to Learn the Basics of Bridge

Howcast — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:47:30 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the goal Bridge is a four-player, two-team game. The goal is to score the most points by taking the most tricks and winning the most rounds.
Step 2: Learn the setup Sit across from your partner. The dealer distributes 13 cards to each player, one at a time, clockwise around the table.
TIP: Deal a practice hand to help you learn.
Step 3: Bid on trump Bid on whether you want a trump or if you want the hand to be played “no trump.” If a trump is declared, that suit is worth more than other suits. In no trump, no suit is worth more than any other. Each player bids.
Step 4: Assign points Assign points to your hand. Aces are four points, Kings are three, Queens are two, and Jacks are one. There are a total of 40 points in the entire deck. An average hand gets 10 points.
TIP: Your partner’s bids are clues to his hand.
Step 5: Bid Bid based on how many tricks you can take beyond six. A player with a strong spades hand might bid 1 spade, meaning they think they can take seven tricks with spades as trump. You may choose to bid in no trump if you have high point cards in all suits.
Step 6: Follow rankings Follow ranks when bidding. Clubs are lowest, then diamonds, hearts, spades, and no trump. You must bid higher than the previous bid, either by calling a higher trump or a higher number of tricks. If you do not want to bid higher, pass.
TIP: Point values are only used for bidding.
Step 7: Contract Establish a contact by winning a bid. The declarer captures the amount of tricks named in the bid using both his and his partner’s hands.
Step 8: Lay down dummy hand Lay down your hand face-up if you’re the declarer’s partner. This is the dummy hand, which the declarer will draw from during each trick.
Step 9: Play Lead with any card starting from the dealer’s left, following suit, clockwise around the table. The declarer plays a card from his hand and the dummy hand in player order. The highest card takes the trick. If a player can’t follow suit, he must play another suit.
Step 10: Win Lead if you took the previous trick, and continue until 13 tricks are played. Tricks are added to see if the declarer met their goal. If so, the declarer’s team wins the hand.
FACT: Did you know? George Washington was an avid bridge player.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
A playing surface
Patience

How to Play Old Maid

Howcast — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:17:12 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Remove one Queen, shuffle, and deal Remove one Queen from a standard deck, shuffle the cards, and deal them one at a time to each player. Continue dealing until you are out of cards.
TIP: Trick your friends by pretending to have a “tell,” acting happy if you have the unmatched Queen and acting upset if you don’t.
Step 2: Place pairs Find pairs in your hand. Place each pair face down in front of you, and have others do the same.
Step 3: Pick one card from the player to your right Have the player to your right fan their remaining cards face down. Pick one card from their hand to add to yours.
Step 4: Pair your new card Match your new card with another card in your hand. Put the paired set face down in front of you, or keep the new card in your hand if you can’t make a match.
Step 5: Player to the left chooses Pass the play to the person on your left, with them choosing a card from your hand and discarding any match that’s made. Continue to the person to their left.
TIP: Put an unmatched Queen that you want to get rid of in the middle of your hand. Most players pick from the middle, not the edges, of the hand.
Step 6: Keep playing until only the Old Maid card is left Keep playing and matching cards until the only card that hasn’t been matched is the last Queen card. This person left holding the Old Maid card loses.
FACT: The French version of this game starts by removing three jacks, leaving the jack of spades. The person left with this card is the “Old Boy.”

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Two or more players

How to Play Euchre

Howcast — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:04:41 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Form teams Form two teams of two, with partners sitting across from each other. Select a player to deal the first hand. The goal of euchre is to be the first team to score 10 points.
Step 2: Deal the cards Remove cards 2 through 8 of every suit. Shuffle and deal five cards to each player going clockwise around the table. First deal each player two cards, then three cards. Place the remaining four cards, called the kitty, face down in front of you.
Step 3: Select the “trump” Turn the top card of the kitty face up and ask the player to your left if the suit of that card should be trump. If the player says, “Pick it up,” pick up the card, and discard one from your hand to the kitty. That suit is now trump. If the player passes, the question continues clockwise around the table.
TIP: Most of the time, you should discard the lowest non-trump card. But, If you have only one card from a non-trump suit, discard that one instead of simply getting rid of your lowest card.
Step 4: Learn card values The highest card value is the jack of the trump suit, followed by the other jack of the same color, then ace, king, queen, 10, and 9 of the trump suit. In off-suit or non-trump cards, the jack ranks below the queen. If hearts are trump, for example, the jack of hearts ranks highest, followed by the jack of diamonds.
Step 5: Pick the trump If no player chooses the suit of the card to be trump, turn it facedown. The player to the left of the dealer can pick a suit for trump or pass. If the player passes, the option goes clockwise around the table. If no one picks trump, the hand is a misdeal. Deal again.
TIP: Don’t call trump on a bad hand, because if you don Don’t call trump on a bad hand, because if you don’t get three tricks, the opposing team wins extra points.
Step 6: Playing the game Player to the left of the dealer leads with any card from their hand. Each player follows suit. If trump is led, the partnership that throws the highest trump card takes the cards won in that hand, called the “trick.” If off-suit is thrown, the partnership that throws the highest card of the suit led takes the trick.
Step 7: Renege Failing to follow suit is called a “renege.” If an opponent notices that you have reneged and calls you on it, you must forfeit the hand, and the opposing team gets two points.
TIP: Pay attention to the cards your partner plays. You don’t want to trump a trick your partner already expects to win.
Step 8: Scoring Count the tricks after all the cards are played. If the team that called trump captures at least three tricks, they get one point. If they capture all five tricks, they get two points. But if they fail to capture three tricks, they are “euchred,” meaning they lose that hand and the opposing team wins two points.
Step 9: Going alone Go alone against the opposing team without the aid of a partner if you are dealt a good hand. If you win three tricks, it is worth one point. Winning all five tricks is worth four points. Less than three tricks means you are euchred, and the opposing team gets two points.
Step 10: Winning the game Continue the game with the next player dealing a new hand. The game continues until a team wins 10 points.
FACT: The jack was originally called a knave, but was renamed to avoid confusion between the “Kn” of knave and the “K” of king.

You Will Need

4 players
Deck of cards
Table

How to Play Crazy Eights

Howcast — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:02:59 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Deal the cards. For two players, deal seven cards each from a standard deck.
TIP: If you use more than two players, use two decks and deal five cards instead of seven.
Step 2: Place the remaining cards face down to form the stockpile. Turn the top card – known as the upcard – face up to start a discard pile.
TIP: If the upcard is an eight, mix it back into the stockpile and turn up the next card.
Step 3: Start with the player to the dealer’s left and match either the rank or suit of the upcard with one of your cards. Place it on top of the discard pile.
Step 4: Play an eight at any time if you don’t have the correct rank or suit. The person who plays the eight chooses a new suit for the next player to follow.
TIP: Make the game Crazy Jacks by making jacks – or any other card – wild.
Step 5: Draw from the stockpile if you cannot match the upcard. Keep drawing until you have a card you can play or the stockpile runs out.
Step 6: Pass play to the next person. Play ends when the last card from someone’s hand is played or when no one can match the upcard.
Step 7: Score 50 points for eights, 10 points for face cards, and other cards at face value. The person with the lowest score is the winner.
FACT: Did you know?The French were the first to use the four standard suits for playing cards that we use today – diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Two players
Additional players (optional)
A second deck of cards (optional)

How to Play Spit

Howcast — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:04:34 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Set up cards Split the deck so each player has 26 cards. Set up your tableau opposite your opponent by dealing your cards face down into five piles. The first pile has one card, the second two, up through five in the fifth pile. Flip the top card of each pile. The 11 remaining cards are your stockpile.
TIP: An older deck prevents slipping.
Step 2: Sort your tableau Place the face-up cards in descending order, alternating red and black suits. As you move a card from a pile, turn the next card in the pile face up. If there is an empty space, you may fill it with any card, always keeping five piles in front of you.
Step 3: Call spit Hold your stockpile cards in one hand, face down, without looking at them. To start, players say ‘one, two, three – spit,’ simultaneously. Turn over the top card in your stockpile and place it between your tableau and your partner’s. Your partner does the same. These two cards start spit piles.
Step 4: Play the spit piles Play a card from your tableau on either spit pile, using one hand. You and your opponent play at the same time, so you must be the first to get to the pile with your card to play it. Cards placed on the spit card must rank one higher or one lower; suit does not matter.
TIP: Watch your opponent’s cards to anticipate future moves.
Step 5: Spit again Spit again when neither player can play a card. When one player runs out of cards, slap the smaller spit pile. If your opponent slaps that pile first, they pick it up.
TIP: Point out moves your opponent misses, but only if you think it will benefit you.
Step 6: Set up again Take the spit pile you slapped and set up your tableau again. If you have fewer than 15 cards, build your tableau as far as you can, leaving no stockpile. Your opponent spits into a single spit pile and play continues. The person who runs out of cards first is the winner.
FACT: In 2008, Sarasota, Florida, rescinded an anti-spitting law enacted in 1908.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
A partner

How to Play Pinochle

Howcast — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:49:32 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Deal Deal 12 cards face down to each player. After a deal, the remaining cards are the “stock.”
TIP: Ace is high, then 10, King, Queen, and Jack. Nines have no value.
Step 2: Name trump suit Pick the top card from the stock and turn it face up. This will be the trump suit, or the suit designated a higher rank than any other suit.
Step 3: Meld your hand Arrange your hand into melds; three or more cards of one suit in a sequence, or three or more cards of the same rank and different suits. Place melds face up on a table.
TIP: The highest value meld is the “run,” or the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 in the trump suit worth 15 points. One ace in each suit is 10 points.
Step 4: Play lead card in trick Pick one of your cards to play as lead card in the first trick of the game. A trick is a pinochle round played one card at a time from each player’s hand.
Step 5: Win first trick Win your first trick. After the lead card is played, an opponent tries to pick a card from the hand with a higher meld value than your lead card.
Step 6: Score the game Mark card values taken in tricks on a score sheet. The last trick taken in the game is worth 10 points. Add card values together to determine the game winner.
FACT: German immigrants popularized pinochle – from the German dialect word Binokel – in the U.S. in the late 1800s.

You Will Need

Two 24-card pinochle decks
Two players
A score sheet
A pen or pencil
Three or four players or two two-player teams

How to Play Poker Dice

Howcast — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:47:05 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Put dice in cup Put the poker dice in the dice cup. The six faces of each die simulate a playing card deck’s top six markings: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and nine.
TIP: Poker dice hands use five-card poker rankings from highest to lowest.
Step 2: Shake dice cup and roll Shake the dice cup and roll the dice onto a dice tray or another flat surface. Each player gets one roll.
Step 3: Stand pat or roll again Stand pat with your first hand, or set aside some of your hand and re-roll the remainder. Any dice set aside cannot be re-rolled.
Step 4: Best poker hand wins The player with the best poker hand wins.
FACT: The game Yahtzee evolved from a variation of Poker Dice.

You Will Need

Five poker dice
A dice cup
Two or more players
A dice tray

How to Farrow Shuffle a Deck Of Cards

Howcast — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:17:03 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Bend the deck Bend the deck slightly when you take it out of the box for the first time. This will help when it comes time to shuffle the cards.
TIP: Use a new, high-quality deck. It’s harder if the cards are worn.
Step 2: Position the deck Hold the deck in your left hand with your thumb on the long edge facing your body and your index finger on the short edge. Rest your other fingers on the long edge opposite the thumb.
Step 3: Take half the deck with your right hand Take half the deck in your right hand. Press the top of the cards with your index finger, hold them with your thumb on the long edge, and hold with other fingers on the opposite long edge.
TIP: Fanning powder, found in magic shops, will make the cards glide more easily.
Step 4: Apply pressure Apply pressure to the ends of the cards with your thumbs and middle fingers. This will make the cards fan open slightly at the other end.
Step 5: Align the cards and push Align the open edges of cards and push them into one another. Jiggle them until they fit snugly into each other.
Step 6: Slip the cards together Slip the cards back together into the deck.
FACT: The world’s best-selling playing card producer, the United States Playing Card Company, was founded in 1867.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Fanning powder

How to Deal a Deck Of Cards

Howcast — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:33:12 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Shuffle cards Shuffle cards a minimum of four times. Ask the player to your right to cut the deck. Replace the bottom stock onto the top stock.
Step 2: Hold cards Hold the deck in your left hand. Place your thumb on top of the deck and other fingers along the side of the deck.
Step 3: Slide out the cards Push the top card with your left thumb. Take it between your right thumb and first finger. Use the tips of your left fingers to guide the cards and ensure that you are dealing only one card at a time.
Step 4: Deal the cards Deal the first card to the person on your left. Toss the card face down across the table to the player.
TIP: You may also lay the card on the table and slide it to the player.
Step 5: Continue dealing Continue dealing cards to players in a clockwise direction. If you are included, deal yourself last.
Step 6: Stop dealing Stop dealing when each player has the correct amount of cards. Square the deck and set the remaining stock in a location appropriate to the game.
FACT: Card playing began in the 10th century with the Chinese use of paper dominoes.

You Will Need

A standard deck of cards

How to Play Gin Rummy — Knocking Variation

Howcast — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:05:59 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Deal Draw a card to see which of you will be the first dealer. The high card deals. Then shuffle the cards and deal 10 cards each, alternating between players.
TIP: Number cards have the value of their number, face cards are worth 10 points, and aces are one point.
Step 2: Understand the goal Be the first to combine all or most of your cards into “melds.”
Step 3: Meld your cards Meld your cards by collecting “runs” of three or more sequential cards in the same suit, such as the eight, nine, and 10 of hearts, or “sets” of three or more cards of the same rank, such as three sevens or three jacks.
Step 4: Play Play gin as you normally would, picking up and discarding cards to form melds.
Step 5: Knocking End the round by “knocking” when the value of your unmatched cards — those that don’t fit into a meld — is 10 or fewer points. When it’s your turn, discard a card facedown; tap your cards on the table, and say, “Knocking!” Then spread your cards, face up, into their melds.
Step 6: Finish the round Finish the round by allowing the other player to spread their remaining cards, adding cards to the melds if they can. The knocker is not allowed to add any cards to their opponent’s melds.
Step 7: Score after knocking Add the total value of the unmatched cards of each player. If the knocker’s score is lower, they are awarded the difference. If the value is equal or the knocker’s hand is higher than the opponent’s, the opponent gets the difference, plus a 10-point bonus.
Step 8: Continue Continue the game, alternating dealing, until one player reaches 100 points.
FACT: Gin rummy evolved from an 18th-century card game called Whiskey Poker.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Two players

How to Play War

Howcast — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:47:19 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Deal the cards Shuffle the deck and deal 26 cards to each player. Keep your cards face down and do not look at them.
Step 2: Flip the top card Flip your top cards over at the same time. The card with the higher value wins, and the winner takes both cards, placing them face up at the bottom of their pile. Cards are ranked with the ace as the highest and two as the lowest.
Step 3: Continue playing Continue flipping. When you reach the cards that are face up, shuffle your cards and start at the top.
Step 4: Declare war If you flip two cards of equal value, war begins. Both players take a card from the top of their pile and set it face down on top of the first card, then take a third card and flip it face up. The player whose up card has the higher value wins all six cards.
TIP: There is no winning strategy for War; the game is based on chance.
Step 5: Continue the war If the two new cards are also a tie, war is declared again and the process repeats until one of the players has a card of higher value. The first player to capture all 52 of the cards wins.
FACT: European playing cards date back to 1377 and may have originated in China.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Two players

How to Play Straight Gin

Howcast — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:17:45 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Draw for dealer Remove the jokers and shuffle the deck. Each player draws a card, and then shuffles it back into the deck. Whoever draws the highest card deals the first hand. Deal 10 cards each, alternating between players.
TIP: In Gin, aces always have a 1-point value. Face cards are worth 10 points, and number cards have the value of their number.
Step 2: Make piles Place the remaining cards facedown in a stack, creating the “stock.” Pick up the top card and place it faceup next to the stock. This is the discard pile.
Step 3: Understand the goal The object of the game is to score the highest number of points by laying all of your cards on the table before your opponent does. To do this, collect in your hand “melds” of three or more suited, sequential cards, like the 8, 9, and 10 of hearts, or three or more cards of the same rank, like three 7s or three jacks.
TIP: If you don’t have a partner, or a deck of cards, you can also join a Gin game for free online. Just type “free gin card games” into a search engine.
Step 4: Take a card The player who didn’t deal goes first by taking either the top card from the discard pile or the top card from the stock, so they momentarily have 11 cards in their hand. Then, they discard an unwanted card, placing it faceup on the discard pile.
TIP: Discard cards that are unlikely to create melds. Keep cards in the same suit and cards in the same rank.
Step 5: Alternate turns Continue the game with the players taking turns, each drawing and discarding.
Step 6: Gin! The first player to have enough melds puts them all faceup on the table, discards the final card in the discard pile, and calls out “Gin!” Their score is the total of the cards still in their opponent’s hand, plus a 20-point bonus.
Step 7: Game continues Continue the game, alternating dealing, until one player reaches 100 points, or any score both players agree to.
FACT: Chinese immigrants may have introduced Gin to the U.S. in the 19th century.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
Two players
A table and chairs
Pens and paper
A computer with internet access (optional)

How to Shuffle a Deck Of Cards

Howcast — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:19:23 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Split the deck in half Learn how to do the classic shuffle, which is called the riffle shuffle. Split the deck into approximate halves and put them face down horizontally on a table.
Step 2: Position your hands Grab the deck so that your thumbs are on the edges facing each other, each index finger is bent at the knuckle in the center of a stack, and the three remaining fingers on each hand wrap around the far edges.
Step 3: Position the decks Position the stacks at a slight angle, so that the top edges form a “V.”
Step 4: Start riffling Holding the edges that form the bottom of the “V” against each other, use your thumbs to start releasing a card or two at a time, alternating sides so that the ends of the cards become entwined.
Step 5: Push the cards together When the last card has fallen into the now-shuffled pile, use your fingers to push the two halves together, forming one deck.
Step 6: Repeat several times Repeat several times.
Step 7: Practice Practice until you can shuffle in one quick, fluid motion.
FACT: In 2007, Canadian David Farrow won a place in the Guinness Book of World Records when he memorized the exact order of 59 decks of shuffled cards!

You Will Need

A deck of cards
And a table

How to Play Go Fish

Howcast — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:38:52 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Sit & pick dealer Sit in a circle, on the floor, or at a table. Pick someone to deal out the cards.
TIP: Can’t decide who’s going to be the dealer? Flip a coin or, with the deck face down, have everyone draw a card. Whoever gets the highest card deals.
Step 2: Deal cards If there are just 2 people playing, the dealer gives each player 7 cards. If there are more players, everyone gets 5 cards.
TIP: This game is the most fun with 3 to 6 players.
Step 3: Place draw pile When everyone has his or her cards, the dealer places the rest of the deck face down in the middle of the circle where everyone can reach it. This is the draw pile.
Step 4: Organize cards As you get your cards, organize them, putting any that are the same rank or number together—but don’t let anybody else see what cards you have!
Step 5: Ask for card The player on the dealer’s left goes first. The goal is to collect as many books as possible. The first player starts by looking at the cards in her hand. She then asks one other player for a specific card—but it must be a card that she already has at least one of. So if the first player has a nine in her hand, she can ask “Got any nines?”
TIP: It’s a good idea to ask for the cards that you have the most of.
Step 6: Hand over cards If the player who gets asked has any nines, she has to give all of them to the player who asked for them. That same player then gets to go again, and ask any other player for a card.
Step 7: Go fish If the player who gets asked doesn’t have any nines, she says, “Go fish!” The first player then takes the top card from the draw pile, adds it to her hand, and her turn is over.
Step 8: Next player asks The person sitting to the left of the first player goes next. She asks anyone she likes for a card that she already has one of. If she gets a card, she can ask for another. If she doesn’t, she has to go fishing from the draw pile.
TIP: If someone asks another player for a card that you also have, remember it—when it’s your turn, you can ask the asker for it. You know she must have at least one!
Step 9: Go around in circle Keep going around the circle this way. When a player gets the fourth card of a book—let’s say all 4 nines—she shows them to the rest of the players, takes them out of her hand, and places them in a stack in front of her.
Step 10: Game over The game is over when all the books have been collected, or all the cards are divided up into their groups of four. The winner is the person who has “caught” the most books.
FACT: Look carefully—in every deck of cards, the King of Hearts is the only king who doesn’t have a mustache.

You Will Need

A deck of cards
without the jokers
At least 2 players