The 5 best card games to play with friends

Playing cards can be used in all kinds of games, each with specific rules. The fun of learning new ways to play makes experimenting with friends the best way to have a good time together enjoying cards. Because there is life beyond poker, even though this is the game par excellence associated with cards and betting.

Let's take a brief look at what are, in our opinion, the 5 best card games to enjoy in good company. Don't keep the poker deck, you can give it a lot of life!

The best card games to have fun with friends

Poker is the most popular card game in the world. When we talk about card games to have fun with friends, poker is usually a safe bet because we are talking about a complete game: it has a lot of strategy, it requires knowledge of mathematics, statistics and probability, it requires handling simultaneous numerical data with ease ... But, either by not knowing it or looking for something cooler, sometimes poker is left in the background and simple and easy games are prioritized, where anyone can fight for victory.

Mus

After poker, mus is the most popular card game. In Spain it has a long tradition, and there it is usually played with the Spanish deck. There are versions with poker cards that are also valid and that share rules with the mus games played in Spain.

Here cooperation is basic, which is why it is so much fun, because the players must collaborate by communicating with each other, without the others knowing how to read what they are saying to their partners. It is a game where subtleties and secret codes are very present, and shares with poker the ability to read the rivals, although the premise is very different.

The game acquired fame among gentlemen and men of honor because it was representative of their level of honesty. In addition, as it required strict adherence to the rules, it tested the discipline of men who claimed to be obedient and upright in their daily lives, hence the game was a test to often get to know the person better. In the cinema, mus became a common resource.

Seven and a half

It is a game with a very simple dynamic, easy to understand and with a lot of rhythm. The number of players is variable, and it starts with the distribution of a card to each player. This card is dealt covered and is private. Then, each player can decide whether to discard the round or to bet. If he bets, he can stand or draw another card. 

The objective is simple: do not go over seven and a half. The cards J, Q and K count as 0.5, while A has the value of 0.5 or 1. It is similar to what happens in Blackjack, where you have to reach, but not exceed the numerical value of 21, and where these cards have a variable value.

Blackjack

Its premise is similar to that of seven and a half, except that here it is not played against other players, but directly against the dealer. The objective is to get as close as possible to the number 21, taking into account the particularities of the cards A, J, K and Q.

It is a very rich game from a strategic point of view. The player has the option to split, double or surrender depending on the value of the initial cards. The split option allows to create two routes to reach 21 if two starting cards of the same rank are dealt. Thus, both can be played independently, and one can win one and lose the other or draw.

The President

This is a fun game in which the objective is to be the first to run out of cards. Usually, between 4 and 6 players play, and only one deck of cards is used. The president is a game of strength, where you always have to be stronger than the previous player, and where the numerical value of the cards, not the suit, rules.

It is played without jokers, and the cards are dealt among the participating players. The key to the game is that, in order to speak, you must draw the same number of cards as the previous player, but they must be of at least the same rank as the player immediately before you. Therefore, the ranks of cards are increasing.

The first player to run out of cards is the president. The second player is the vice-president. Those who occupy the last two positions will have the honor of being nicknamed "ass" and "super ass", to everyone's derision. Depending on the region, these names change to "culo" and "viceculo".

The Fool

It is usually played with one deck of cards, although it can be extended to two decks if more than 8 players are playing. Here, the objective is again to run out of cards. Memory and mental agility are more important than chance.

When the cards are dealt, each player, in his turn, comments on what he has in his hand. He can tell the truth, or not. And it is the job of the rest to judge whether he is lying or not. It is up to the player who speaks next to say whether he believes him or not. If he believes him, he speaks, no more. But if he doesn't believe it, he must raise his cards.

If the other player has lied, he must keep everything on the table. More cards will be discarded later to win. But if he was telling the truth, the one who made a mistake in his judgment gets to keep them.