Card Games to Play With Family: 9 Picks for Any Size Crowd

The best family card game is the one that fits the number of people at the table. A game for two leaves six relatives watching; a game for eight drags if only three want to play. So this list is sorted by crowd size, not by “best.”

Every game here is a classic someone in your family probably already knows, and each takes less than an hour. Most can be played with an ordinary deck of cards, a set of dominoes or five dice.

• Mexican Train: 2+ players, best with 4.
• Yacht Dice: 1+ players, best with 2.
• Hand and Foot: 2–6 players, best with 4.
• Phase 10: 2–6 players, best with 4.
• Skip-Bo: 2–6 players, best with 3.
• Canasta: 2–6 players, best with 4.
• Euchre: 2–4 players, best with 4.
• Cribbage: 2–4 players, best with 2.
• Gin Rummy: 2 players, best with 2.

Which game for how many people

At the table	Play this	Why it works
2	Cribbage, Gin Rummy	Quick, made for two, easy to stop between hands
3	Phase 10, Skip-Bo, Yahtzee	No partners needed, everyone plays for themselves
4	Euchre, Canasta, Hand and Foot	Two teams of two: mix the ages on each side
5–6	Hand and Foot, Phase 10, Skip-Bo	Scale up with more decks, still one game
6–8	Mexican Train, Yahtzee	Everyone plays at once, late arrivals can join

For the whole crowd (6 to 8 people)

1. Mexican Train dominoes

The best game for a big table. Each player builds a “train” of matching dominoes from the center hub, and anyone can play on the shared Mexican Train. With a double-12 set, players usually start with 10 to 15 dominoes depending on how many are playing. Turns are short, so nobody waits long. How to play Mexican Train.

2. Yahtzee-style dice

Five dice, up to three rolls per turn, thirteen boxes to fill. A child who can add can play; a grandparent who has played for fifty years still enjoys the gamble on a large straight. Any number can play — just pass the dice. Print one score sheet per person. Free printable Yahtzee score sheets.

For a lively table of four to six

3. Hand and Foot

Canasta’s bigger, looser cousin, played in partnerships with several decks shuffled together. Each player gets two piles of cards: play the “hand” first, then pick up the “foot.” A full game is four rounds and can fill an evening, which is the point. Hand and Foot rules.

4. Phase 10

Ten “phases” to complete in order, from two sets of three to a run of nine. Everyone works on their own phase, so a beginner and an expert can share the table. The 10 phases of Phase 10.

5. Skip-Bo

Race to play off your stockpile by building piles from 1 to 12. Simple enough to teach in two minutes; Skip-Bo cards are wild. If you do not have the special deck, its ancestor Spite and Malice works on the same idea with two ordinary decks.

For four players in teams

6. Euchre

The Midwest’s favorite: four players in two partnerships, a short deck (9 through ace), and trump chosen each hand. A hand takes two minutes, and the jokes about who “euchred” whom last all night. How to play Euchre.

7. Canasta

Partners build melds of seven cards (“canastas”) using two decks with jokers. Slower and more thoughtful than Euchre — a good game for the second half of the evening. Not sure whether your family plays Canasta or Hand and Foot? Read Canasta vs Hand and Foot.

For two in a quiet corner

8. Cribbage

The classic two-player game: six cards each, a crib for the dealer, and a pegboard race to 121. One game takes about twenty minutes. If the board is missing, print one, or play cribbage online against the computer while the turkey rests. New to it? Start with how to play cribbage.

9. Gin Rummy

Ten cards each, build runs and sets, knock when your leftover cards add up to 10 or less. Easy to learn at the table, hard to master. Gin Rummy rules.

Tips for a family game night that goes well

• Agree on house rules before the first deal. Hand and Foot, Canasta and Mexican Train all have family versions. Say yours out loud, or write them on the score sheet.
• Pair new players with experienced ones in partnership games. Teaching happens naturally and nobody feels left behind.
• Keep score on paper where everyone can see it. It settles arguments and becomes a keepsake. Printable sheets are in our score sheet library.
• Use big cards or a large-print deck if anyone at the table struggles with small numbers. It makes a real difference after dinner in dim light.
• Relatives far away? Play a game of cribbage online on the same night and call each other between hands.