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Card games for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving puts people of every age around one table with an afternoon to fill. Most of the games below need nothing but an ordinary deck of cards, and a few need two or more decks. They are grouped by who is playing: the whole family at once, the kids' table, four grown-ups after dinner, and two of you while the turkey cooks. Each game links to our full rules, and most have a free practice game in your browser, so whoever is teaching can try it first.
The whole family at once (6 or more)
These three work when most of the house wants to play, grandparents and children included.
Spoons (3 to 13 players)
Spoons is the game for a big, noisy table. You pass cards around the circle as fast as you can, trying to collect four cards of the same rank, such as four 7s, and the moment anyone does, everyone grabs for a spoon. There is one spoon fewer than there are players, so one person is left without. It needs one ordinary 52-card deck and some spoons, and nobody needs to know any other card game.
- Set up. Put spoons in the middle of the table, where everyone can reach them: one fewer than the number of players. Six players need five spoons.
- Deal. The dealer gives everyone four cards, face down, and puts the rest of the deck face down beside them. This is the draw pile, and only the dealer uses it.
- Pass. The dealer takes the top card of the draw pile, so they hold five, and passes any one of the five face down to the player on their left. That player now holds five, keeps the one they want, and passes one card to their left, and so on round the table. Everyone keeps passing as fast as cards arrive, and nobody waits for anybody. You never hold more than five cards, and four once you have passed.
- The last player, on the dealer's right, puts the card they pass face down on a discard pile instead. If the draw pile runs out, the dealer turns the discard pile over and uses it as the new draw pile.
- Grab. When you hold four cards of the same rank, take a spoon. You can grab it fast or slide it off quietly. As soon as anyone takes a spoon, everyone else may take one too, even without four of a kind.
- Lose a letter. The player left without a spoon gets a letter: S the first time, then P, O, O, N and S. A player who spells all of SPOONS is out. Put one spoon away and deal again, until two players are left for the last round.
Some families play Pig instead: no spoons, and a player with four of a kind quietly touches their nose. Everyone who notices touches theirs, and the last player to do it gets a letter of PIG. Pig suits a table of small children, or anyone worried about elbows.
Two tips from experience at real tables: use plastic or wooden spoons, and set a house rule that you grab a spoon, not a hand. Spoons is fast and friendly, but people do lunge.
Crazy Eights (2 or more players)
The game UNO grew out of, played with an ordinary deck. You play a card that matches the top card of the discard pile by rank or by suit, and any 8 can be played at any time to change the suit. The first player out of cards wins. Children who know UNO pick it up at once. With a big group, shuffle two decks together so the cards go round. The rules of Crazy Eights · Practice game
Rummy 500 (2 to 8 players)
A rummy game that seats the most players of any on this page. You put down groups of three or four of a kind, or three or more cards in a row in one suit, and you may take a whole run of cards from the discard pile if you can use the card at the bottom of what you take. With five to eight players, shuffle two decks together. A game to 500 takes a while, so it suits the long stretch between dinner and pie. The rules of Rummy 500 · Practice game
The kids' table
Three games young children can play on their own once a grown-up has dealt the first deal. A card holder (see below) helps small hands keep their cards together.
Slapjack (2 to 8 players)
Children as young as four or five can play Slapjack, because it needs only one skill: spotting a jack. Use one ordinary deck.
- Deal the whole deck face down, one card at a time, round the table. Some players may get one card more than others. Each player squares their cards into a pile face down in front of them, without looking at them.
- Turn cards over. Going round the table, each player turns the top card of their pile face up onto one shared pile in the middle. Turn it away from you, so you do not see it before everyone else does.
- Slap the jacks. When a jack lands on the middle pile, the first player to slap a hand on it wins the whole middle pile, and puts it face down under their own pile. If several hands land, the hand at the bottom, touching the card, wins.
- A wrong slap, on a card that is not a jack, costs one card: the player who slapped gives the top card of their pile, face down, to the player who turned the card over.
- Running out. A player whose pile is empty may stay in until the next jack and slap it to win back in. If they miss that jack, they are out. The player who ends up with all 52 cards wins.
Go Fish (2 to 6 players)
The classic first card game. You ask another player for a rank, such as "Do you have any kings?", and collect sets of four. It teaches the ranks and taking turns, and a game takes 5 to 15 minutes. The rules of Go Fish · Practice game
Old Maid (2 or more players)
Take one queen out of the deck, deal the rest, and players take turns drawing a card from the next player's hand and putting down pairs. Whoever is left holding the last queen, the Old Maid, loses. A game takes a few minutes, so it can fill the wait before dinner. The rules of Old Maid · Practice game
Four grown-ups after dinner
Once the table is cleared, four players can settle into a longer game. Each of these needs exactly four players, except Hand and Foot, which takes two to six.
Euchre (4 players, about 30 minutes)
Two teams of two, a short 24-card deck, and five rounds a deal. It is the family game of the Midwest, and it moves quickly enough to talk over. The rules of Euchre · Practice game
Hearts (4 players, about an hour)
Everyone plays alone, and you try to avoid hearts and the queen of spades. No partner means no one gets blamed for a bad play, which helps at a family table. The rules of Hearts · Practice game
Spades (4 players, about 45 minutes)
Two teams guess how many rounds they will win, and score for getting it right. Spades is the strongest suit. A good game when two pairs at the table like a bit of rivalry. The rules of Spades · Practice game
Hand and Foot (2 to 6 players, 30 to 45 minutes a deal)
A big, slow rummy game played in teams, with one more deck than there are players: five decks for four players, seven for six. Families who play it tend to play it every holiday. Score sheets help, and our rules page links some. The rules of Hand and Foot · Practice game
Two of you while the turkey cooks
Two games for the cook and whoever keeps them company in the kitchen.
Gin Rummy (2 players, 5 minutes a deal)
Draw a card, throw one away, and try to fit your ten cards into groups. A deal is short, so it is easy to stop when the timer goes off. The rules of Gin Rummy · Practice game
Cribbage (2 players, about 30 minutes)
The game with the pegboard. A family heirloom board often comes out at Thanksgiving, and if yours is missing, pencil and paper work for the score. The rules of Cribbage · Practice counting hands
Which game for how many players
| Game | Players | Decks | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spoons | 3 to 13 | 1, plus spoons | The whole family at once |
| Crazy Eights | 2 or more | 1, or 2 for a big group | Mixed ages who know UNO |
| Rummy 500 | 2 to 8 | 1, or 2 for five or more | A long game for a big group |
| Slapjack | 2 to 8 | 1 | Young children |
| Go Fish | 2 to 6 | 1 | Young children |
| Old Maid | 2 or more | 1, less one queen | Young children, a quick game |
| Euchre | 4 | 1 (24 cards used) | Two teams, a quick game |
| Hearts | 4 | 1 | Four players, each alone |
| Spades | 4 | 1 | Two teams who like rivalry |
| Hand and Foot | 2 to 6 | One more than the players | Families who play every holiday |
| Gin Rummy | 2 | 1 | Two people, short deals |
| Cribbage | 2 | 1, plus a board or paper | Two people, a classic |
Five boxed games for a big group
Every game above plays with an ordinary deck. If you would like something new in the cupboard for this year, these five seat a crowd, take a few minutes to teach, and come in their own box with their own cards. We chose them from the makers' information and player consensus, not from our own testing, and we show no prices, because they change. The game names belong to their makers, and SelectACard is not affiliated with any of them.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza (Dolphin Hat Games)
Best for a loud, quick game the whole family plays at once, up to 8 players
Players take turns flipping a card onto a pile while saying the next word of "taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza". When the card matches the word being said, everyone slaps the pile, and the last hand down takes the pile. You want to get rid of your cards. It plays like a faster Slapjack with a tongue twister on top, and the maker lists 2 to 8 players.
Gives up: depth, since it is over in minutes and the same every time, and gentleness, because slapping games can hurt hands. Set the same rule as for Spoons, and seat small children away from the strongest slappers.
Deluxe Pit (Winning Moves Games)
Best for a big group of older children and grown-ups who like to shout
A trading game first sold in 1904. Each player is dealt cards of farm goods such as wheat, corn and oats, and everyone trades at once, calling out how many cards they want to swap, until someone holds all nine of one good and rings the bell. There are no turns, so nobody waits, and Winning Moves lists 3 to 8 players. This Deluxe box comes with the bell.
Gives up: quiet. Everyone trades at once and calls out loud, so it is hard on a grandparent with poor hearing, and a player who is shy about shouting can be left out.
Five Crowns (PlayMonster)
Best for a family that likes Rummy and wants something new, up to 7 players
A rummy game with five suits, stars among them. There are eleven deals: the first deal gives everyone three cards, the next four, and so on up to thirteen, and in each deal the card matching the number dealt is wild, so the wild card changes every deal. You make groups and try to keep your leftover points low. The maker lists 1 to 7 players.
Gives up: a short game. All eleven deals take a good while, and the game needs its own deck and a pencil for the score.
Sushi Go Party! (Gamewright)
Best for a calmer group game where everyone plays at the same time, up to 8 players
Everyone picks one card from their hand, puts it face down, then passes the rest of the hand to the next player, so everybody plays at once and nobody waits for a turn. Cards score in different ways, such as pairs or the most of one kind. It is the bigger box of Sushi Go!, and the maker lists 2 to 8 players.
Gives up: simplicity for the youngest. Each kind of card scores its own way, so a first game needs a grown-up reading the rules aloud, and the scoring at the end takes some adding up.
Dutch Blitz
Best for a fast game where everyone plays at once, for families who like Speed or Nertz
Every player has their own deck, and everyone plays at the same time, building shared piles in the middle in number order, 1 to 10, one color to a pile. The first player to empty their Blitz pile ends the deal. The base box holds four decks, for 2 to 4 players, and an expansion pack adds four more decks, for up to 8.
Gives up: size and calm. The base box stops at four players, so a big group needs the expansion too, and the frantic pace can leave slower players behind.
Five things to have on hand
You may already own everything you need. If not, these five cover a big family day. We chose them from the makers' information and independent reviews, not from our own testing, and each one is covered in more depth in one of our other guides.
Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards, twelve-deck pack
Best for Hand and Foot, two-deck games, and replacing every worn-out deck in the house
Twelve standard Bicycle decks, half red and half blue. That is enough for a six-player game of Hand and Foot, which needs seven decks, with spares for Spoons and two-deck Crazy Eights at another table.
Gives up: twelve decks is more than a family that plays only two-deck games will use, and every deck has the same back, so keep each deck in its own box or the decks get mixed up after a big game.
Bicycle Jumbo Index Playing Cards (2-pack)
Best for grandparents, or anyone who finds the corner numbers hard to read
Regular poker-size Bicycle cards with the numbers and suits in the corners printed larger (jumbo index). They play like any deck, so they work for every game on this page. The pack holds a red deck and a blue deck. Our large-print cards guide compares it with bigger cards.
Gives up: only the corner numbers grow. The cards stay poker size and paper, so for eyes that need more than that, see the larger decks in the large-print guide.
Gamewright Original Little Hands Playing Card Holder
Best for a young child at the kids' table who cannot yet hold a fan of cards
A plastic holder with a wide handle. The cards go between two plastic paddles, so a small hand can manage them. It is sold for ages 3 and up, which makes it a good fit for Go Fish and Old Maid.
Gives up: room. One review site lists it as holding four to five cards, so it suits a small hand, not the big hands of Rummy 500 or Hand and Foot.
Yellow Mountain Imports Extra-Wide Beechwood Card Holders (set of 2)
Best for big hands of cards, such as Hand and Foot, and for anyone whose grip tires
A pair of solid beechwood racks, each 13.8 inches wide with four rising slots, as the maker lists them. The cards stand in the rack, so a grandparent with sore hands does not have to hold a big hand up all afternoon. Our card holders guide has more choices.
Gives up: privacy, because an open rack can show your cards to the player beside you, and table space, because each rack is 13.8 inches wide.
COSCO 34-Inch Square Vinyl Top Folding Card Table
Best for a second game table, or the kids' table, that folds away afterward
A steel-framed table with a vinyl top that seats four. The maker says the legs fold into the top, so it packs down to about 1.5 inches thick and stores in a closet for the rest of the year. A vinyl top also wipes clean after pie.
Gives up: strength. The maker lists a weight limit of 100 pounds, so it is for cards and snacks, not for leaning on, and one review says it may not be as sturdy as pricier tables.
Common questions
What is the best card game for a big family group?
Spoons, for 3 to 13 players with one deck. Anyone can learn it in a minute, from about age six to the oldest at the table. For a calmer game that still seats up to eight, play Rummy 500 with two decks.
How many spoons do you need for Spoons?
One fewer than the number of players: five spoons for six players. Each time a player is out, take one spoon away, so there is still one too few.
Can more than 13 people play Spoons?
One deck has 13 ranks, so it holds four of a kind for at most 13 players. For a bigger crowd, split into two tables, each with its own deck and spoons.
What can we play with only one deck and lots of people?
Spoons for up to 13, Slapjack for up to 8, or Crazy Eights. Rummy 500 starts to need a second deck at five players.
What if a guest has never played cards?
Start with Spoons or Crazy Eights, which take a minute to explain. Every rules page on this site is written for someone who has never read a rule book, and the practice games let a newcomer play a few deals against the computer, with a coach explaining each rule as it comes up, before sitting down with the family.
What if only two of us are playing?
Gin Rummy and Cribbage, above, are built for two. For more ideas, see the best card games for two people.
What can I bring as a gift for the host?
One of the five boxed games above, which the family can open after dinner. For something smaller, the stocking stuffers in our Christmas games and gifts guide fit in a coat pocket, and a deck of ordinary cards is never wasted in a house that plays.