I think most people can agree that quarantine can cause a little bit of stir-craziness. As someone who likes to stay busy and occupied at all times, spending a majority of time at home is incredibly challenging. I am lucky to currently be living off-campus in a seven person home, so I really cannot say it is ever boring in my house. Nonetheless, we are constantly finding new things to do to pass time, and have fun as a group, while still following COVID guidelines. 

Our most recent obsession is playing hours upon hours of card games. We have played just about every game we could possibly think of, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to share some of my favorites! These games are perfect for a group of housemates, or even a few roommates in a dorm on campus. 

 

Six Card Count

(This was a game one of my roommates knew from memory, we are incredibly unsure of the official name.)

The goal of this game is to have the lowest score between six cards at the end of each round. You will need two full decks, and can play with as many people as you want. Each player is dealt six cards that are kept face down, and lays them out in three rows of two. Each row is considered a pair. The cards are scored by their value (ex: a 3 is counted as 3 points), and face cards are counted as 10 points. The only exception is any King is counted as 0 points. Getting two of the same value cards in the same row cancels out the value, and is scored as 0 points as well.

Everyone starts by flipping over two of their cards to be face up. The rest of the deck is placed in the middle of the table, with a discard pile next to it. The players take turns either drawing from the deck, from the top of the discard pile, or flipping one of their existing cards over. When you draw from the deck or the discard pile, you can choose to either keep the card and switch it out with one of your existing cards, or put it into the discard pile for the next player to choose from. The only kicker is that you cannot flip an existing card over when replacing it with one from the deck or discard pile. Once you choose to switch a card out, it must go into the discard pile for the next player to choose from. The game is over for all players when the first person flips over, or switches, all six of their cards, so they are all face up. All other players must then flip over all of their remaining face down cards, and count up all of their points. 

This game is the perfect mix of luck, and even messing with some of your friends by holding onto cards they might need, or ending the round early. It is perfect for when you have a lot of time to kill, as you can play as many rounds as you would like.

 

 

 

James Bond

This is strictly a four-person game, but it moves really fast, and players can be interchanged. Each player is dealt three piles of four cards, face down. The entire deck will be dealt, except for four remaining cards that will be placed in the middle of the table, also face down.

 

The game starts by flipping over the four cards in the center, and the players are now able to look at their piles. The goal of the game is to get all four of the same number card in each pile, and this is accomplished through switching individual cards from your hand, with ones in the center. You must replace a card in the center with one from your hand, in order to pick it up. All players will be simultaneously putting down cards they don’t need, and picking up cards that they do. The kicker is that you can only have one pile in your hand at a time, and must try to remember the other cards you may need. Once you get all four of the same number cards in one pile, you flip them over face up to show that you completed a pile. Once you get all three piles completed and flipped over, you must be the first to yell “James Bond!” in order to win. The rest of the players will finish out the game to determine second, third, and fourth place. 

My one roommate learned this game from patients at her clinical study for the nursing program, and it has become our goal to play just as quick as they do. Ever since she taught us, we have played every single day, and it is truly one of our favorites!

 

 

 

 

Palace

Now this game seems incredibly complicated at first, with a lot of rules to remember. However, once you get all the rules down, you can get really good. If you are playing with less people, you will only need one deck. However, when my whole house plays, we play with two so there are enough cards, and it just makes the game last longer.

Each player is dealt nine cards, three that will remain face down, three that are placed face up, stacked on top of the face down cards, and three that will be in the players hand, that only they are able to see. The remaining stack will be placed in the center of the table, and one card will be flipped over to start a discard pile. This will be the start card. The first player must place down a card from their hand that is higher than the start card, and this pattern continues around the table (Ace is considered the highest). If you cannot place down a card that is higher, you must pick up the entire discard pile in your hand. However, the twist of this game is that there are (what we call) “magic cards”. These chosen card numbers can be placed on any start card on the discard pile, regardless of whether it is higher than the value. They also have magical properties, and change the rules for the next player. My house plays with 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 as magic cards. If you place down a 2, you reverse the order the other direction. A 3 is invisible, so the next player must put down a card higher than the previous card. Placing a 5 down skips the next player. When a 7 is played, the next player must place down a card that is lower than the value of 7. Finally, a 10 wipes out the entire discard pile, and it is restarted with a new start card from the deck. Having these magic cards means you won’t have to pick up the discard pile for that round, and you might be able to get another player to.

Once you get rid of all of the cards in your hand, you move onto the three that are face up for everyone to see. If you are able to get rid of these three cards, you move onto the face down ones. These cards will remain face down, and you are not allowed to see them, meaning you will blind draw them to place on the discard pile, and just hope that they are of a high value, or a magic card. The first player to get rid of all of their cards is the winner, but the rest of the players can continue to play out the rest of the game. 

 

Try out these games with your living mates – I promise you they will be a hit! Let me know what your favorite card game is in the comments below.

 

Hi! My name is Emma, and I am a junior Communications and Writing student from Long Beach Island, New Jersey. I am so excited to be working with Campus Recreation this semester, and writing blogs for InsideRec! Becoming a part of the team has given me the opportunity to grow as a writer, and share my experiences with the URI community. In the summers, I am an ocean lifeguard, so health and fitness have always been a passion of mine. Besides going to class, I work at O’Neil’s Package Store in Narragansett, and I like to spend time with friends and family.