Which non-gambling, non-ccg card games are popular in America?

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madelmire@reddit

Spades Hearts Pinochle... There's lots of games with the 52 card deck that people play without gambling. Or they could make it gambling if they wanted to, but don't when playing with family or friends.

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Innuendo64_@reddit

Everyone that's ever used Windows learned how to play Solitaire

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Canada_Haunts_Me@reddit

FreeCell is where it's at.

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Osric250@reddit

It’s a much better game. All information is known and it’s near impossible to have an unwinnable setup.

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Wizz878@reddit (OP)

Eh, I'd say up to Windows XP.

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BelligerentWyvern@reddit

Spades, Rummy, Yu-Gi-Oh.

Solo games are still played occasionally like Solitaire or Scoundrel.

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Spikeintheroad@reddit

Phase 10 is fairly popular. I've known multiple people who use houses phases to make it into Phase 20.

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Yotsubauniverse@reddit

Its not well known but 5 crown is popular amongst my family.i don't know about all of America but my family and my in-laws enjoy 5 crown. Its an easy game thats easy to pick up and a great time.

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T206Collector@reddit

Go Fish, War, UNO and Spoons

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Extension_Abroad6713@reddit

Euchre is popular in the Midwest. Some people play for money but most people do not

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Suppafly@reddit

Euchre is popular in the Midwest.

and Cribbage.

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Stan_Deviant@reddit

I feel like the spades to euchre to sheepshead player map would be the ombre of the US - South to North.

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Extension_Abroad6713@reddit

Never heard of sheepshead… spades is about as common as euchre, but euchre is usually the first choice to play. Some families play a game called “pepper”, it’s similar to euchre. I can’t play any of them, I’ve been taught thousands of times but can never catch on. Everyone has their own house rules too which doesn’t help

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Stan_Deviant@reddit

I'm from the far north and we had sheepshead. I learned euchre when I went to college (still north of Chicago) and picked up spades when I moved south of the Mason Dixon.

Sheepshead is basically advanced euchre. You still take tricks with trump cards and have partners but you play 2 against 3 and you don't know who your partner is at the start of each hand. To add to the fun, you win by scoring points rather than just taking hands and the trump cards are not the highest point cards. It is a lot of fun.

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pinniped90@reddit

I learned euchre in college in Illinois. Was a popular winter pub game.

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3_and_20_taken@reddit

I grew up near Cincinnati and we played so much (not for money since we were in high school). I moved away for college and miss it! Such a great game.

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ejabean@reddit

Its pretty popular in Western NY too. We play in tournaments a couple of times a year for charity.

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2GreyKitties@reddit

Bridge used to be popular in my parents' generation. My college friends and I would play Hearts a lot, and Gin Rummy. My bestie and I used to play Cribbage. I would love to play whist, but I don't know three other people who'd want to join me.

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Peculiar-Interests@reddit

I don’t know what CCG means. King’s Cup is a fun one. It is a drinking card game.

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JasminJaded@reddit

I grew up playing all sorts of card games. Cribbage is still my favorite, followed closely by hearts.

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Ghoulish_kitten@reddit

Gin Rummy, Hearts, Bullshit, Uno, solitaire, the War one (is it synonymous for Bullshit? i cant remember.)

Not sure if these are gambling games but Ive never played with money.

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eapaul80@reddit

Not popular across the the country, but Euchre has a big following in Indiana. It’s a great game

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Remote_Pick_1952@reddit

I used to get together with friends to play Spades.

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ThePoetsDream@reddit

War and Uno I feel like everyone knows how to play

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BleachedUnicornBHole@reddit

Egyptian Rat Slap was common when I was still in school.

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taffibunni@reddit

Is that like a cross between slap jack and Egyptian ratscrew?

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BleachedUnicornBHole@reddit

Maybe? Two people alternated putting down cards until two of same value were put down. The first to slap the stack won. You kept going until no one had any cards.

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Stop_Already@reddit

That’s just called War where I’m from.

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DharmaCub@reddit

It's exactly Egyptian Rat Screw, but some people were taught to call it slap because their parents thought screw was a bad word.

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UnincorporatedArea@reddit

We must have been true degenerates because we called it Egyptian Rat Fuck. It was ERF if in a place we couldn't curse.

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st3class@reddit

We called it Egyptian War at scout camp for that reason

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astralTacenda@reddit

we just called it rat slap growing up

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DefendTheStar88x@reddit

Ive never heard of this before. Off to the Google machine I go!

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DirkPitt106@reddit

If you can get people to agree on the rules lol

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Zealousideal_Cod5214@reddit

I wouldn't count Uno. Everyone seems to use different house rules.

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Fuzzy_Jaguar_1339@reddit

Uno reverse. We do count it.

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pinniped90@reddit

But everybody knows how to play the classic Uno game and knows to ask about the 2-3 variable house rules when playing with someone new.

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HerrDrAngst@reddit

I declare that you are correct!

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Extreme-Green-9652@reddit

In Wisconsin we play Euchre. Pretty much every family event since I was born has included at least one game....

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DokterZ@reddit

Southern Wisconsin. Northern Wisconsin is Sheepshead/Schafskopf.

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BlueFuzzyCrocs@reddit

Or Pinochle

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Spirited-Cat-8942@reddit

Canasta is making a big comeback. Spades is big in some places too.

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SonnySmilez@reddit

The only time I’ve ever played spades was in jail. It was easy to pick up on since the rules are similar to hearts.

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MuppetManiac@reddit

I knew how to play spades before I could read. I learned hearts because the rules are similar to spades.

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Boston_Brand1967@reddit

We had spades tournaments in college. Fun stuff. Hearts also fun!

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Spirited-Cat-8942@reddit

I have never been in jail, but I learned how to play spades when I was in High School.

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Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit

Spades is a gambling game, OP does not count it.

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Boston_Brand1967@reddit

Would you really say it is a gambling game though? You can put real money on it, like any other card game, but most people play casually for points. I think OP is talking about Casino style games like Texas Hold'em or Blackjack.

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Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit

Generally x number of cents for each point.

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Boston_Brand1967@reddit

I have never played Spades for money. Again, I am sure you can turn ANY game into a money game, but I read this as casino games.

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moles-on-parade@reddit

Spades was everything from third grade to the end of middle school. Then it switched to hearts. 1980s-1990s, just east of DC.

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samcuts@reddit

I went to college in the late 90s with a whole bunch of folks from DC/PG and Spades was the thing in our dorms.

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2PlasticLobsters@reddit

I played that with my parents decades ago, quite fun.

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PuppySnuggleTime@reddit

FINALLY. I love Canasta!

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Responsible_Side8131@reddit

In my family, Cribbage.

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RTR7105@reddit

Rook is big in Appalachia.

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Intelligent_Usual318@reddit

I like speed, go fish, cribbage, cards against humanity, uno, solitaire, war.

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astralTacenda@reddit

fuck yeah speed.

i was the reigning speed champ in my elementary school for a time

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astralTacenda@reddit

Scrolled down pretty far into the comments and greatly surprised no one has mentioned Spoons

we would beat the shit out of the loser with the spoons 😂 (usually plastic, no actual harm befell them)

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luseferr@reddit

Idk how popular it is nowadays but Munchkin used to be damn near everywhere.

Flux was also a good one (my crew particularly liked Stoner Flux)

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goblin_hipster@reddit

Go fish, euchre, cribbage, Cards Against Humanity, Exploding Kittens

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EtchingsOfTheNight@reddit

Spades, Hearts, and Pinochle too, if we're talking trick taking games

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atomfullerene@reddit

munchkin

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Drew707@reddit

CAH is amazing. I will never forget the Christmas morning when my first got the game and I got to see my dad cry-laugh while reading "balls deep in a squealing hog" as my stepmother just stared in shock and horror at what was coming out of his mouth.

Also, the time I had to define "necrophilia" to my aunt.

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LetterheadClassic306@reddit

i grew up playing Euchre in the Midwest - it's a big deal there. Spades and Hearts are also classics, and Rummy has tons of variations. Uno is everywhere too, but it's a bit different. if you want to try any of these, a standard bicycle playing cards deck works for most, or grab a dedicated Uno card game set for that one. what helped me was learning Euchre first since it's fast and social.

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Rough-Trainer-8833@reddit

Euchre is popular in some states

Spades or Hearts are popular in others

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boopbaboop@reddit

I was a shark at playing BS when I was in middle school.

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shammy_dammy@reddit

Euchre in Wisconsin.

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Fire_Mission@reddit

Spades.

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GreenBeanTM@reddit

Bullshit/BS (as it’s called when you’re playing somewhere you can’t swear) are extremely popular with Gen Z

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Trillian75@reddit

Hearts was big at my college in Minnesota in the 90’s. My husband is from Wisconsin and taught me euchre and cribbage. His roommate was also from Wisconsin and tried to teach us sheepshead, but that didn’t stick. We just stick to euchre and cribbage.

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kshucker@reddit

Spades

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CalmRip@reddit

Personally I've always been fond of Mille Bournes

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94_stones@reddit

I played Spades (which is very popular) and Whist (which isn’t popular but it’s similar to Spades) a lot as a kid. I also remember a card game called Palace that was very popular for a couple years when I was a kid. But I don’t recall the rules very well. My mom thought me how to play Bridge, but that didn’t stick either. She is an avid Solitaire player though.

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rwv2055@reddit

Spades

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luckypenguinsocks@reddit

in addition to the games already mentioned we played Spoons a lot in middle school.

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Wink527@reddit

Spades, bid whist, and tonk.

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bearfootin_9@reddit

Spades, Hearts, Bullshit (aka I Doubt It). My family could spend hours playing Bullshit. Simple pleasures...

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Jdawn82@reddit

Uno, Phase 10, Gin Rummy

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Key_Assistance_2125@reddit

Egyptian ratscrew, a cousin of beggar-my -neighbor

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Significant-Track797@reddit

We called it Egyptian Rat Slap in my area. But I swear wars were started over that game in high school.

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rando24183@reddit

I feel like a sleeper agent unlocked hearing "Egyptian rat screw", it was my entire life in middle school.

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Charming_Resist_7685@reddit

Monopoly Deal is a great game and more people play it than I would have thought. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is fun, especially with kids.

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williamchase88@reddit

Monopoly Deal is pretty massive in Australia and New Zealand. You’ll always see people at the pub day drinking and playing monops

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Perdendosi@reddit

For kids:

Uno/Crazy 8's

Old Maid

War

Go Fish

For older folks:

Bridge

Gin Rummy (and other Rummy variants)

Hearts/Spades

Cribbage

Euchre (more in the midwest)

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Dangerous-Safe-4336@reddit

My dad was fond of Seven Card Rummy. Never heard of anyone else playing it. My family also played pinochle. No gambling.

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NPHighview@reddit

When I was much younger (from early teens through my 20s), friends, fiancé and her family always included me in Pinochle, Hearts, and Spades card games. We really lapsed in conveying that to our kids, though Poker is still the post-Thanksgiving-dinner passtime.

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shrug_addict@reddit

Cribbage is somewhat popular, especially in the Midwest. Quite a lot of people play Hearts and Rummy variants as well. Party games like Bullshit ( has many, many names) are somewhat known

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NoYOUGrowUp@reddit

Gin and Gin Rummy

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Haki23@reddit

If you want to get beaten viciously, play Gin Rummy while everyone else is playing Rummy

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Indig012@reddit

Nertz is becoming more popular where I live

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Asparagus9000@reddit

Regular decks of card games. The vast majority of card games where I live don't have gambling.

There's hundreds of different games that are all played commonly here.

I remember my grandparents would play a different one every time I visited.

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ThatInAHat@reddit

I don’t know if Nertz is popular, but we used to play it a lot.

There’s a card game old Cajuns played called Bourré/Booray. Used to be really popular, but I don’t know if that many older folks passed it down.

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Maybeitsmeraving@reddit

There's strong regional and generational elements to this. I personally learned how to play rummy (both 500 and gin), pinochle, cribbage, hearts, and spades while I was growing up. I'm in my early 40s and grew up in the southeast, but my father is from Pittsburgh. Spades and rummy seem the most generally known, with hearts a close follow. But I've come to realize that spades is associated with poor people and criminals, so there may be selection bias there since I grew up relatively poor and surrounded by criminals.

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Defiant_Network7916@reddit

Spades.

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TokyoDrifblim@reddit

We used to play Egyptian Rat Screw all the time in college . I'm sure it has another less offensive name

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TaxTheRichEndTheWar@reddit

Spades, hearts, cribbage, rummy

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Impossible_Memory_85@reddit

Euchre

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ejabean@reddit

Phase 10, Uno (and all its variants), Gin, Rummy, euchre, hand and foot, spit, bullshit, Dos, Crazy Eights, spades, hearts, bridge, cribbage... all played at my parents house as long as i could remember.

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rinky79@reddit

My friend group plays Phase 10 when camping. (Not played w/ regular cards; requires a special deck)

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Maximillie@reddit

Euchre (more common in the Midwest) and Spades are popular to play. They are occasionally played for money but are often played 'just for fun'

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miketugboat@reddit

Spades and palace are kinda niche but fun.

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BarrishUSAFL@reddit

Flip 7 has gained a pretty strong following.

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Comfortable-Study-69@reddit

Blackjack and poker are pretty often played without cards.

For card games with 52-card decks that aren’t associated with gambling, BS, spoons, go fish, old maid, crazy 8s, war, mao, bridge, and solitaire are the ones I probably see the most.

For proprietary ones, Uno is very popular, but there’s also Cards Against Humanity and Exploding Kittens that are common enough to where people know what they are.

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thebigj3wbowski@reddit

Love euchre. Midwest guy. Clubs, spades, sheepshead, and 500 are all similar.

My family also loves hearts.

Also cribbage is huge here, but I never got into it.

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BallroomblitzOH@reddit

Phase 10 is one my family has enjoyed for a long time. There is a dice version but the card version is what we've played the most.

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Boston_Brand1967@reddit

My families favorite card game is Rook. Trick taking came similar to Spades. Super fun, though I think it is mostly popular amongst older people in the south.

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OrganikOranges@reddit

Dutch blitz, uno, skip bo are buy one deck and its good games

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Crimble-Bimble@reddit

Funny games like Cards Against Humanity or Red Flags are pretty common occurrences in high school and college.

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sysaphiswaits@reddit

My family used to play a game called “dog slobber”, which I think a lot of people call “oh shit”, and was originally based on a game called “Rook.” I have no idea how similar it is to the original game.

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c4ctus@reddit

We played a lot of Bullshit and Egyptian Rat Screw in high school.

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bluegrassbiker@reddit

I played a ton of hearts and spades in college. We did turn it into gambling most times though.

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pickleman42@reddit

Euchre for the Midwest

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Ok_Olive9438@reddit

Sushi go is popular, and good for a range of ages.

I also like Gloom, but that’s a bit niche.

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Mediocre_Daikon6935@reddit

Ditch blitz is probably the only correct answer.

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LegoWill05@reddit

Agree with a lot of these, I would add BS.

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WowsrsBowsrsTrousrs@reddit

Solitaire - there are hundreds of variations on it.

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veritable-truth@reddit

Gin, Spades and Hearts were popular when I was younger. No clue if these are still played today.

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PuppySnuggleTime@reddit

It can depend on your region, fads, and even your ethnicity. (Yes, some games are more popular/traditional with certain ethnic groups!) It's a huge country, so there aren't any hard and fast rules for what's popular with everyone. Also, there are generational differences.

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