3 Player Card Games To Play With Friends: Top 10 List
Are you a card game lover wondering if there are any card games for three people? Cards are among the most versatile games, delivering joy in every form, be it in solitaire or ten-player card games. Three is the smallest number that can form a pattern, creating a unique setting. Playing card games with three people seems to be fulfilling when you are not alone and also not in a crowded gathering. However, not all card games can adapt to three players.
You might not know that there are multiple three player card games that are entertaining, skill-demanding, luck-testing and have every other blend to make your time with friends memorable. The different card games for three people are distinct from one another in terms of card deck requirements, game rules, and objectives. That said, playing one game can improve your alertness and game awareness for the others.
Let’s get to know each of the Top 10 card games for three people that are available for play online, elevating the gaming experience even more.
Three Player Games List For Card Lovers
The 3 players games listed here are simple to play and, as shared by card enthusiasts, “deliver joy and money hand in hand” on the online gaming platforms.
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Solitaire Card Game
Solitaire card games are typically one-player games played with a standard deck of cards; however, they are increasingly trending to be played in gatherings of three. Curious about how it is played then? Although card games have many variations, Solitaire remains a foundational game that every player loves.
Playing Solitaire Game as a card game with friends can be done individually, with parallel discussions on each other’s moves. This game has been played to improve card gaming skills, and collaborative friendships, where competition is with oneself, allowing players to uplift one another’s games through suggestions and strategy sharing.
To make it competitive, the winner of the respective game, determined by the shortest duration, can be celebrated as the ‘best of three’.
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Spoons
As a three player card game, the game Spoons requires two spoons in addition to a deck of cards to play.
Every player is dealt four cards one at a time, and the spoons are set in the center of the table. The rest of the cards are kept with the dealer. The objective of the game is to get four-of-a-kind cards in your hand. As soon as someone gets four-of-a-kind, they pick one of the two spoons from the center. The remaining two players try to grab the last spoon. The person who couldn’t grab a spoon earns the letter ‘S. As the game progresses, letters are added if the player is unable to grab in successive rounds: ‘P’, ‘O’, ‘O’, ‘N’. The player who earns all the letters is out of the game.The winner is the one who stays in the game until the end. The game is easy to understand as it is similar to the game ‘Musical Chairs’ that we’ve grown up playing, except that it is reversed, as the one with ‘Spoons’ loses the game.
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Trash
Trash is the best simple game for 3 people. Trash among three friends can be played with two decks of cards.
The game is played in rounds. Deal ten cards to each player, all facedown. The players organize their cards into one row of ten cards (if space allows) or in two rows of five cards each. Place the remaining cards in a pile, facedown, in the center. This pile is called Draw Pile, and players draw cards from it.
The objective of this 3 player game is to complete the ace-ten sequence.
The three player card game Trash is also being used by schoolteachers to improve students’ basic math skills. It’s a great choice if you’re with friends who want a game that is both engaging and enjoyable.
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Egyptian Rat Screw
Egyptian Rat Screw is a modern American card game that is increasingly becoming popular under the name ‘Slap’. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The three players in this game should act quickly and witty, as winning involves both skill and luck.
Players are dealt the entire deck evenly, facedown. Once the cards are divided, players take turns in clockwise direction, placing their top card face up in the center of the table. Each player continues to play a card until a face card or Ace is played. After a face card or Ace is played, the next player must respond with a face card or Ace.
To win Egyptian Rat Screw, the player’s opponent must be unable to play a face card to the center pile.
This 3 person games at home also comes in different game variations.
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Golf
Golf card game can be played by three people, whether traveling or at home. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and Joker cards hold a special significance.
The game begins with the dealer giving six facedown cards to each of the three players. Players organize their cards in two rows of three cards each, and two of the cards are chosen for face-up.
As the name suggests, this game is similar to the outdoor game of Golf with ball and clubs. In both games, the objective is to achieve the lowest score, and nine holes or rounds are played.
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Rummy
Rummy is a classic card game popular across the globe. Each player is dealt seven cards from a standard deck, with the remaining cards forming a draw pile. The player to the left of the dealer starts the hand by drawing a card from either the deck or the discard pile.
The game continues until one of the players gets rid of all their cards by creating melds (a set of 3 or more cards with the same rank or in consecutive order of the same suit). The first player to finish all the cards in their hand is declared the winner.
There are several Rummy Online apps where you can play Rummy for free and win real money.
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Slapjack
Played with the standard deck of cards, in this game, each player is dealt one card at a time until all cards have been dealt. One important rule is that players cannot look at their hand.
The name of this 3 player game, Slapjack, hints at the objective of the game: to slap the jack each time it appears. Since the game depends on how fast the players react to seeing the jack, quick reflexes and attentiveness are required to win.
The player who has all of the cards is declared the winner, and with that, the game ends.
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Old Maid
Old maid, a three player card game, develops skills in pairing and recognizing numbers. From the standard deck, one of the four queens is removed, so Old maid is played with 52 cards in total.
In this game, each player removes all pairs from his hand. The game progresses until all cards have been paired except the odd Queen - which cannot be paired. The player who has that odd Queen card becomes the ‘old maid’, and loses the game.
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Widow Whist
In Widow whist, from the standard 52-cards deck, each player is dealt 13 cards, one at a time. A widow hand (extra hand) is dealt to the left of the dealer.
The objective of the player is to collect as many tricks as possible. The player leading a trick can play a card in any suit. The players that follow must play cards in the same suit, if they have any. The player who plays the highest card in the suit takes the trick and leads the next one.
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Crazy Eights
Crazy Eights is one of the most interesting card games to play with friends. The objective of the game is for players to get rid of all the cards to win the round and score the fewest points overall to win the entire game.
The winning player collects from each other player the value of the cards remaining in their hands. The scores are calculated this way.
- 50 points for each eight.
- 10 points for each K, Q, J or 10.
- 1 point for each ace.
3 Player Games To Play With A Deck Of Cards
These were the best three player card games, with the game rules for each laid out for you. Card games have been played since ancient times, not only in India but across borders. These games serve as a great remedy for acute memory loss issues and attention fixation problems. When the three friends are sitting idle, it is better to kick up the challenging spirit among each other than to be bored together. These 3 player card games are your key to entertainment and also bind friends together in a game.
All the games listed above can be played by players across different skills and have a healthy impact on both the brain and relationships.
