What is a Card Game?

Any game played using playing cards as the primary device is called a card game. A typical playing card has a face and a back, with the back being indistinguishable for other players not holding the card. There are numerous games played between two or more players, with different types of cards.

While some games such as Uno are played for leisure, several others like Poker and Rummy have gained immense popularity and are played in casinos, tournaments, and online games. Some card games also involve using a board where the board is used for scorekeeping while the cards play a significant role. On the other hand, several board games use cards for secondary purposes.

Excited to play some of the best card games online? Have a look at the top card games you can play online.

Types of Card Games

Card games are categorised into different types based on the gameplay, skills, and strategy required to reach the game's objective. Here are some of the popular types of games played with playing cards:

Matching Games

Matching games include an element of melding or grouping cards in a particular manner so that the player forms a group of matching cards before the opponent. Rummy is a perfect example of a matching card game where players draw and discard cards and form melds. Mahjong is another example of an ancient matching game that involves the use of tiles instead of cards.

Comparing Games

Games where the hand values are compared to declare the winner are called comparing games and are also known as showdown games. Popular examples of such games are Poker, Blackjack, and Baccarat, as all these games involve comparing hands.

Trick-Taking Games

Trick-taking games are based on the objective of playing multiple rounds where players are required to win tricks using their cards. The final objective of trick-taking games can vary from taking numerous tricks, taking multiple scoring cards within the tricks won, taking a trick in the hand, to taking a few tricks. A classic trick-taking game example is Call Break. Other popular games in this category include Spades, Bridge, Whist, etc.

Collectible Card Game

CCGs are proprietary playing cards games played between two or more players. These are strategy games that include individually unique cards from the commercial market to build a personalised deck. The cards have different costs, effects, and art and can be traded or sold on the secondary market. Some of the popular examples of the CCGs are Poker and Magic: The Gathering.

Solitaire Games

Also called patience games, Solitaire is a one-player game and comes in many variations. Most variations of solitaire games have a tableau or the draw pile, a foundation pile or a discard pile, and a stockpile. The objective of these games is to create stacks of cards either of the same suit or alternating colours from ace to king and transfer them to the foundation pile. A few examples of solitaire games are the classic card game Solitaire, Solitaire Cube, and Spider Solitaire.

The most popular card games in India

The list of card games on MPL includes three of the most entertaining and challenging multiplayer games that are pretty popular amongst card game lovers.

Poker

Poker is a popular game played worldwide in casinos, mobile apps, websites, and households. Poker is usually played between two or more players depending on the variant. The top poker variants on MPL are Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 5 Card Pot-Limit Omaha which can be played on the MPL mobile app or on the desktop.

Poker involves forced bets in every hand, called blinds, as the players are required to play the chips before the cards are distributed. The small blind sits at the dealer's right, followed by the Big Blind. Each player has to put in a minimum of big blind to see the flop. The Pre Flop betting round begins after each player receives two hole cards face down. The players then receive three cards as community cards for the Flop round. This is followed by another card for the Turn round and the last card for the River round. The players are required to use the two hole cards in combination with community cards to make the best five-card poker hand.

Rummy

Rummy card game is one of the most popularly played card games online in India. Indian Rummy has three variants - Pool Rummy, Points Rummy, and Deals Rummy. While the gameplay may differ for each variant, the rummy rules remain the same for each game. The rummy games can be played between two players and five players on the MPL app using a standard deck of 52 playing cards which includes four suits.

In each of these games, each player is dealt thirteen cards each, and the players are required to arrange the cards into valid sets and sequences. After the dealer deals 13 cards each, the remaining cards are placed face down on the table, forming the draw pile. Another pile with face-up cards is used to discard cards. Each player draws a card from the draw pile or discard pile in turns and discards another card. The first person to make a valid declaration is declared the winner.

Call Break

Call Break is a trick-taking game played between four players using a standard deck of 52 playing cards. A popular variation of trick-taking card games for 3 players in India is the Teen Do Panch game. Call Break is the same game as Spades but with slight changes in rules. The game is played in 5 rounds, and Spades is the trump suit or the wild card in the game, by default.

The game starts with a dealer distributing 13 cards to each player. The players look at their cards, and each player bids the number of tricks they will win in that round. The players then have to win exactly the number of tricks they bid at the beginning or win more tricks. The person sitting at the right of the dealer starts the game by playing a card of choice. The next player has to play a card of the same suit played by the previous player.

The player that has played the highest card or highest trump card wins the trick. A player wins the round if they have won the most tricks in that round. The play continues for five rounds, and the player with the highest score after all rounds wins the game.

Win Patti Skill

Win Patti Skill is played popularly during the Diwali festival in India and is an important part of social gatherings. The game is also called Flush or Flash and is basically a simple variant of 3-card Poker. In Win Patti, each player gets three cards with which they can either play blind or look at the cards. The players can call or raise. The player with the best hand wins the game.

It has its origins in the English game of three-card brag, with significant influences from poker. The game also gets the name “flush” or “flash” in some regions. Win Patti is popular across Southeast Asia due to its status as a social game. 

How to Play Card Games on MPL

Enjoying popular card games is now at your fingertips! To play card games on MPL, you can simply download the app from the Apple App Store if you are an iOS user. Android users can visit the MPL website and enter their mobile number to receive a download link via SMS. Once you have downloaded the MPL app, follow the below step to play the card game:

• Open the MPL app and pick your favourite card game.
• Choose the card game variant (if available).
• Pick a contest from the available contests.
• Submit the entry fee, and you will be matched with an online player.
• Follow the rules and play to achieve the objective of the game.

Other Top Card Games in India

In India, Rummy is one of the most popular card games played during festivals. Many other card games are played regularly for leisure and entertainment. Here's a list of card games for two or more players that can be played on different occasions:

Double Solitaire

Double Solitaire is played with two standard decks of 52 playing cards with the objective of building eight foundation piles starting from Ace to King. Each player gets a deck each to lay seven piles of cards. The gameplay is similar to the classic solitaire game, where players have to build the foundation using all the cards. The first player to use all cards and build the piles in ascending order from ace to king wins the game.

Slap Jack

Slap jack is a fun game that requires focus, speed, and recognition of the face cards. It's a good game for kids and adults alike. The game can be played between multiple players, and each player receives an equal number of cards till all the cards have been dealt from a standard deck of cards.

Each player takes turns to play a card from their closed decks. The game's objective is to win maximum cards by being the first player to slap a jack as soon as it is played. That player collects the pile of cards played, and the game continues till one player collects all the cards.

Blackjack

Blackjack is also a popular occasional card game for Indians played between two players or more. In this game, the players compete against each other as well as the dealer, with the primary goal to beat the dealer. The players must place a bet in the form of chips before the deal begins. The dealer deals two cards face up to each player but takes the second card face down. Each player aims to get a count close to 21 to beat the dealer.