How to Play War | FamilyEducation
War was a great way for my grandmother to distract us from our own daily battles with each other. It was also a great way to help us learn the art of cooperation through game-playing. We played this game tirelessly through the rest of that summer, and continued to play even when we were back home in our daily routines of school and homework.
Our parents used to engage in a few games, but mostly we played against each other. I wouldn't want to kid anyone and say this was the miracle that solved our childish bickering—I'm sure we accused each other of cheating and wound up in a few hair-pulling war-games ourselves, but mostly I remember really enjoying the game.
When my siblings weren't around, sometimes I'd play by myself. I used to split the deck and play against an invisible opponent. I just played my mystery friend's hand as though someone else was actually sitting there playing against me. It didn't take me very long, however, to realize that this game required no brain power and ceased to be a challenge altogether. Then I moved on to bigger and better card games. But War sure was a great place to start.
The World War II Card Game Play the game. The modern CCG Meets classic wargaming. KARDS combines traditional CCG gameplay with innovative mechanics inspired by classic strategy games and real battlefield tactics. Take command and challenge other players in grand-scale warfare on the ground, air, or seas. If you don’t have a deck of Uno cards, this game is a great alternative. Play a card that matches the number or suit of the previously played card. Eights are wild. Egyptian Ratscrew. Also known as Egyptian War. This oddly-named game requires concentration and lightning-fast reflexes.
How to Play
The object of War is to win all the cards in the deck through a series of tricks.
You use a standard 52-card deck. Aces are high. The tricks are played according to rank; suits are ignored. All 52 cards are dealt to each player (if you have two players, each player has a total of 26 cards). You do not look at your cards—you hold them in a stack face-down.
Holding the stack of cards face-down in one hand, you use the other hand to flip the card face-up on the table in front of you. Each player flips a card, so if you have two players, you will have two cards facing up in front of you. The highest card wins the trick.
The person who wins the trick takes the cards from the center of the table and places them at the bottom of his or her stack of face-down cards. You continue play like this until one of you has accumulated all the cards. Believe me, this can feel like the never-ending game—your very own 100 Years War!
It's in the Cards
In the game of War, a war is a means to break a tie. When two cards of the same rank are played, you break the tie by playing new cards. The player with the highest-ranking new card wins the tie breaker and all the played cards.
If you both play a card of the same rank—let's say you both play an Ace—you have to have a war. You leave the Aces face-up on the table and put one card on top of your Ace—face-down—and then another card face-up on top of the face-down card. So you'll have the following configuration of cards in front of you: the tied Ace, a face-down card, and a face-up card. The person with the highest face-up card takes all the cards on the table and places them face-down at the bottom of their stack.
If the top card is another tie, you place another face-down card, then a face-up card—basically, you keep going until someone wins the war. This is the best and fastest way to accumulate cards. If one of you runs out of cards in the middle of a war, the other player wins.
War for More
War can be played with more than two players (a relief to my grandmother, I'm sure). It is pretty much the same game for more than two, but, obviously, each player starts with fewer cards.
Card Game Called War
Each player should have an equal number of cards. If you have three players, deal out 17 cards each. If you have four players, deal out 13 cards each.
High Score
Games such as War and Go Fish are great distractions for little ones on the go. Always keep a deck of cards on you for emergency measures. You never know when you'll be stuck in an airport or in traffic or just need a little break (while the kids are busy competing at cards). You won't regret lugging them around with you.
All players turn over a card and the highest card in the trick wins all the face-up cards on the table. A war is performed in the same way. If two or more players place down the same highest card (a tie), then everyone must participate in the war, including the lowest cardholders. If there is still a tie, you keep going until someone wins the war. To win the war, you must place down the highest card.
If a player runs out of cards at any point during the game, that player is out. The game continues until one person has managed to accumulate all 52 cards.
To make things a little more interesting, my sisters and I used to play Double War. That means that instead of placing just one card face-down during a war, you place two cards face-down. That way, you accumulate even more cards after a war and you speed up the game a little bit.
We also used to play with two decks and force our little brothers to join in the game. That was a very long game and keeping our brothers' attention on it was a bit of a challenge. But who knew that one simple little card game could keep five rambunctious kids occupied—on their own much of the time—for hours on end? The novelty did wear off when we realized it was solely a game of luck. That's when we graduated to other card games like Go Fish, for example.
Rules On How To Play Card Game War
Get all the cards in your corner and win. Watch out for the slap rule!
- Game Type: Other
- Age: 8+
- Players: 2, 3, 4, 5+
- Tag: Collecting GameSlap
The Pack
A standard 52-card deck is used and can include Jokers.
The Deal
Deal cards one at a time face down, to each player until all the cards have been dealt evenly. Without looking at any of the cards, each player squares up their hand into a neat pile in front of them.
The Play
Starting to the left of the dealer players pull the top card off their pile and place it face-up in the middle. If the card played is a number card, the next player puts down a card, too. This continues around the table until somebody puts down a face card or an Ace (J, Q, K, or A).
When a face card or an ace is played, the next person in the sequence must play another face card or an ace in order for play to continue.
If the next person in the sequence does not play a face card or an ace within their allotted chance, the person who played the last face card or an ace wins the round and the whole pile goes to them. The winner begins the next round of play.
The only thing that overrides the face card or an ace rule is the slap rule. The first person to slap the pile of cards when the slap rule is put into effect is the winner of that round. If it cannot be determined who was the first to slap the pile, the person with the most fingers on top wins.
Slap Rules
Double – When two cards of equivalent value are laid down consecutively. Ex: 5, 5
Sandwich – When two cards of equivalent value are laid down consecutively, but with one card of different value between them. Ex: 5, 7, 5
Top Bottom – When the same card as the first card of the set is laid down.
Tens – When two cards played consecutively (or with a letter card in between) add up to 10. For this rule, an ace counts as one. Ex: 3, 7 or A, K, 9
Jokers – When jokers are used in the game, which should be determined before game play begins. Anytime someone lays down a joker, the pile can be slapped.
Four in a row – When four cards with values in consistent ascending or descending order is placed. Ex: 5, 6, 7, 8 or Q, K, A, 2
Marriage – When a queen is placed over or under a king. Ex: Q, K or K,Q
How To Play War Card Game Wikihow
You must add one or two cards to the bottom of the pile if you slap the pile when it was not slappable.
Continue playing even if you have run out of cards. As long as you don't slap at the wrong time, you are still allowed to 'slap in' and get cards! Everyone should try to stay in the game until you have a single winner who obtains all the cards
How to Keep Score
The player, who has all of the cards at the end of the game, wins.