Card games are one of the best game genres for millions as they are fun, involve the use of skills, and can be played at any convenient location, be it online or offline. Perhaps the only constraint users face while playing card games is the unavailability of players in games that require four or more players, especially in a physical setting.
Most classic card games are either best for two, four, or other even numbers of players. But what if your group comprises just three players that love card games, and getting the fourth player can be challenging at times? At times like these, all you have to do is search for fun card games for 3 players. Fortunately, we have the perfect list of the best 3 player card games that you can play (and even win real cash) when caught up in such a situation.
But before you even take a sneak-peek at the list, let us warn you, these games are highly entertaining, strategy-packed, and some of these games will only take a few minutes of your time due to their fast-paced nature.
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Best 3-Player Card Games For Every Card Games Lover
Here’s a list of handpicked card games that you can play online or offline.
Draw 4
Draw 4 is an uno-like game on the MPL app. This game is one of the most entertaining 3-player card games with fun twists. If you have played Uno before, you already know the basic rules of this game. Draw 4 can be played between 2 to 4 players on MPL.
Basic Draw 4 Rules:
- Each player must follow the previously played color or number while playing their turn.
- Draw 4 game lasts for 3 minutes, and players must reach the highest score within that time to win.
- If a player misses 3 moves, the game will end, and they will lose the game.
- When a player has only two cards in hand, they must tap on the “Last One” before playing their second last card to indicate the other players.
- The player with the highest score at the end of the timer wins the game
- There are 5 types of special cards in the game – Reverse, Skip, Draw Two, Wild Draw Four, and Wild Card.
To play Draw 4 on MPL, download the MPL app here.
Gameplay:
Each player begins the game with seven cards that are only visible to them. The top card of the deck is placed in the middle, where each player plays their card. The players take turns in a clockwise direction. Each player is required to play a card that matches the top card on the discard pile in either colour or number.
A player has two choices if they do not have a card with the same colour or number as the card that was previously played:
If they have a wild card, they can play it to change the colour, or they may tap the “Draw” icon to draw a card.
The player can play the draw card if it matches the number or color. The other players must follow the same gameplay to play their turns. If a player plays an action card or a wild card, then rules for the special cards are applied.
Crazy Eights
You know what you’re getting yourself into if you play card games like Uno. The Crazy Eights card game is quite similar to the popular Uno game. The players are dealt 5 cards each, and the goal is to get rid of the cards before other players.
In this card game, the players use a 52-card deck to deal 5 cards for each player, and the remaining cards form the draw pile. The top card from the draw pile is placed next to the pile, and players take turns to play cards of similar rank or suit as the previous cards. If a player doesn’t have a card to play, they can draw a card from the draw pile. In each round, the first player that gets rid of all cards scores points based on the opponents’ cards. Finally, the player that reaches a predefined score, before others, wins the game.
The name of the Crazy Eights game is based on the special cards – 8s. A player can play the 8s card any time (unless a 2 was the last card played) and choose the next suit. The game also has several other special cards, such as 2s. Qs, and As that have special powers.
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Rummy
Card games lovers love playing classic games like rummy. Rummy has numerous variations, and the most popular amongst them in India is the Indian Rummy card game with sub-variations such as Points Rummy, Pool Rummy, and Deals Rummy. Other popular variations of rummy include Gin Rummy and 500 Rummy.
Rummy is usually played on 2-player, 5-player, or 6-player tables, but this game can also be played between 3 players. In the 3 player game, the players are dealt 7 cards each, and the goal is to be the first player to get rid of all the cards in hand. The players must meld the cards in groups of 3 or more cards of the same value or consecutive order from the same suit. Depending on the variant being played, the rules to win the game can vary slightly.
If you enjoy taking up rummy challenges against online players of varied skills, you can also play Indian rummy online on different tables and win up to ₹9 Cr.
Go Fish
Another popular classic game where the cards’ ranking doesn’t matter, Go Fish, is the perfect three-player card game. The game is popular amongst kids and adults alike due to the easy rules.
The objective is to collect more books than the opponents. Books can be made by grouping four cards of the same value.
Usually, each player is dealt six cards, and the remaining cards are placed face down. The player takes turns clockwise to pick an opponent and ask if they have a specific rank card. However, the player can ask for a card only if they possess a card of the same rank. The opponent must give all the cards of that rank if they have it. The other players follow the same until an opponent has no cards of the desired rank. That opponent says Go Fish, and the player that asked for the specific card must pick a face-down card from the discard pile.
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Bluff
Bluff comes in the super-easy card games category and is often played in India. As the name suggests, the objective is to use trickery and deceit, in other words, bluff, for discarding cards in hand.
The only trick to win this game is to be smart enough to bluff other players and catch other players bluffing. The game can be played between 3 to 10 players using a standard 52 card deck, including jokers. The players are dealt cards equally, and the first player announces which card/cards he is playing while placing them face down. The next player can either ask to view the first player’s cards if they think it’s a bluff or pass or play their move by placing their cards face down, announcing that the cards are of the same rank. If the player that challenges the previous player’s cards finds that the player bluffed, the first player must take their cards back. If the first player rightly announced the cards, the second player must pick all those cards.
Teen Do Paanch
Teen Do Paanch is a trick-taking game popularly played in India. This fun card game has easy game play making it popular amongst children as well. Teen Do Paanch or 3-2-5 is played between three players using 32 cards from 7 to Ace. Each player has to win either 3 or 2 or 5 tricks in a round, depending on the rank of the card pulled randomly. The player who wins more tricks than required can pull out cards from the opponents’ decks if they cannot win the required tricks. The game can be played in multiple rounds as decided by the players. The player that wins more tricks is usually the winner; however, players don’t generally keep a score count when playing the game informally.
The popular trick-taking games variant of the teen do paanch trick-taking game includes the Call Break game, which is played between four players online. You can play call break free practice games or join the cash games to win real money.
Slapjack
The slapjack game comes in the easy three-player card games category. Inspired by Egyptian Ratscrew, the game is absolutely fun for all age groups. Essentially, this card game can be played between two or more players using either one or more decks. Therefore, it is a perfect card game for three players as well.
Any guesses for why it’s called Slapjack? The game involves a slapping mechanic to take ownership of the cards. Firstly, the players are dealt an equal number of face-down cards. They take turns to play their top card face-up at the center. The players must play the cards quickly but also watch out for the Jacks. As soon as a player plays a Jack, all the players slap the card, and the fastest one gets to keep the stack. When a single player collects all the cards, the game ends, and that player becomes the winner.
99 (Ninety-Nine)
Trick-taking card games are challenging yet entertaining for all age groups. One of these card games for three players is the Ninety-Nine game that originated in 1967. The unique feature of having to remove cards to make a bid makes the game quite popular.
Ninety-Nine is quite similar to Spades, where players must bid how many tricks they expect to win. However, the twist in this original game is that the players can make a bid after removing three cards. The game is played for nine deals, and the player with the highest score is declared the winner.
The players make their bids in secret, represented by suits:
♣ = 3 tricks
♥ = 2 tricks
♠ = 1 trick
♦ = 0 tricks
The gameplay is similar to Spades, where the players have to follow suit when possible, and the higher rank cards win the trick. The scoring system of the Ninety-Nine game awards 1 point for each trick won, and bonus points are awarded if a player wins the exact number of tricks as they bid.
Also Read: Top 6 Trick-Taking Card Games Similar to Spades
Skat
Isn’t it fun to form an alliance with a player against the third player? The Skat card game is where you can do that. It is one of the most entertaining card games for three players played with German suited cards or a French deck of 32 cards from 7s to Aces.
When the game begins, each player is dealt 10 cards, and the remaining 2 cards are placed face-down to form the Skat. Then, two players bid against each other, and then another bid takes place between the first bid winner and the dealer. The higher bidder becomes the declarator and can decide whether or not to see the Skat.
The declarator can pick a trump suit from the seven options, including four suits or 4 jacks, no trumps, or open null. The declarator must make higher points than the other players and cover the points bid at the start.
The Skat card game play is a little complex for beginners, but there’s no end to the entertainment once you get the hang of it.
Old Maid
Old Maid is one of the classic games for grown-ups and young children. Also known as Black Peter, the card game is played with only 51 cards and simple rules. Players are dealt all the 51 playing cards at random, and they must make pairs of two cards of the same rank and remove the pairs to be left with only 1 card of any rank.
The dealer plays first, followed by other players, putting down any card face down in front of the player on the left. The player on the left can make a pair with that card and discard the pair. The game continues until there’s just one player left who is the loser.
Golf Card Game
Also called the Crazy Nines, the Golf card game comes in the category of the most fun 3 player card games where luck overshadows skills. The goal is to score the least points after 9 rounds are completed.
Golf has several variations, such as 4-card Golf and 6-card Golf. The 6-card Golf game is played with 2 standard deck of 52 playing cards, and each player is dealt 6 cards. The players must arrange their cards face-down and turn only two cards face-up. In every turn, the players draw and discard cards. to lower their score. The winner of this fun game is the player that has the least points.
Baccarat
Baccarat is one of the casino games that is featured frequently in Hollywood movies. The game is relatively easy as it is based on guessing and uses only 36 cards from a standard deck. In this game, the number of cards dealt isn’t based on the number of players. Only two hands are dealt in the game with two cards for each hand.
The goal is to score the closest number to 9 by either betting on the player or the banker. The game has a few rules that the players must understand to play the game smoothly. Nonetheless, Baccarat seems to be one of the most entertaining three-player card games where you don’t need to strategize much.
The cards in Baccarat are ranked as follows:
2 to 9 are worth face value (in points)
10, J, Q, K = 0 points
A = 1 point
Keep this list handy every time you hang out with your two best buddies who love card games. You can even have fun playing some of these card games (such as Rummy and Call Break) online against real players.
