to think that nobody can play cards these days?

[AraGrand]

I'm talking about Jacks and aces etc. in case some of you don't know!

When I was a kid, usually my Grannies would play cards with us kids, but sometimes we'd play it as a family and some of my happiest memories are of playing cards.

I know of no-one now who plays really - particularly in England anyway.

Did any of you play cards?

The game we loved was a game called 25 - it's tactical as well as down to luck a bit. We'd often go to visit my aunt and uncle for a night of playing cards and we'd be allowed to play - but EATEN ALIVE for not playing for the table.

I'm also a pretty mean poker player.

thenest

Oooh we play yellow car

We did have to introduce a ‘dont punch the driver’ rule

I dont know anyone who doesn’t know how to play. You see all the British families playing on holiday!

I’m English with Irish parents and all my family here and in Ireland play cards. DH is less keen (possibly because we’ve all played for years and it’s harder to learn now).

My mum used to go to “25 drives” - nights where everyone just played 25!

We all play cards in our family. Both my kids like playing. It's a nice way to get them away from screens and hang out as a family. Uno, sevens and go fish are all popular in our house 😀

I think the thousands of members of the SBU and EBU (Scottish and English bridge unions) would be most surprised to hear you say nobody plays cards any more!
I play Bridge several nights a week at the local club, and compete with my team in the county league. Our tutor has just returned from San Francisco, where he and his partner came 17th in the international world rankings. It’s a hugely popular game.

We often have nights playing cards with the family (me, DH, and 3 DC). its great, not a phone or tablet in sight.
When on a caravan holiday we always make sure the cards are packed as we love our evening game of cards before bed lol

In Italy, the men always played at the bars in the evening (like a cafe bar place).
It's just not something you ever really see here in England. Nobody I know can play either!

I learnt to play cards from a very young age (I am in my late 50s now)

At first it was simple stuff like Beggar Thy Neighbour and Snap, then moving on to slightly more complicated games that required decisions like Rummy or Newmarket. The ultimate goal though was to be proficient enough at Whist to be trusted at a Whist Drive.

Whist Drives were a big deal where I grew up. Admittedly it was a rural area so there were probably not many other entertainments to be had! Our village had a Whist Drive every Friday night and there would usually be between 6 and 10 tables (4 to a table) playing. There were prizes - typically 1st and 2nd Ladies and 1st and 2nd Gents and usually a booby prize as well. Most of the surrounding villages had whist drives too and the real enthusiasts would travel to a different one every night. My parents were not that obsessed, once a week was usually enough, but if there was a special one, e.g. Christmas then they might go to another village to take part.

There was also a sort of Charity Championship to raise money for the blind. Every village ran qualifier drives and the winners got to go to the area final where a trophy could be won!!!! I never got to that but I did win a footstool made by the blind which I have to this day.

I have to be reminded of the rules to Shithead nearly every time despite playing fairly regularly.

This doesn't stop me from being good at it because having tiny hands is a great motivator not to lose in that game, amongst others.

I don't think I've seen Old Maid yet. That was a favourite around DGrandparents'.

We love card games. The traditional ones like Queenie, rummy and poker.
We also love exploding kittens and uno

My kids take a pack to school and they play at lunch times

They’ve learnt new games from friends

Me and DP play cards every now and again when telly is crap! We also make sure we take a pack on holiday to play on the balcony or around the pool, Shithead is my go-to!

@Babdoc - In Ireland Bridge is a little elitist, so I've never learned how to play.

@RufusthebewiIderedreindeer

Yes, indeed. I have had to insist Yellow Car Punch is not played in the car. If we get that bored it has to be the rather tame Car Snooker instead.

I always carry a pack of cards in my bag to entertain the kids at strategic moments (and a set of yahtzee dice). We mostly play pontoon, rummy, go fish or speed, plus I've taught them various forms of solitaire. Reading this thread had reminded me of so many more games I remember playing as a kid so I'm going to look some of them up.

We used to play Whist all the time with my grandparents back in the 80s. At school we sometimes played Chase the Ace or Black Jack in break time (often enlivened by cards showing semi-naked blokes!). I played Poker as a student (for pennies rather than high stakes!). I rarely play cards now, mainly from a lack of opponents.

We used to play old maid too - with my paternal grandmother - but I can't remember what the goal was - was it something to do with getting a Queen?

We play cards, the dc play cards with their friends.

We play Mao. It gets very very tense.

Is Old Maid the one where you take one queen out and then pair off cards and whoever is left with the odd queen loses?

If so we called that Scabby Queen.

My young nieces and nephews play cards regularly and one of them taught me to play cribbage last year!
So not all is lost.

Love:

Whist
Contract Whist (larger hand than regular whist and you have to guess how many tricks you'll win - the point is to guess correctly rather than win the most, so you can end up trying to lose some!)

Donkey Up and Down (a chance game of stacking like patience, basically, but all the cards end up with one person, who loses)

Seven of Diamonds Leads (great tactical fun - like Patience, but all of you are competing to get rid of your pile first, and you can tactically block and let run the ones you want to)

Spit (like Patience in laying down order, but live action and v fast)

Bullshit (Cheat for families) - aim is to get rid of all your cards - put down two cards and say 'two twos' - if someone has three twos they can call bullshit. If they're wrong, they pick up, if they're right, the bullshitter picks up. My party trick was to put down 4 instead of 3, with the top three being what I claimed. Then if called out, I'd demonstrate the top three were what I said! You can't cheat at a game called cheat...

Shithead (as above - very complicated)

Shithead, Spit, Bullshit and Poker were all quite popular in sixth form when I was a teen.

DS1(16) regularly plays cards with friends! He then attempts to teach us the game

Old Maid is where you have a pack of cars all of which are pairs apart from the Old Maid.

You discard any pairs in your hand, then hold the rest up for the other player(s) to pick one. If they pick a pair, they can discard both. The aim is not to get left with the single Old Maid which can't be paired.

Not sure if there's a modern deck with less sexist connotations.

I thought cribbage was what they play in Harry Potter!

What's that one about - I've never heard of it.