Switch Card Game

Switch Card Game is an easy card game for two or more players, similar to the commercial game UNO™ or the free card game Crazy Eights.

Age: All ages

No. of Players: 2 or more

Equipment: One deck of standard cards (for 2-5 players) or two decks mixed together (for six or more players)

Time: 10+ minutes

Aim: To be the first player to get rid of all their cards.

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(NOTE: See the Glossary if you are confused about any card game terms. The Glossary will open in a new window.)

1. To begin Switch Card Game, shuffle the deck and deal seven cards to each player. The remainder of the deck is placed face down in the middle of the table. The top card is turned face up next to the pile. If it is a Power Card (see step 3), turn over the next card from the pile until a non-Power Card is revealed. Return any Power Cards to the pile and reshuffle the pile.

2. Players look at their cards. The player to the left of the dealer must try to match the card in the middle of the table, either by rank (number) or suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades). For example, if the card was the eight of hearts (8♥), she could play either another 8 or any heart card from her hand. Play continues in a clockwise direction around the table until a Power Card is played. Any player who cannot play a card to match either the rank or suit must pick up a card from the middle pile and end their turn.

3. The following cards are Power Cards, since they affect the play of Switch Card Game:

Power Card	Effect
2	The next player must pick up two cards from the middle pile unless they put down another 2, where the following player must then pick up four cards, and so on until a player cannot put down a 2.
4	Similar to the 2 Power Card except that players pick up four cards each time.
7	Any other cards held in the player's hand of the same suit as the 7 may be put down at the same time.
8	The next player misses their turn.
Jack	Playing a Jack reverses the direction of the game from clockwise to anticlockwise, and back to clockwise when the next Jack is played.
Ace	Aces are "wild" cards that can be played at any time except after a 2 or 4. The player who puts down an Ace chooses the suit for the following player to match.

4. When a player has only one card remaining in their hand, they must say, "Last card." If another player notices they have only one card and they did not say "Last card", the player must immediately pick up a card from the middle pile.

5. If the middle pile runs out of cards, the top card of the discard pile is left face up while the rest of the pile is shuffled and turned face down.

6. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins Switch Card Game.
NOTE: You cannot play an Ace (Power Card) as your last card. If your last card is an Ace, you must pick up another card and wait until your next turn before playing either card.
Option: Play can continue after the first player wins until every player gets rid of all their cards.

Alternative 1: Players can put down all their cards of the same suit or the same rank during one turn. For example, if the card on the table is 6♣ the player can put down all their sixes or all their clubs (but not both).

Alternative 2: Players can put down a run of the same suit during one turn. For example, if the card on the table is 9♦ the player can put down 10♦, J♦ and Q♦ if those cards were also in their hand. Runs can be ascending or descending. (In the example above, you could also play 8♦ and 7♦ as a descending run).

Using alternative 1 or 2 (or both together in one game) can make Switch Card Game more interesting by speeding up the game. All other rules are the same.

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Link from Switch Card Game to more Card Games

Click on the links below for more Card Games such as ...
More card games for two players	Card games for children of all ages
Crazy Eights Go Fish Hockey Card Game Rummy	Snap Old Maid My Ship Sails Clock Patience (for one player)
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