2 Player Card Games?

[Narz]

Anyone know any good two player card games? I like Hearts & Oh Hell but they both require at least four players. I know Rummy and Poker but I don't care for either of them (especially as two-player games).

And yeah, I posted this elsewhere, I really am curious to find some new games!

Thanks!

[monolith94]

MAGIC the gathering.

[orange]

Hi-Lo.

[Ming]

Poker... one on one... the truest of all challanges

[Spiffor]

Corsican Battle has a various amount of players, from 2 on.

It is a simple game that requires luck and reflexes. It is played with a 32 cards deck.

Each player has an equal amount of cards to begin with. These players don't look at their cards, they just play the one on top of their deck, without looking what it is. When a player plays a "face" (Ace, King, Queen, and Jack), it is the next player's turn.
The next player has several chances to play another "face". At most, he can play up to 4 cards. At least, the immediately following card must be a "face". If the next player fails to play a "face", the previous player gets all the cards that have been played so far, and puts them in his deck.
The game is finished when someone has all the cards in his deck.

More precisely, an ace gives 4 chances to the next player
A King gives 3 chances
A Queen gives 2 chances
A Jack gives only one chance.

This sounds complicated, but it is extremely simple, really. Here's an example :

Player1 plays a King. It is Player2's turn, he has 3 chances.
Player2 plays a 9. Missed.
Player2 plays a 7. Missed again.
Player2 plays an Ace It is Player1's turn, he has 4 chances.
Player1 plays a 10. Missed.
Player1 plays a Queen. It is Player2's turn, even though Player1 hasn't used all his chances. Player2 has 2 chances.
Player2 plays an 8. Missed.
Player2 plays a 10. Missed again.
Player1 wins all takes all these cards in his deck. He starts the next round.

Now, the real fun of this game comes from a simple but great extra rule : when there are two identical cards, the players have to smash the played cards as fast as possible with their hand. The fastest player gets all these cards (it can hurt your hand if you're not used to it).
This rule can completely turn the tide of the game, and makes an apparent loser win. Better, when more than 2 players are playing, a cardless player can be "resurrected" by smashing quickly.

Example :
Player1 plays a King.
Player2 plays a Queen
Player3 has no cards anymore and his turn is passed
Player1 plays another Queen
All players smash the pile of cards, but Player3 has been the fastest. He has now 3 cards: a King and 2 queens. Not too shabby.

This rule makes people wary at all times, and it gives the dramatic tension that makes this game so enjoyable

[Frogman]

I like UNO as a two player game. There's a lot more strategy to it and you can set your hand to play out with a good many cards.

The classic two player game is cribbage. Get yourself a board and you'll see how easy it is to get addicted. There is definitely a skill to it.

I like a variation of spades. Usually its a four player game. For two, the deal goes like this. Player one draws a card from the top of the deck, they can either keep it or discard it and take the next card. If they keep the first card, they look at the second card and have to discard it. This goes back and forth til the deck is gone. Each player should have 13 cards and there should be 26 cards in the discard pile and each player has seen half of them. Bid how many tricks you'll take. Get 10 for each trick and one for each overtrick. Play to 500. Ten overtricks and you lose 100 points.

Gin is another classic. There is this 3 concurrent game scoring system and its usually played for money.

Spit is a kids game, but its fun to play with them. Its about quick reflexes and playing out your cards.

[Urban Ranger]

You can always play Spades.

[Urban Ranger]

Oh, some board games are great for two players. Awful Green Things and Globle are a riot.

[orange]

Spiffor - sounds like "Egyptian Rat Screw" Have you ever heard it called that?

[Spiffor]

Orange :
I didn't know this name, but I've just checked "Egyptian rat screw" on google, and it corresponds exactly. I highly suggest this game if you're looking for quick fun.
So, this card is called a "Jack" ?

[Skanky Burns]

+1 for UNO.

[Q Classic]

speed, or spit.

[orange]

Spiffor - ok, yes. I concur then - great great game, and lots of fun once you get good. And yes, it goes Ace King Queen Jack 10 etc.

[Frozzy]

Spit

[Jon Miller]

there are a lot of great board games for two players

magic the gathering is for two players

Jon Miller

[Urban Ranger]

No, not M:tG. Nightmares of a blackhole sucking in $.

[DanielXY]

@ this Corsican Battle stuff

I wonder about that identical card thing. I mean the player that plays the identical card knows it beforehand, while the others dont. So... Of course always the player which played that identical card will smash them first. Or did I miss something?

[Spiffor]

DanielXY :
The player doesn't know what card he'll play : the deck is on the table such a way the player only sees the back of his cards. He must play his cards in a way he doesn't see them beforehand. I have become quite good to this game, and I can tell you I have often won piles while smashing another player's card

However, there is a way to know what card will come next, if you are cautious : once you win the pile, you put it at the bottom of your deck. If you have won, say, thanks to two Eights following each other, you perfectl know there will be two consecutive Eights at some point. When you play the first one, you know you'll have to smash right after playing the next card. But the opponenets can have such knowledge too

There is also an additional optional rule to make the game even more fast and furious : the player who wins normally (i.e his opponent has exhausted his chances without playing a face) doesn't have all the time to take the pile. The player following the loser may play a card quickly. If he managed to play the card before the winner takes the pile, the game continues as normal
In 2 players, it never happens, since the player following the loser is the winner, and he doesn't want to risk his pile.

[MikeH]

SNAP!

[DaShi]

Pokemon

[loinburger]

Euchre after I've murdered my opponents.

[Rex Little]

Two suggestions. One is Cribbage. The other is a game whose name I'm not sure of; it can be played by any number from 2 on up. Basically, each player has a deck and plays Solitaire, except that the piles that start with aces are out in the middle and anyone can build on them. Each player has a pile of 13 cards face down, and if one of the columns in front of him is empty, he fills it with a card from the face-down pile. The first player to empty his pile stops the game and gets a bonus for going out. Players get points for cards played on the ace piles, and lose points for cards left in their face-down piles.

[Ben Kenobi]

Crib By far the best 2 player card game.

If you can remember the finish is 121 points, then you don't even need the board, just a deck and a piece of paper to keep track of the score.

[Frogman]

I think cribbage needs a board. Points are scored in ones and twos a lot of time, there is a reason people play on boards. Its just not as fun on paper.

[Zero]

war. The most simplest game ever.

(Shuffle. split deck in half. Shuffle again. Draw card from top. Highest card wins. Winner collects the pile and shuffles piles back into playing hands when they run out)