Crazy Eights is the best card game for three people. It uses a standard 52-card deck, takes only a few minutes to learn, and gives each player frequent turns.
For more strategy, choose Rummy. For children and family play, Go Fish and Old Maid are easy to teach.
Best 3-Player Card Games at a Glance
| Card Game | Best For | Deck or Equipment | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crazy Eights | Fast, simple games | Standard 52-card deck | Easy |
| Rummy | Strategy and longer games | Standard 52-card deck | Medium |
| Go Fish | Children and families | Standard 52-card deck | Very easy |
| Six-Card Golf | Quiet, tactical play | Standard 52-card deck | Easy |
| Hearts | Trick-taking strategy | Standard deck, with one card removed | Medium |
| Spoons | Fast, chaotic games | Deck and 2 spoons | Easy |
| Old Maid | Young children | Standard deck with one queen removed | Very easy |
| Palace | Competitive shedding games | Two standard decks | Medium |
1. Crazy Eights
Crazy Eights is the best all-purpose choice for three players. Deal five cards to each player. On a turn, play a card that matches the top discard by suit or rank. An eight can be played as a wild card. The first player to get rid of every card wins.
Crazy Eights suits three players because everyone gets regular turns and a round moves quickly. The basic rules are also easy for children to learn. You can add house rules for cards such as twos, queens or aces.
2. Rummy
Rummy is the best choice when you want more strategy. Deal seven cards to each player. Players draw and discard cards while trying to form sets, such as three sevens, or sequences, such as the 4, 5 and 6 of hearts. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the hand.
Rummy gives three players enough information to track the discard pile and remember which cards opponents take. You also have to decide when to reveal your own melds.
3. Go Fish
Go Fish is a good choice for families and younger players. Deal seven cards to each player. On a turn, ask another player for a rank you already hold, such as sixes or queens. If that player has those cards, they must give them to you. Otherwise, they say "Go Fish," and you draw from the stock. The aim is to collect four-of-a-kind sets.
Go Fish uses memory and simple choices without complicated scoring, making it easy to teach.
4. Six-Card Golf
Six-Card Golf is a good option for quiet play and hidden information. Deal six face-down cards to each player and turn two cards face up. Players draw from the stock or discard pile and swap cards into their layout. The goal is to finish with the lowest score over several rounds.
The scoring is different from most card games:
- Aces are worth 1 point.
- Twos are worth minus 2 points.
- Kings are worth 0 points.
- Matching cards in the same column can score 0 points.
5. Hearts
Hearts works with three players if you remove the 2 of diamonds. Deal 17 cards to each player, with the 3 of clubs as the opening lead. Players must follow suit when possible and try to avoid taking hearts or the queen of spades, since those cards give penalty points. The player with the lowest score wins.
Hearts is a good fit for groups that enjoy trick-taking games and longer-term decisions.
6. Spoons
Spoons is the best choice for a fast and noisy game. Use a standard deck and place two spoons in the middle. Deal four cards to each player. Everyone passes one card at a time while trying to collect four cards of the same rank. When someone takes a spoon, everyone else races to take one. The player left without a spoon receives a letter in "S-P-O-O-N."
Spoons depends more on speed and reactions than careful planning, so it suits parties and energetic groups.
7. Old Maid
Old Maid is one of the easiest three-player card games to teach. Remove one queen from a standard deck, leaving one unmatched queen. Deal out all the cards, remove matching pairs, and take turns drawing one card from another player's hand. The player left holding the unmatched queen loses.
Young children only need to recognise matching pairs, which makes Old Maid easy to learn.
8. Palace
Palace is a good choice if everyone enjoys trying to empty their hand. For three to five players, use two standard decks. Each player receives face-down cards, face-up cards and a hand of cards. Players take turns placing cards of equal or higher value on the discard pile. Special cards, including the 2 and 10, change the play. The first person to play all their cards wins.
Palace takes longer to explain than Crazy Eights, but it gives players more tactical decisions.
Which Game Should You Choose?
Choose based on the type of game your group wants:
- Fastest game: Crazy Eights
- Most strategic: Rummy
- Best for children: Go Fish or Old Maid
- Best quiet game: Six-Card Golf
- Best trick-taking game: Hearts
- Most energetic: Spoons
- Best competitive shedding game: Palace
If you have one standard deck and want to start immediately, choose Crazy Eights. Deal five cards to each player, place the remaining deck face down, turn over one starter card, and match the top card by suit or rank.