I may actually like playing cards more than playing board games. That’s saying a lot! I think it is because of the balance of strategy and chance involved. 

I enjoy many of the classics which use a regular deck of playing cards such as Gin Rummy, Spades, and Cribbage. Here is a great cribbage board. Last Summer, my girls and I learned a new (to us) face card game called Kings in the Corner. It is a group variation of Solitaire.

Church friends recently taught us Dutch Blitz. With two decks, it can be played by eight players. It is a game of speed which is very suspenseful. As long as they know the numbers in order from one to ten, younger kids can play as well.

Another fun card game that is played with two teams of two is Rook. It is very similar to spades. There is a trump color chose by the winner of the bid. Using the same deck of cards you can play multiple games, and one of my favorite variations is called Black. In that game, everyone bids on how many tricks they can win and, depending on how many people play, there is a varying number of cards in play.