Card Games for Beginners

The first card game that many children learn to play is basic rummy. The rules are simple and the game can be played with two to six players. If there are only two players ten cards are dealt per hand. Three to four players receive seven cards per hand and five or six players receive six cards per hand.

The first dealer is chosen at random but thereafter the role of dealer rotates clockwise. After the hands are dealt the dealer puts the rest of the cards in a stack face down on the playing surface. The top card is taken from the deck and placed face up next to the stack of cards to start a discard pile. The players consult their hand to see if they have any melds consisting of either a sequence of three or more cards in a suit or three or four cards of a kind. Play starts clockwise from the dealer. A player chooses to select a card from the deck or the discard pile then displays any melds they may have. Next they discard one card. The object of the game is to end up with no cards in your hand.

If your children are getting quite proficient at rummy another game you might introduce to them is Hand 'n Foot. A Texas couple have Hand 'n Foot card sets for sale at online at their website handnfootgame.com. The Millers' card sets have printed cards for all the characters in the game and uniform rules. Hand 'n Foot has eleven cards in a hand and eleven cards in a foot. The hand is played first but play is based on what you believe may be in the foot. The game is similar to rummy so children familiar with rummy can pick up the rules to Hand 'n Foot quickly.