PlayingCards

• Strategy games
  
• Induction games
  
• Gambling games
  

Strategy games

/Bridge

Needs, of course, to be included in any list of strategy card games. 4 players, teams of two.

/Durak

Äó?àê, for those with Cyrillic script handy. Means "Idiot" in English. 2-6 players.

/BlackMaria

Sometimes known as "hearts". 4 players.

/Whist

There's a lot of variants of this. Maybe describe basic rules here and link whistlike games to PlayingCards/Whist? Any number of players.

/Newmarket?

Counting games.

/Skat?

(pronounced Scart)

/Patience

for when you don't have any... (typically 1 player)

/Canasta

Gin Rummy on steroids. Needs at least two decks of cards. 4 players, teams of two.

Gim rummy on steroids, yes.  Needing twin decks, yes.  Four players, no - it is a fine game for 3-5 with two decks, and becomes suitably cutthroat.

/Cheat

Best with several decks. Any number of players.

/EschersStaircase

How to summarise? Play-or-draw aim-to-run-out-of-cards game.

/Rummy

Always good fun.  Make sets or runs of cards.

/Sevens?

Start with the seven of diamonds, work out from there.  Best with around 5 people and two packs.  I have been berated for trying to start a version with around 8 people and three packs.

/Cribbage

Nice light relief for two players.  Build a hand of four cards which scores for things like pairs, fifteens and runs.

/Piquet

Somewhat more strategic game for two players; points scored in hand as well as by taking tricks

/TheOtherBlackJack

Odd little game where the aim is to get rid of your cards while forcing other people to pick them up.  Quick with a moderate level of tactics.

/Crash

For 3 or 4 players. Use 13 cards each to make up to 4 hands of 3 cards.

/DoppelKopf?

For 4 players. Relation of /Bridge and /Whist, with a screwy suit system and using two half packs of cards (or one specially designed pack). Teams of (usually) two, which are (usually) decided by the deal and (usually) discovered in play.

I believe Sally knows this game, and was presumably taught by someone. They may even have been a Wikizen?. If someone sees this who knows someone appropriate, try to get them to fill the rules in, won't you?

Emperor is our official explaining the rules person -- Senji.

Induction games

Eleusis

Guess the secret rule, decided by one player in the role of "God", which determines which cards may be played in the sequence.  Tests rather different skills to most card games.

/Mao

Often compared to MorningtonCrescent, which is a little unfair. It has a habit of taking over cliques for a while. Presently seeing a lot of play amoungst the social arm of the AssassinsGuild. Any number of players.

Gambling games

/Poker

Anyone know the rules for the variant where the players share some of the cards? IIRC, some of the cards are dealt face up on the table, with a round of bidding between each deal. It's the only one I can think of that is a lot of fun if you are not after a gambling game. - MoonShadow

There are several. The most famous is probably Five-card Texas Hold'em, mainly because it's the game played on Channel 4's inspired Late Night Poker. In this game the players are dealt two cards, there are two blinds and then a round of betting. If there are still players after this round three cards (the 'flop')  are dealt face-up. There is another round of betting. The another card is dealt face-up (Can't remember the name of that one). Another round of betting. Finally a fifth face-up card, the 'river' card, another round of betting, and then (provided there are still at least two players in the game) the players reveal their hands. Each player builds the best hand they can from their cards and the five on the table, and the stronger wins as normal.

/BlackJack?

Aka Pontoon, Twentyone, and probably other things also.  Seems to be a gambling game most of the time it's played.  Try to score closer to 21 than the other player, without going over, where A=1 or 11, and J,Q,K=10.