How to Do Something Your Don Know: How to Play UNO

If you're looking for a fun card game to play with friends, give Uno a try! Each player begins with a hand of 7 Uno cards. To play, match one of your cards with the card that's been dealt. The first player to get rid off all of their cards wins the round. Then all players tally up their scores. The game continues until one person scores 500 points. Once you've gotten the hang of Uno, try variations to switch things up.

EditSteps

EditJumping into the Game

Shuffle the cards and deal 7 cards to each player. Get out a pack of Uno cards and shuffle all 108 cards. Then deal 7 cards to each person who wants to play. Direct the players to keep their cards face down.^[1]
- You can play Uno with 2 to 10 players. Players should be at least 7 years old.
Put the rest of the Uno cards in the center of the table. Keep the cards face down in a stack. These cards will make the draw pile which players will take from throughout the game.^[2]
Turn over the top card from the draw pile to start the game. Place the top card from the draw pile next to the draw pile, but leave it facing up. You'll use this card to start the game and it will become the discard pile.^[3]
Play a card to match the color, number, or symbol on the card. The player to the left of the dealer should lay down a card from their hand if it matches the color, number, word, or symbol on the card that's laying face up in the center of the table. Direct them to put their card on top of the discard pile. The next player then looks for a card from their hand that they can play.^[4]
- For example, if the top card in the discard pile is a red number 8, you could play any red card you have or a card of any color that has an 8 on it.
- The game is usually played going counterclockwise from the dealer.
Draw a card from the draw pile if you can't play a card. If it's your turn and you don't have any cards that match the color, number, or symbol on the top card, take a card from the draw pile to add to your hand. You can play this card immediately if it matches some aspect of the card on the table.^[5]
- If you can't play the card you just drew, the player next to you can take their turn.
Pay attention to action and Wild cards. In addition to basic Uno cards that have numbers on them, there are 3 types of action cards. If you play a Wild card, you choose the color for the next play. If you put down a Draw 2, the player next to you must take 2 cards, and their turn is skipped. If you play Reverse, you change the direction of play, so the person who went before you will then have another turn.^[6]
- A Reverse card has 2 arrows that are going in opposite directions.
- If you get a Skip card, which is a card that has a circle with a slash through it, the player next to you must skip their turn.
Say "Uno" if you only have 1 card left. Keep taking turns until 1 player has just 1 card left in their hand. At that point, the player must say "Uno," or they'll be penalized if another player calls them out.^[7]
- If someone forgets to say "Uno," hand them 2 cards as a penalty. If no one notices that the player didn't say "Uno," there is no penalty.
Play your last card to win the hand. Once you're down to one card (and you've already called "Uno"), wait until the gameplay goes around the table and comes back to you. If you can play your last card before anyone else goes out, you'll be the winner of the round!
- If you can't play your last card, draw another card and continue until someone's hand is empty.
- Try to save a Wild card as your last card, if you have one. That way, you'll know for sure that you'll be able to play it and win the round!
Tally the points in each player's hand at the end of each round. The person who won the round gets points by adding up the cards in the remaining players' hands. Keep track of points for each round and keep playing rounds until a person scores 500 points. That person is the winner of the game. To score a hand, give the winner of the round:^[8]
- 20 points for each Draw 2, Reverse, or Skip card in an opponent's hand
- 50 points for Wild and Wild Draw 4 cards
- The face value for number cards (for example, an 8 card equals 8 points)

EditTrying Simple Variations

Play double cards to make the game end faster. To do a quick moving game of Uno, have every player put down 2 matches instead of 1 if they have them. This means everyone will go through cards quicker.
- For example, if there's a yellow 3 on the table, a player could put down a yellow 7 and a red 3.
- If you don't want the game to end faster, you can have the players draw 2 cards instead of 1 each time they don't have a card to play.
Customize your own Wild cards. If you're playing with a newer deck of Uno cards, you'll probably see 3 customizable Wild cards included. To play with these blank Wild cards, write down your own rules that everyone agrees to. Then you can play them as you would other Wild cards. For example, a customizable rule could be:^[9]
- Everyone must draw 2 cards.
- The next player must sing a song or draw a card.
- Swap 1 card with the player next to you.
Swap hands with another player if you get the Swap Hands card. This is another newer card that Uno now includes in the deck. Play the Wild Swap Hands card like a Wild card, but decide which player you'd like to swap hands with.^[10]
- For example, if you have this card, wait until the game is almost over and swap hands with the player that has the fewest cards.
Play Uno online or on a gaming system. Don't worry if you can't find people to play Uno with you in person! You can easily do an internet search in order to play Uno online. If you prefer, purchase Uno to play on your PC or gaming system, such as a PS4 or Xbox One.^[11]
- You can even personalize the rules to create completely unique Uno games.