Card Games for Couples: 10 Two-Player Games (Classic to Spicy)

One deck of cards is the cheapest date night there is. These ten games are built for two players, with rules short enough to learn at the table. The first six are classics. The last four turn them into something flirtier, for adults only.

Classic card games for two

1. War. Split the deck in half, face down. You both flip your top card, and the higher card takes both. If the cards tie, it's "war": each of you puts three cards face down and one face up, and the higher face-up card takes the whole pile. Whoever ends up with all the cards wins. Pure luck, so nobody sulks.

2. Speed. Each of you gets a hand of five cards and a draw pile. Two cards go face up in the middle. At the same time, you both race to play cards one higher or one lower than either center card (suits don't matter), refilling your hand as you go. The first to run out of cards wins. Loud, fast and very competitive.

3. Gin rummy. Deal ten cards each. Take turns drawing a card and discarding one, trying to form sets (three or four of a kind) and runs (three or more in a row, same suit). When the cards you can't use add up to ten points or less, you can knock and end the hand. The classic slow-burn game for two.

4. Crazy eights. Deal five cards each and flip one to start the pile. Play a card that matches the top card's suit or rank. Eights are wild and let you name the next suit. If you can't play, draw. The first to empty their hand wins.

5. Higher or lower. Flip a card. Your partner calls whether the next one will be higher or lower. Keep going until they're wrong, then swap. The longest streak wins the round.

6. Memory (concentration). Lay the whole deck face down in a grid. Take turns flipping two cards. A matching pair is yours, and you go again. It's more competitive than it sounds, especially after a glass of wine.

Flirty versions (adults only)

Agree on what's in and out before you start. A private yes/no list works well: you each write down what you're up for, and only the overlaps go in the game.

7. Strip war. Play War. Whoever loses a "war" (the tie-breaker round) loses an item of clothing. Slow and suspenseful.

8. Forfeit rummy. Play gin rummy. Whoever loses a hand draws a forfeit from a small pile of dares you wrote together before the game.

9. Higher or lower with dares. A wrong call costs a dare, chosen by the winner from your shared list. Three right calls in a row and you pick the next dare for your partner.

10. Make your own dare deck. Write 30 dares on index cards: ten mild, ten spicy, ten hot. Shuffle each pile separately. Draw from the mild pile first, and move up a pile only when you both want to.

Or let the phone deal

If you'd rather not write your own deck, TwoNite has card minigames built in. Card War and Higher or Lower are two of its four minigames, and the loser takes the dare. You each pick your limits in private on one phone first, so every dare in the game is one you both said yes to, from Mild to Extreme. The first scenario is free and plays in your browser. It's on the App Store and Google Play.

FAQ

Q: What card games can couples play with one deck?

A: War, Speed, gin rummy, crazy eights, higher or lower and memory all work for two players with a single standard deck.

Q: What's the best card game for couples who like strategy?

A: Gin rummy. It's a two-player classic with real decisions on every turn, and a hand takes just a few minutes.

Q: How do you make a card game spicy?

A: Add stakes. The loser of each hand draws a forfeit from a dare pile you wrote together, or loses an item of clothing. Agree on the options before you start, so every forfeit is something you'd both enjoy.

Related: Games to play with your boyfriend or girlfriend · Sex games for couples · Dares for couples