A fun and easy card game for people of all ages is War. In fact, War was the first card game that I knew, even before Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Old Maid. I would play with my Daddy when I was young. I can even remember sitting on the floor and wondering why we weren’t playing War any longer. My Daddy actually had to tell me that I had won the game.
I then taught my best friend in elementary school the game one night when we went to a camp that her parents owned. While my Daddy fished with her Daddy, she and I played all types of games.
If you do not know how to play War, here is a guide letting you know how to play.
The only things that you need to play War are two people and a standard deck of 52 cards.
First, sit down across from each other. This can be at a table or on the floor. It really doesn’t matter where you are as long as the two of you are close and can easily reach the cards.
Shuffle the deck of cards.
Next, deal 26 cards to each player, making sure the cards are dealt face down.
After this, the game of War can begin.
Each player plays the very top card in the center of the playing area so that the card is facing up. The player that plays the highest value card gets to take both of the cards that are played. The cards that are taken are placed face up under the pile of cards held by each player. When the face up cards are reached, the player knows it is time to shuffle the cards and continue playing. Remember that in War, twos are the lowest value and aces are the highest value.
The game continues just like this. It is possible that a War will never occur in a game and one player will end up with all the cards. Yes, the goal of the game is for one player to end up with all 52 cards. However, it is not likely.
What is more likely to occur is that eventually both players will play a card of the same value. When this happens, a War occurs. The next thing to happen is that each player will play three cards face down. Then a fourth card is played face up. Each card is laid down together on each syllable of the phrase as the players recite, “I declare war.” This phrase is usually said with the syllables spaced out about the same length as the cards are played making declare almost sound like two words.
Once the fourth card is played face up, the player that played the card of high value gets to take all ten cards that are on the table. The game is played until one player has all 52 cards or each player decides they are tired of playing or cannot play due to time limitations.
Variations on the War theme are only playing one card face down and then playing the second card face up. Sometimes, instead of using the face up cards under the face down cards, a pile is simply kept near the player. Then when the cards are used up from their hands, they shuffle the pile of cards and continue playing. Then, for winning, sometimes there may be a set time or a set amount of reshuffles and then the amount of cards each player has in hand and possibly the pile are counted and the player with the high number of cards wins.
Bobby Sansivero, How to Play War, Howcast
Personal Experience
