Card Games to Take on the Road

Let’s face it, we can only spend so much time streaming movies and television shows on the road. Take a break from the screen and break out the card games to have fun and pass the time at campsites. Cards are perfect for singles, couples, families, and friends wanting to socialize at RV resorts. Here are a few games that RVers can learn and enjoy on the road. 

Cribbage 

If you can count to fifteen, cribbage is a great game to play. It’s addicting and is perfect for two people or tournaments. The pace of cribbage is nice and engaging without being overly complicated. A typical game plays through in a half hour or so, making it nice for small tournaments. You will need a cribbage board with pegs, but these are abundant and travel packages are easy to find as well. Travel boards break in half and take up extraordinarily little space. 

Go Fish 

It’s easy and fun for everyone. Go fish is perfect for families and anytime kids are present because the rules are quite simple. A guessing game that is simple to follow along, Go Fish is one of the first card games many kids will play in their life. The easy-to-follow format and low-key approach makes it a winner around the campfire.  

Solitaire 

Playing solo? While you can play solitaire on your phone or a computer, good old-fashioned cards are fun too. There are several forms of the game, but basic solitaire is fine for most folks. It takes a few times to learn the dealing technique but after you have that down, the rules are super easy and it’s fun to crack the code and work through a game. 

Gin Rummy 

Aces are worth 1 and face cards 10. You know everything in between. The goal is to form groupings of the same number or consecutive numbers in a matching suit. You can knock to end a round when 10 points or fewer in dead cards are in your hand. You get bonus points for hitting gin (10 matching cards) and big gin (11 matches). The game is a blast and takes strategy to figure out and win. 

War 

It’s war! Great for couples and even better for groups, war is easy, exciting, and competitive. It’s the perfect game for a little fun and action. The deck is split evenly, then each player turns over a single card at the same time followed by one face down, repeating until they turn over the same card. 

Then its war. Each player continues turning one up and one down, the higher card taking both piles. The goal is to win all the cards from the other player.  

Blackjack and Poker 

These are a bit tricky because they are gambling style games. Without anything at stake, players are more likely to bluff and play loose hands. You can of course put money on the table and get serious as well. Single deck blackjack is always fun even with fake money or small bets. 

Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments are a fantastic way to enjoy more competitive play with friends. You can go all out with a portable table and chips, but it is not the most practical use of space for RVers unless you are serious and regular poker players. Improvising and playing with coins around a regular picnic table or kitchen table is fine for casual players.  

Uno 

This one requires a specific deck of cards, but they are well worth keeping on hand. Uno has 112 color coded cards with draw cards, skip cards and other instructional cards that help simplify and move the game along. The goal is to discard your way to a single card at which point, you say “Uno,” but the real winner is the first to reach 500 points.