How To - Uno (Card Game)

If we go by the meaning, Uno means 'one' in Spanish. Though a Spanish word, Uno is an American card game which was invented in 1971 by a barbershop owner.

As the name suggests, it is a card game about 'just one card left'. It can be played among a minimum of two people and the maximum number of people can range upto tens or even twenties based on the number of cards.

As stated earlier, a player wins a game as soon as he is able to empty his hand ie. he/she has no card(s) left. The game is played in a circular order where each player has either has to play a card or withdraw a card from the deck. There are some alterations to this basic rule, which we will discuss further.

First of all we will talk about what kinds of cards are there in Uno.

Basically, there are 2 types of cards :

1. Number Cards

2. Action Cards

Each Number as well as some Action Cards are of specific color. These include - Blue, Green, Red and Yellow. The Numbers are from 1 to 9.

A player can only play a Card with the same number or the same color to continue the game. If the player doesn't have either of the required card, he/she has to pick a new/fresh card from the deck. If the newly drawn card is either of same color or the same number, it can be played immediately.

Now, we come to Action Cards. These Cards are - Skip, Reverse, Draw +2, Wild and Wild Draw +4.

The two wild cards are 'color-less' or 'full of colors', meaning that they can be played irrespective of the color.

We will discuss each of the action cards in brief.

As the name suggests, Skip Card is used, when used, forces the next player to skip his/her turn. He/she is neither able to play any card nor can draw a new card from the deck.

Reverse Card is used to reverse the order/direction of the play. If the game is going on in a Clock-wise manner it will switch to Anti-clockwise and vice versa.

Draw +2 Card, when used forces the next player to forcibly draw 2 extra cards from the deck and he/she has to skip his/her turn. This Card is additive in nature. If the next player also plays a Draw +2 Card, then the next to next player has to draw 4 cards! This series of drawing card continues until a player is unable to play anymore Draw +2 Cards and has to pick the Cards from the deck.

Wild Card is used to change the color of the game. For example - The current color of the game is Yellow, a player may choose to play a Wild Card and change the color of the game according to his/her wish.

Wild Draw +4 is the most rare as well as the most powerful card. When a player plays this card, he/she can change the color of the game, but at the same time, the next player has to draw 4 cards from the deck. This card is not additive, meaning the next player can't play another Wild Draw +4 card atop this card.

A game of Uno cannot end with an Action Card, and the player must have a Number Card to win the game. As soon as a player has just one card left with him/her, he/she has to say/scream UNO!

If this is not done, the player can be 'caught' by any of his/her fellow players and he/she might have to draw an extra card from the deck, thus pushing him/her one step away from victory.

UNO is a fun game which can be enjoyed with family members, friends, colleagues, or even complete strangers!

Have Fun enjoying this game.