In our increasingly digital world, buzzing with the sound of the latest console games, with kids glued to candy crush and adults addicted to GTA, many have forgotten the fun of good old-fashioned card games. They work without batteries, in the middle of a power cut or when the wifi is down. They're cheap to buy, quick to learn and easy to transport. Play on your own or with the whole family, there are games for all ages. Here are my favourite three two-player games
Crazy Eights
The aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards.
Each player is dealt eight cards, the rest are piled up face-down in the middle of the game space. The dealer takes the first card from the top of the pile, turns it over and starts a "discard" pile. The second player can then discard one of their hand that matches this card in number or in suit. For example if the dealer lays the four of clubs, player two can lose and four or any club card. Players take it in turn until someone has no cards left.
The player with cards remaining must total up a negative score according to the cards they have remaining.
-50 for eight
-10 for picture cards
- face value for all other cards (Ace counts as 1)
The loser is the first to reach 88 points.
James Bond
The cards are dealt into face-down piles of 4 cards in front of the players: 6 piles for each person.The last four cards are placed face up in a row between the players.
Play begins when someone shouts "Bond", and is simultaneous; players don't take turns. The aim of the game is to have four distinct piles that consist of equal value cards (eg. four fours, four fives, four kings etc)
In order to attain this you must swap one card at a time from each pile with the four face-up cards in the middle.
For example, if the four upturned cards were K 3 5 9, and Player 1 had a pile including K K K 7 they would swap the 7 for the middle K with the aim of completing their set.
However, play is fast and furious becuase players are inevitably competing for the same cards, and want to prevent their opponents from completing their sets.
When a player has four completed sets they must shout "James Bond" before being declared the winner.
Pontoon (aka Blackjack, 21)
One person is the dealer/banker and deals two cards for both himself and the other player. The aim of the game is to accumulate a cards totalling 21 points (but without exceeding this value!)
Cards are worth their face value, with picture cards counting for 10 and Ace either 1 or 11 (player's choice).
Player should consider their two-card hand and decide whether to leave it as is (stick) or add another card (twist) until they deem the hand strong enough to challenge the dealer's, or they go over 21 points (bust).
The dealer must then take their turn. Dealers must twist until they achieve a minimum of 17, after which point they must stick. The winner is the player with the total closest to 21, or a natural blackjack (picture card and ace) in the case of a tie.
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