20 Best Card Games For 3 People in 2025

Card games are fun, don’t you agree? While they involve applying skills, they also bring convenience as you can play them online or offline whenever the mood strikes. That said, most classic card games are either best for two, four, or other even numbers of players. But what if your group comprises just three players who love card games?

I am here with the perfect list of the best card games for 3 people, which can be better than your everyday board games. But before you even take a sneak peek at the list, let me warn you that these games are highly entertaining and strategy-packed. So, let’s get started!

20 Top 3-Player Card Games You Must Try Today!

Here’s a list of handpicked card games for 3 players to play online or offline.

1. 3 Card Flush

Dealing: One of the top card games for 3 people is 3 Card Flush! Each player receives three cards from a standard 52-card deck. The dealer distributes one card at a time, face down, in a clockwise direction. Once all players have their three cards, the game begins.

How to Play: 3 Card Flush is one of the best 3-player card games with one deck. Players compare their three-card hands based on rankings. Players can bet, fold, or raise based on their hand strength. The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the round.

Scoring: The ranking of hands determines the winner. If two players have the same ranking hand, the one with higher card values wins. In case of a tie, suits may be used to break the tie, depending on game rules.

2. Rummy

How to deal: Each player gets ten cards. The dealer shuffles the deck and deals cards one by one to each player. The remaining cards form the draw pile, and the top card is placed face-up to start the discard pile.

How to play: This is one of the most popular card games for three people, apart from poker games! Here, you take turns where you draw a card from either the draw pile or the discard pile. After that, you must discard one card from your hand. The goal is to form a run, three or more consecutive cards of the same suit or a set. A set is three or more cards of the same rank. The round ends when players form their hands into valid sets and runs.

Scoring: When a player declares Rummy, the other players score points based on the cards left in their hands. Face cards are worth 10 points, aces are worth 1 point, and all other cards are worth their face value. The player who won gets 0 points for that round. This is one of the fun games where your score must be on the low to win.

If you enjoy playing rummy, you must try Gin Rummy on MPL and enjoy exciting gameplay with real cash rewards.

3. Crazy Eights

How To Deal: Shuffle the deck thoroughly. For 3 players, deal seven cards to each player. If there are more than 3 players, each player is dealt five cards.

How to play: Each player is dealt 7 cards in crazy eights. The rest of the deck becomes the draw pile, with the top card turned over to start the discard pile. You must take turns placing a card that matches the rank or suit of the top discard pile card. Eights are wild and can be played anytime. You can also choose the next suit. If you can’t play, draw a card from the pile. The first player to discard all their cards wins.

Scoring: The player who finishes first scores the points of remaining cards in other players’ hands in crazy eights. Number cards score their value, face cards are worth 10 points, and 8s are worth 50 points. The game continues until a target score is reached. The one with the lowest score wins.

Read More: Top Single-Player Card Games to Play

4. Sergent Major

How to deal: Shuffle the deck and deal 13 cards to each player. This is when the game begins.

How to play: You take turns playing one card at a time. This is one of the card games for three people, in which the player with the highest card of the same suit or a trump suit wins the trick. The winner of each round leads the next. The game continues until a player has played all their cards.

Scoring: No points are calculated in this version. The goal is to be the first to finish all your cards. The game can be played in multiple rounds, and the winner is the first to finish each round.

5. Go Fish

How To Deal: Shuffle a 52-card deck and deal 7 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in a draw pile, and players take turns asking for matches.

How to play: You will take turns asking other players for a specific rank of cards. For instance, you will ask player 1, if they have any 7s if you do. The other player must give all the cards of that rank if they have them. If they don’t, they say, “Go Fish,” you must draw a card from the draw pile. Suppose you get the card you asked for, and you get another turn. The goal is to form books. The game continues until all books are formed.

Scoring: There is no specific score per round. The winner is the player with the most books at the end of the game. It is one of the easiest three-player card games, and strategy is the key.

6. James Bond

How To Deal: Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal 12 cards face down to each player in four sets of three. The remaining cards form a draw pile in the center.

How to Play: Players aim to make sets of three matching cards by drawing from the pile or swapping with their own cards. Turns continue rapidly until a player completes all four sets.

Scoring: The first player to organize all their cards into matching sets and call “James Bond!” wins the round. If multiple players finish at the same time, the fastest wins.

7. 31 (Scat)

How to Deal: Each player gets three cards, dealt one at a time, face down. The remaining deck is placed in the center, with the top card flipped to start the discard pile.

How to Play: Players take turns drawing from the deck or discard pile where you try for a hand totaling as close to 31 in a single suit. Players can knock to end the round when confident in their hand. This is one of the simple yet exciting card games for 3 people.

Scoring: The player with the highest total in a single suit wins the round. If a player has 31, they reveal immediately and win instantly.

8. Slapjack

How to deal: This is one of the easy card games for 3 where you shuffle the deck and deal the entire deck of cards to each player. Players keep their cards face down in a stack.

How to play: You take turns flipping over the top card of your deck and placing it face-up in the center discard pile. The goal is to catch a Jack when it’s played. If a Jack is placed on the pile, you must slap it quickly. The first person to slap Jack wins the pile. If you slap when there’s no Jack, you must give up one of your cards as a penalty. The game continues until one player has all the cards or everyone agrees to stop.

Scoring: There’s no formal scoring in Slapjack. The winner is the player who collects all the cards by slapping the Jacks. This game is similar to Egyptian Rat Screw.

9. 99 (Ninety-Nine)

How to deal: The dealer shuffles and deals 12 cards to each player, one at a time. The last card is placed face-up to determine the trump suit for the round. There is no trump suit if the turn-up is a Nine or Joker.

How to play: Before the round starts, each player secretly bids by discarding three cards. The suits of the discarded cards represent the number of tricks you plan to win. Suits represent bids:

♣ = 3 tricks

♥ = 2 tricks

♠ = 1 trick

♦ = 0 tricks

After making your bid, players play one card at a time to try and win tricks. You must follow suit if possible, and the highest card of the leading suit or the trump suit wins. The winner of each trick leads to the next one. The goal is to win exactly the number of tricks you bid, with players revealing their bids if they succeed.

Scoring: You score 1 point for each trick you win. If you win exactly the number of tricks you bid, you reveal your bid cards and score bonus.

10. Skat

How to deal: The dealer shuffles and deals 10 cards to each player, leaving 2 cards to face down in the center as the skat. The player to the left of the dealer begins the auction. The highest bidder becomes the declarer and tries to capture at least 61 card points.

How to play: You bid for the right to play as a declarer. In this game, the declarer aims to win the majority of card points or tricks. The declarer may play with or without the skat, discarding two cards. Players follow suit or play any card, with the highest card winning the trick.

Scoring: The declarer scores based on the card points won, which is 61+ for a win. If successful, they score their game value, if not, the game value is doubled and subtracted from their score.

Also Read: Best Card Games To Play Online

11. Old Maid

How to deal: Deal all cards to the players. Some cards may remain undistributed depending on the number of players.

How to play: You have to take turns in a clockwise direction. On your turn, you pick a card from the player to your left, then try to make a pair with your own cards. If you make a pair like two Jacks, you place it face-up in the center. The game continues until only one player plays and gets the Old Maid card left. If you don’t make a pair, you keep the card and continue your turn by picking another card from someone else.

Scoring: No official scoring. The game ends when someone is left with the Old Maid card.

12. Kings in the Corner

How to Deal: This is one of the easy card games for 3. Here, you shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player. Place the remaining cards in a pile in the center and make sure the top card is flipped over.

How to Play: Players take turns placing cards in a descending order, alternating between red and black suits. The goal is to move all cards onto foundation piles, starting from Kings.

Scoring: You score by getting rid of cards in your hand. Each card you play onto a foundation pile is worth 1 point. The player who gets rid of all their cards first wins the round.

Here’s a complete guide to Kings in the Corner rules and gameplay.

13. Knock Rummy

How to Deal:  In this game, each player gets 10 cards. The rest go in a draw pile. Here, the top card is flipped to start the discard pile.

How to Play: Players take turns drawing a card from the draw or discard pile and discarding one. The goal is to form sets, which include three or four of a kind or runs where three or more are in a row of the same suit.

Scoring: A player can knock when their unmatched cards total 10 points or less. Other players then lay down their sets and runs. The player with the lowest unmatched total wins the round.

14. Golf Card Game

How to deal: Shuffle both decks together and deal 6 cards to each player. You must arrange your cards face-down in front of players, then turn 2 cards face-up.

How to play Golf Card Game: On each turn, a player draws a card from the deck or the discard pile. They can choose to replace one of their face-up cards with the drawn card or discard it. The goal is to replace high-value cards with low-value ones to minimize their score. After 9 rounds, the player with the fewest points from their face-up cards wins.

Scoring: Points are assigned as follows:

• Aces = 1 point
• 2 to 10 = face value
• Jacks, Queens, Kings = 10 points
• Jokers (if included) can be worth 0 or 20 points, depending on the variant.

The player wins if they have the lowest total score after 9 rounds.

15. Piquet

How to Deal: Piquet is a two-player game. Each player gets 12 cards from a 32-card deck, which includes 7 to Ace in each suit. The remaining 8 cards form the talon or the draw pile.

How to play: Players exchange cards from the talon to improve their hands. The game has phases. This includes declaring point, which is the highest suit count. Then comes sequences, which include runs of 3+. Finally, the sets, which include three or four of a kind. Then, players play tricks, trying to win as many as possible.

Scoring: Points come from declarations, winning tricks, and bonuses. The game is typically played to 100 points.

16. Trash

How to deal: Shuffle the deck and deal 10 cards to each player. The cards are placed face-down in a grid of 2 rows of 5 cards each. Players do not look at their cards initially.

How to play: On a player’s turn, they try to flip over a card from their grid in numerical order, starting from Ace. For example, the first card they need to flip is an Ace. If they reveal the correct card, they continue to the next one in order, which is 2, then 3, and so on. If they reveal the wrong card, say a Jack, when they need a 2, they must place it face-down again, and it’s the next player’s turn. The goal is to get all your cards in the correct sequence. Players continue to take turns until one person completes the sequence.

Scoring: There is no official scoring system. The first player to arrange all their cards from Ace to 10 in order wins the round. If you want easy yet interesting 3-player card games, this is it!

17. Palace

How to deal: Shuffle the deck and deal up to three cards face-down to each player. These are kept secret, and 3 face-up cards are placed on top of the face-down ones. The remaining deck is placed in the center as a draw pile.

How to play: The first player plays a card face-up from their hand onto the discard pile in the center. You must play a card of equal or higher rank than the top card on the discard pile. If you can’t do this, you must draw a card from the draw pile.

Scoring: The game ends when a player gets rid of all their cards, and that player wins.

18. Euchre

How to deal: Shuffle the deck and deal 5 cards to each player. The remaining 4 cards form the kitty. The top card of the kitty is turned face-up to determine the trump suit for the round.

How to play: This is one of the card games for 3 people where a player leads with a card, and others must follow suit if they have a card of that suit. If not, they can play any card. Trump cards beat the lead suit, and the lead suit beats other suits. The winner of each trick leads to the next one. If you called the trump suit but failed to win at least 3 tricks, you “get euchred” and score 0 points for that round.

Scoring: The one with the highest score wins. It is based on several tricks. Winning 3 tricks gets you 1 point, and five tricks is 2 points.

19. Snap

How to deal: Shuffle the deck and deal all the cards evenly to each player. Players keep their cards face-down.

How to play: Players take turns placing one card face-up in the center pile. If two cards in a row match in rank, the first player to call Snap! Wins the pile and adds it to their cards. If a player incorrectly calls Snap! When the cards don’t match, they have to give up a card to the other player. The game progresses till no cards are left.

Scoring: This is one of the 3-person card games where there’s no formal scoring. The winner is the player who collects all the cards.

20. Cribbage

How to deal: Each player is dealt 6 cards and chooses 2 cards to discard into the crib.

How to play: After the deal, players take turns playing one card at a time to the central pile and try to create card combinations like pairs, runs, and 15s, which score points. After all cards are played, players count their hands, adding points for card combinations. The dealer also counts the crib.

Scoring:

• 15s, any combination adding up to 15 points, gives you 2 points.
• Pairs give you 2 points.
• Runs’ points based on length.
• Flush gives you 4 points.
• Nobs are the Jack of the same suit as the starter card, which gives you 1 point.

The first player to reach 121 points wins the game.

Learn to Play the One Piece Card Game in Minutes

FAQ’s

What is the best card game for 3 people?

One of the best card games for 3 people is Rummy. It is a classic game that’s easy to learn and involves strategy. Rummy is played worldwide and brings you entertainment and fun.

What are the best fun card games for three people?

Rummy is one of the most popular three-player card games. It’s easy to learn yet challenging and needs skills in arranging melds, discarding wisely, and keeping scores. For a quick game with strategy, rummy is top-notch for groups of three. You also have Gin Rummy, which is a fun card game and can be one of the best card games to play with 3 people.

Is Spades a 3-player card game?

Spades is traditionally designed for four players in partnerships, but it can be adapted for three players with a few rule adjustments. In the 3-player variant, you must compete individually rather than in teams. The deck is adjusted as well. Here, you must remove a card like the 2 of clubs to ensure all players are dealt an equal number of cards. 

Which is the easiest card game for 3 people?

Some of the easiest 3-person card games are Old Maid, Slap Jack, Crazy Eights, Golf, and Go Fish.

What is the trick-taking card game for three people?

A great trick-taking card game for three players is Sergent Major, where players aim to form melds and win tricks strategically.

How to play Gin rummy with 3 people?

In 3-player Gin Rummy, the deal rotates clockwise each round. 10 cards are dealt to each player, and the remaining cards form the stockpile. Players form melds of the same ranks or runs of the same suit. The first person to get rid of all cards by forming melds scores points. This is one of the easy card games for 3!

What are some fun games for 3 people?

You can try games like 3 Card Flush, Rummy, Crazy Eights, or Go Fish. These games are easy, fun, and great for three players, where everyone remains involved and entertained.

What is the old card game for three players?

Skat is an old card game for three. Players aim to win tricks, capture points, and try to be the first to score 61+ points to win.