Card games to play as a family, even at a distance

A game of cards is one of the few games that grandparents, parents and kids all agree on. Here are the card games best suited to families and how to play them even when you're not in the same house.

The classics to play around the table

• Scopa: with the 40-card Italian deck, played with two or four. Simple and very quick to learn.
• Briscola: another classic with the 40-card deck, perfect for playing in pairs.
• Sette e mezzo and Mercante in fiera: the holiday games, suitable for little ones and big groups too.
• Burraco: with two French decks and jokers, it's one of the most played card games in Italy. Played with two or in pairs, and every round is different.
• Scala 40: thirteen cards each, runs and sets, and you need 40 points to open. It's the classic two-player challenge, between siblings or between grandad and grandchild. The rules are in Scala 40 rules.

Why Burraco appeals to all ages

You learn it in one game, it makes you think without being hard, and in pairs you play as a team: grandad and grandchild against mum and dad, for example. The rules are explained simply on the Burraco rules page.

When the family is far away

With relatives in another city, or with grandparents who can't travel, the card game can happen online. On FantaCarte:

1. one of you opens a private table on www.fantacarte.it;
2. sends the link or the 4-letter code to the others on WhatsApp;
3. everyone joins from their own phone, tablet or computer, without downloading apps;
4. you play, perhaps on a video call so you can hear and see each other as if at the table.

For those less familiar with it there's a guided game against the computer that explains the moves one at a time. And it's free, no money involved.

Some ideas for the holidays

• A small family tournament in pairs, with the leaderboard written on a sheet of paper.
• A game to 505 points between one course and the next: it doesn't last long.
• A long-distance challenge on Christmas Eve with whoever couldn't make it home.

Read also:
Online games with friends Online card games Burraco for 2 or 4 Scala 40 rules