Tonight
Card Games for 3 Players
Three people is a table, not a problem. You do not need to short a fourth, deal a dummy, or wait. Pick one, print the how-to, keep score on paper.
These sit in the same picker as tonight with 3 players. Complexity and kit are on the card. Open the how-to and deal.
Sit down and pick
| Game | How hard | Kit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutthroat euchre | Medium | 24-card pack (9–A), 5 each, 9-card kitty, first to 10 individually. | How to play |
| 3-hand Five Hundred | Medium | 33 cards (7–A + joker), 10 each, 3-card widow, race to 500. | How to play |
| 3-hand Cribbage | Medium | 5 cards each, crib stays 4, race to 121, three peg colors. | How to play |
| 3-hand Hearts | Easy | Pull the 2♣, 17 each, pass 4, lowest to 100. | How to play |
| Texas Hold'em | Medium | Chips, blinds, dealer button. Three is a real table, not a stub. | How to play |
| Cutthroat Pitch | Medium | One 52, deal 6 each, bid 2–4, High/Low/Jack/Game, first to 11 individually. Not euchre. | How to play |
| Palace | Easy | One 52, three down, three up, rest in hand. Last with cards loses. Not President. | How to play |
| Crazy Eights | Easy | One 52, 5 each, match suit or rank, 8s wild. First out wins. Not Palace. Not President. | How to play |
| 31 | Easy | One 52, three each, three lives (pennies, chips, or hash marks). Make 31 in one suit. Knock. Last with a life wins. Three is the usual table. Not blackjack. Not cribbage. | How to play |
| Rummy 500 | Easy | One 52, 7 each, no partners. Meld sets and runs. Fish the discard. First to 500. Not gin. Not Five Hundred. | How to play |
| Egyptian Rat Screw | Easy | One 52, deal the whole pack, no partners. Slap doubles and sandwiches. Face cards give chances. First to the whole pack wins. Not War. Not Slapjack. | How to play |
| Cheat | Easy | One 52, deal the whole pack, no partners. Claim the next rank face-down. Anyone may call Cheat. First to empty the hand wins. Three is the usual table. Not President. | How to play |
| Tonk | Easy | One 52, five each, no partners. Spread 3+ sets or runs, knock, or tonk on a 50 deal. Win the hand. Three is a real table. Not gin. Not 31. | How to play |
| Oh Hell | Medium | One 52, 7 down to 1, bid exact tricks, dealer cannot make the total equal the hand. Not Spades. Not Bid Whist. | How to play |
| Mao | Easy | One 52, seven each, table hears three sentences, dealer keeps the rest. Not Crazy Eights. | How to play |
| 3-hand Sheepshead | Medium | 32-card pack (7–A), 10 each, 2-card blind, picker vs two, no called partner. Not euchre. Not Skat. | How to play |
| Bid Euchre | Medium | 24-card pack (9–A), 8 each, bid 1–8, Pepper is 8. Same bowers, first to 21. Not partnership euchre. Not Sheepshead. | How to play |
| Nertz | Easy | One 52 each, 13-card Nertz pile, 4 work piles, rest is stock. Shared middle foundations. First to empty the Nertz pile yells Nertz. Three is a real table. Not solitaire. Not Dutch Blitz. | How to play |
| Kings in the Corner | Easy | One 52, 7 each, four cards in a cross around the stock. Kings to empty corners. Build down, alternating color. First to empty the hand wins. Three is a real table. Not solitaire. Not Nertz. | How to play |
| Liverpool | Medium | Two 52s plus 4 jokers, 10 each, seven deals with a required set/run contract, buy the discard. Lowest leftover after deal 7 wins. Three is a real table. Not Rummy 500. Not gin. | How to play |
| Durak | Medium | 36-card pack 6–A, 6 each, trump under the stock. Beat the attack or pick it up. Last with cards is the fool. Three is a real table. Not President. Not War. | How to play |
| Scopa | Easy | 40-card A–7 + faces, 3 each, 4 on the table, capture match or sum, last to take, scopa +1, first to 11. | How to play |
| Briscola | Easy | Same 40-card pack as Scopa, 3 each, trump under the stock, do not follow suit, 3 is high, Ace 11 / 3 is 10, 61 of 120. | How to play |
| Sergeant Major | Easy | One 52, 16 each, 4-card kitty, targets 8/5/3. Three people, no sit-out. Not Oh Hell. Not 3-hand Five Hundred. | How to play |
| Sevens | Easy | One 52, deal the whole pack (18, 17, 17). Play up and down from the 7s. First out wins. Three is a real table. Not Crazy Eights. Not Kings in the Corner. | How to play |
| Ninety-nine | Easy | One 52, 3 each, stock face-down, three lives (pennies, chips, or hash marks). Running total, don’t go over 99. Last with a life wins. Three is a real table. Not 31. Not Crazy Eights. Not Parlett’s Ninety-nine. | How to play |
| Michigan | Easy | One 52, dummy hand face-down (stops), leftover dead with dummy. Pay cards A♥ K♠ Q♦ J♣, 1 penny on each. Play the next of that suit. First out wins. Three is a real table. Not Sevens. Not Michigan Rummy. | How to play |
How to choose
- Already know euchre? Cutthroat. Same pack, no teams, paper with three names.
- Want a longer trick-taker? 3-hand Five Hundred. Shorter pack than four-hand. Race to 500.
- Have a cribbage board with three colors? 3-hand cribbage. Five cards, crib still four.
- Easiest mix? 3-hand Hearts. Pull the 2 of clubs and play to 100.
- Chips already on the table? Hold'em does not change at three. Blinds and a button.
- Want High, Low, Jack, Game — not euchre? Cutthroat Pitch. One 52, deal 6, bid 2–4, first to 11. Everyone for themselves.
- Want a shedding game, not President? Palace. One 52, three down, three up, rest in hand. 2s reset, 10s burn. Last with cards loses.
- Want 8s wild, not Palace stacks? Crazy Eights. One 52, 5 each, match suit or rank. First out wins. Not Palace. Not President.
- Want three cards, a knock, and lives? 31. One 52, three each, make 31 in one suit. Three is the usual table. Not blackjack. Not cribbage.
- Want rummy at three — not gin, not Five Hundred? Rummy 500. One 52, 7 each, meld sets and runs, fish the discard, first to 500. Everyone for themselves.
- Want a slap pile, not War? Egyptian Rat Screw. One 52, deal the whole pack, slap doubles and sandwiches, face-card chances. First to the whole pack wins. Not Slapjack.
- Want a lie-and-call, not a climb? Cheat. One 52, deal the whole pack, claim the next rank face-down. Anyone may call Cheat. First to empty the hand wins. Three is the usual table. Not President.
- Want five-card knock-rummy — not gin, not 31? Tonk. One 52, five each, spread 3+ sets or runs, knock, or tonk on a 50 deal. Win the hand. Three is a real table.
- Want an exact-bid trick-taker — not Spades, not Bid Whist? Oh Hell. One 52, 7 down to 1, bid exact tricks. Dealer cannot make the total equal the hand. Three is a real table.
- Want a hidden-rules shed — not Crazy Eights? Mao. One 52, seven each, table hears three sentences, dealer keeps the rest. Three is a real table.
- Want a 32-card picker vs two — not euchre, not Skat? 3-hand Sheepshead. 10 each, 2-card blind, picker vs the other two. No called partner. Same trump, same 61. Three is a real table.
- Want cutthroat euchre-pack bidding — not partnership euchre, not Sheepshead? Bid Euchre. 8 each from the 24-card pack, bid 1–8, Pepper is 8. Same bowers, first to 21. Three is a real table.
- Want a real-time race — not solitaire, not Dutch Blitz? Nertz. One 52 each, 13-card Nertz pile onto shared aces. First to empty the pile yells Nertz. Three is a real table.
- Want a turn-taking layout — not solitaire, not Nertz? Kings in the Corner. One shared 52, 7 each, four cards in a cross, kings to the corners, build down alternating color. First to empty the hand wins. Three is a real table.
- Want contract rummy — not Rummy 500, not gin? Liverpool. Two 52s plus 4 jokers, 10 each, seven deals, buy the discard. Lowest leftover after deal 7 wins. Three is a real table. Not Canasta. Not Hand and Foot.
- Want attack-and-defend — not President, not War? Durak. 36-card pack 6–A, 6 each, trump under the stock. Beat the attack or pick it up. Last with cards is the fool. Three is a real table. Not Sheepshead. Not euchre.
- Want Italian capture — not Casino, not Briscola? Scopa. 40-card pack A–7 plus faces, 3 each, 4 on the table, capture match or sum. Last to take, scopa +1, first to 11. Three is a real table.
- Want Italian trump — not Scopa, not euchre? Briscola. Same 40-card pack as Scopa, 3 each, trump under the stock. You do not have to follow suit. 3 is high. Ace 11 / 3 is 10. First to 61 of 120. Three is a real table.
- Want 16 each, a kitty, and targets 8/5/3 — not Oh Hell, not 3-hand Five Hundred? Sergeant Major. One 52, 16 each, 4-card kitty. Bid 8 or more. Bidder is 8, left is 5, remaining is 3. Three is this game. No sit-out.
- Want a layout from the 7s — not Crazy Eights, not Kings in the Corner? Sevens. One 52, deal the whole pack (18, 17, 17). Play a 7 or the next rank up or down on that suit. First to empty the hand wins. Three is a real table.
- Want a running total — not 31, not Crazy Eights, not Parlett’s Ninety-nine? Ninety-nine. One 52, 3 each, three lives. Play one card, say the new total, don’t go over 99. Three is a real table.
- Want stops — not Sevens, not Michigan Rummy? Michigan. One 52, dummy hand face-down, play the next of that suit. Pay cards A♥ K♠ Q♦ J♣. Three is a real table.
Frequently asked questions
What card games work with 3 players tonight?
Cutthroat euchre, 3-hand Five Hundred, 3-hand cribbage, 3-hand Hearts, Texas Hold'em, cutthroat Pitch, Palace, Crazy Eights, 31, Rummy 500, Egyptian Rat Screw, Cheat, Tonk, Oh Hell, Mao, 3-hand Sheepshead, Bid Euchre, Nertz, Kings in the Corner, Liverpool, Durak, Scopa, Briscola, Sergeant Major, Sevens, Ninety-nine, and Michigan. All twenty-seven are real tables of three. 31 is the usual three-card table. Rummy 500 is the 3-player rummy table — 7 each, fish the discard, first to 500. Egyptian Rat Screw is the slap table — deal the whole pack, doubles and sandwiches, face-card chances. Cheat is the lie-and-call table — claim the next rank face-down, call Cheat, three is the usual minimum. Tonk is the five-card knock table — spread, knock, or tonk on 50, not gin, not 31. Oh Hell is the exact-bid table — hands 7 down to 1, hit your bid exactly, dealer cannot make the total equal the hand, not Spades. Mao is the hidden-rules shed — table hears three sentences, dealer keeps the rest, not Crazy Eights. Sheepshead is the 32-card picker table — 10 each, 2-card blind, picker vs two, no called partner, not euchre, not Skat. Bid Euchre is the cutthroat euchre-pack bid table — 8 each, bid 1–8, Pepper is 8, not partnership euchre, not Sheepshead. Nertz is the real-time race — one 52 each, empty a 13-card Nertz pile onto shared aces, not solitaire, not Dutch Blitz. Kings in the Corner is the turn-taking layout — one shared 52, 7 each, kings to the corners, build down alternating color, not solitaire, not Nertz. Liverpool is the contract-rummy table — two 52s plus jokers, 10 each, seven deals, buy the discard, not Rummy 500, not gin. Durak is the attack-and-defend table — 36-card pack 6–A, 6 each, trump under the stock, beat the attack or pick it up, last with cards is the fool, not President, not War. Scopa is the Italian capture table — 40-card A–7 plus faces, 3 each, 4 on the table, capture match or sum, last to take, scopa +1, first to 11, not Casino, not Briscola. Briscola is the Italian trump table — same 40-card pack as Scopa, 3 each, trump under the stock, do not follow suit, 3 is high, Ace 11 / 3 is 10, first to 61 of 120, not Scopa, not euchre. Sergeant Major is the 8-5-3 trick table — 16 each, 4-card kitty, bid 8 or more, targets 8/5/3, three is this game, no sit-out, not Oh Hell, not 3-hand Five Hundred. Sevens is the layout-from-the-7s table — deal the whole pack, play up and down from the 7s, first to empty the hand, three is a real table, not Crazy Eights, not Kings in the Corner. Ninety-nine is the running-total table — 3 each, don’t go over 99, three lives, last with a life wins, three is a real table, not 31, not Crazy Eights, not Parlett’s Ninety-nine. Michigan is the stops table — dummy hand, play the next of that suit, pay cards A♥ K♠ Q♦ J♣, first to empty the hand, three is a real table, not Sevens, not Michigan Rummy. Open the how-to and deal.
Do we need a fourth for euchre?
No. Cutthroat euchre is the three-player game: no teams, 5 cards each, 9-card kitty, first to 10 individually.
Is gin a 3-player game?
Not on this list. Gin rummy is a two-player game here — 10 cards, knock at 10, no fishing the pile. Three people who want rummy should deal Rummy 500: 7 each, fish the discard, first to 500. Three people who want contract rummy should deal Liverpool: two 52s plus jokers, seven deals, buy the discard. Three people who want five-card knock-rummy should deal Tonk: five each, spread, knock, or tonk on 50.
What is the easiest 3-player pick?
3-hand Hearts. Pull the 2 of clubs, deal 17, pass 4, lowest to 100. 31 is three cards, 31 in one suit — three is the usual table. Rummy 500 is 7 each, meld on the table, fish the discard, first to 500 — not gin, not Five Hundred. Egyptian Rat Screw is deal the whole pack, slap doubles and sandwiches, face-card chances — not War, not Slapjack. Cheat is deal the whole pack, claim the next rank face-down, call Cheat — three is the usual table, not President. Tonk is five cards, spread, knock, or tonk on 50 — not gin, not 31. If the table already knows trump, cutthroat euchre is the usual Midwest pick. Pitch is High, Low, Jack, Game — not euchre. Palace is three down, three up, rest in hand — not President. Crazy Eights is match suit or rank, 8s wild — not Palace and not President. Mao is hidden-rules shed — table hears three sentences, dealer keeps the rest — not Crazy Eights. Sheepshead is 32 cards, picker vs two — not euchre, not Skat. Bid Euchre is 8 each, bid 1–8, Pepper is 8 — not partnership euchre, not Sheepshead. Nertz is one 52 each, empty a 13-card Nertz pile onto shared aces — not solitaire, not Dutch Blitz. Kings in the Corner is one shared 52, 7 each, kings to the corners, build down alternating color — not solitaire, not Nertz. Liverpool is two 52s plus jokers, 10 each, seven contracts, buy the discard — not Rummy 500, not gin. Durak is 36-card pack 6–A, 6 each, beat the attack or pick it up — last with cards is the fool, not President, not War. Scopa is 40-card A–7 plus faces, 3 each, 4 on the table, capture match or sum, last to take, scopa +1, first to 11 — three is a real table, not Casino, not Briscola. Briscola is the same 40-card pack as Scopa, 3 each, trump under the stock, you do not have to follow suit, 3 is high, first to 61 of 120 — three is a real table, not Scopa, not euchre. Sergeant Major is 16 each, a 4-card kitty, targets 8/5/3 — three is this game, not Oh Hell, not 3-hand Five Hundred. Sevens is deal the whole pack, play from the 7s — three is a real table, not Crazy Eights, not Kings in the Corner. Ninety-nine is 3 each, running total, don’t go over 99 — three is a real table, not 31, not Crazy Eights, not Parlett’s Ninety-nine. Michigan is dummy hand, next of that suit, pay cards A♥ K♠ Q♦ J♣ — three is a real table, not Sevens, not Michigan Rummy. 31 is not blackjack and not cribbage.