UNO

LET'S PLAY

UNO—the game that never dies. It shows up at family game nights, vacations, dorm rooms, youth hostels, and even Antarctic research stations. You can’t escape it, so you might as well learn how to play it right. Whether you’re following the official rules or have your own house rules, let's break down everything you need to know to master this classic card game.

Object

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards and win.

Less commonly, but if you want to, you can play for the highest score over multiple rounds. In that case, the first player to go out earns points based on the cards left in their opponents’ hands.

What You Need

2 to 10 players, but 4 or more is recommended for the best experience.

UNO Deck – Contains 108 cards, including:

Numbered Cards (0–9) in red, blue, green, and yellow
Action Cards: Skip, Reverse, Draw Two (two per color)
Wild Cards: Wild, Wild Draw Four (4 of each)

Set Up

Shuffle the deck and deal 7 cards to each player.
Place the remaining deck face down to form the Draw Pile.
Flip the top card from the Draw Pile to start the Discard Pile.
If the first card is an Action Card, follow its effect (except Wild Draw Four—shuffle it back into the deck).
The player to the left of the dealer starts.

Game Play

Turn Actions

Match the top card of the Discard Pile by color, number, or symbol.
If no match, draw one card from the Draw Pile.

If playable, play it immediately.

If not, keep it and end your turn.

🚨 House Rule Alert 🚨

Many people play with unlimited drawing until they get a playable card. That’s not official, but if you like chaos, go for it.

A better house rule: Set a draw cap of 4 cards (or less) max per turn.

How to Play in Under 3 Minutes

Action Cards

Skip

The next player loses their turn.

Reverse

Changes direction of play.

Wild

The player chooses any color to continue play.

Wild Draw Four

The player chooses a color, and the next player draws 4 cards & loses their turn. Must be played only if you have no other playable cards.

Draw Two

The next player draws 2 cards and loses their turn.

Calling “UNO!”

When you have one card left, you must say “UNO” before the next player takes their turn.

If another player catches you before you say it, you draw 2 cards as a penalty.

If you have to draw a card but then can play it as your last card, you must still say “UNO” before placing it down.

Winning & Scoring

A round ends when a player plays their last card.

The Other Way to Win (By Points)

Like math? Here's a way to turn this party game into a tedious accounting appointment. Opponents must add up the points of their remaining cards and give the sum of all of these to the player who went out:

Number Cards: Face value (0-9)
Skip, Reverse, Draw Two: 20 points each
Wild & Wild Draw Four: 50 points each
The first player to 500 points wins.

So much fun!

Alternative Gameplay

Two-Player Rules

Reverse acts as a Skip (since there are only two players).
Play a Skip, then play another card immediately.
Draw Two & Wild Draw Four: The opponent draws cards but you immediately play another card.

Four-Player (Team) Rules

Players sit opposite their partner.
Play continues until one player in a team goes out.
Score is combined from the losing team’s hands.

House Rule Ideas

Want to spice up your UNO game? Try these fun house rules:

Stacking Draw Cards – If a player gets hit with a Draw Two, they can play another Draw Two to pass it down. Same with Draw Four cards. (Not official, but wildly fun.)
Jump-In Rule – If you have the exact same card as the one in play, you can immediately play it, even out of turn.
7-0 Rule – Playing a 7 lets you swap hands with any player. Playing a 0 makes everyone pass their hand in the current direction of play.
Punishment UNO – Each Wild card played requires a player to do a challenge (push-ups, sing a song, dance).
UNO Speed Mode – No thinking! If you take longer than 5 seconds on your turn, you draw a card.

A more "modern" style, but why?

Final Thoughts

UNO is easy to learn, chaotic to play, and impossible to escape. Whether you stick to the official rules or make up your own, the key is to agree on the rules before you start—otherwise, prepare for shouting matches over stacking cards. Play smart, call out “UNO!” at the right time, and don’t be the one drawing half the deck just to stay in the game.