LivSolv Screen-Free Family Game Guide

BS / Bluff / I Doubt It

Players: 3+

1. Deal all cards as evenly as possible.
2. Players take turns placing one or more cards face down while announcing the rank they claim to be playing. Agree on the rank sequence before you start.
3. A player may tell the truth or bluff.
4. Before the next turn, anyone can challenge by calling “BS.” Reveal the cards just played.
5. If the player lied, that player picks up the discard pile. If the player told the truth, the challenger picks it up.
6. First person to get rid of all cards wins.

LivSolv family favorite: keep it fast. The fun is in reading each other.

21 / Blackjack at Home

Players: 2+

1. Choose one person to deal. Give each player two cards.
2. Number cards count as their number. Face cards count as 10. An ace can count as 1 or 11.
3. Players may take another card (“hit”) or stop (“stand”).
4. The goal is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over.
5. For a family version, skip betting. Play for points, candy, chores or bragging rights.

Crazy Eights

Players: 2-6

1. Deal five cards to each player, or seven with two players.
2. Put the remaining deck face down and turn one card face up.
3. On your turn, play a card matching the suit or rank of the top discard.
4. An 8 is wild. Play it and choose the suit that continues.
5. If you cannot play, draw a card. Agree beforehand whether you draw once or until you can play.
6. First player with no cards left wins.

Spoons

Players: 3+

1. Place one fewer spoon in the center than the number of players.
2. Deal four cards to each player. One player draws from the deck, keeps or passes a card, and the cards keep moving around the circle.
3. Everyone is trying to collect four cards of the same rank.
4. Once a player gets four of a kind, they quietly grab a spoon.
5. As soon as one spoon is taken, everyone else can grab. The person left without a spoon loses that round.

Use plastic spoons and clear breakables off the table first.

Go Fish

Players: 2-6

1. Deal five cards to each player, or seven with two players.
2. On your turn, ask one specific player for a rank you already hold.
3. If they have any, they give you all cards of that rank. If not, they say “Go fish,” and you draw from the deck.
4. Whenever you collect all four cards of a rank, place that set face up.
5. When no cards remain, the player with the most completed sets wins.

Simple Rummy

Players: 2-4

1. Deal 7-10 cards each. Put the rest face down with one discard card face up.
2. On each turn, draw one card, then discard one card.
3. Build sets of the same rank or runs of consecutive cards in the same suit.
4. Agree before starting how many cards are needed in a set or run. Three is an easy family rule.
5. The first player to organize all cards into valid sets/runs and discard their final extra card wins.