Easy Two Player Card Games

My wife doesn’t play too many games, to be honest. Some of my good friends are necessary to board or card game players either. So if I’m going to try and get new players to the table, I need to know some easy two-player card games to make that happen. Easy two-player card games come in generally two shapes and sizes – cards games solely made exclusively for two players. Or as an alternative, a card game that can handle more than two players – but really shines with just two. For the purposes of this particular article – I’ll focus on the easy two-player card game for ONLY two players.

A great easy two-player card game will be under 30 minutes, take less than 15 minutes to teach. The rules should take less than 10 minutes to explain. Often the reason these games are “easy” is because the “feel’ like other games people have played.

Jaipur	Fox in the Forest	7 Wonders Duel
Battleline	Star Realms	Jekyll Vs Hyde
Lost Cities	Onitama	Piñata

Jaipur

Jaipur is a great little goto game to pass the time, perhaps while waiting for people to show up for game night, or simply to enjoy over a nice glass of wine. Jaipur offers the player two choices – either you will “sell” your cards for points or you will acquire new cards from the marketplace.

Jaipur starts with a trading row (market) of five cards placed in the middle, players will act on this common market. Each player gets five cards to start a standard game. Players have four options each turn:

• Sell Goods/Cards: Sell goods/cards in your hand for victory points

• Take One Good/Card : Grab any one card from the market. A new card takes it place.

• ​Trade Goods/Cards : Trade 2-5 goods/cards or camels you possess for 2-5 goods/cards from the center

• Take All the Camels: Take all camels in the market. Replace the cards taken with new ones

You’ll only ever be able to hold 7 cards and you can’t simply discard a card, all actions have to be within the context of trading or selling. There are a lot of strategic choices to be made each turn. The camels, for instance, are valuable because you can use them to trade for goods, but they can’t ever be sold for points. They are a nice tool to trade with but exercise caution when picking them up. When you grab these camels, you give yourself trading material, but you will also reveal new cards for your opponent to take advantage of on their next turn.

The game’s fast pace and strategic thinking and trading create a give and take experience trying to set the market up for a lucrative trade that benefits you and not your opponent. This all happens within a concise timeframe, with the winner being winning at least two rounds. Jaipur is a consistent standout as an excellent introductory choice for those new board gaming and is consistently mention for best two player games.

“There’s not many two player I can recommend more than Jaipur for me its a solid 8 out of 10”

Luke Hector – The Broken Meeple

Battle Line

One of my all-time favorite two-player games. Frankly the game doesn’t get enough love! I did an in-depth review here. It is a great blend of hand management, area control, and poker. I know – weird right? This is timeless classic from Reiner Knizia – who spoiler alert, will also be the designer of the next game after this

Check out my Battle Line Game Review Here

In Battle Line the object of the game is to play cards to create formations that are used to capture flags for victory. These 9 flags or ‘strategic objectives are laid out in a row across the middle of the table, with the two opposing generals attempting to win by capturing either 3 adjacent flags or 5 flags in any order. Now I say the game is a bit like poker, because of the 7 card hand you start with, you’ll be laying cards across the Battle Line (see what I did there) – that essentially form mini 3-card poker hands. You’ll have 3 of a kind, 3 Card Straights, 3 Card Flushes, etc.

Battle Line is one of the most fascinating, tactical games I’ve ever played. The beauty of it lies in its simple core mechanics. It is very easy to teach new players. The first opening moves will be easy to get down, but then you start to see what your opponent has been playing and how likely you’ll be able to finish a particular formation or not. You’ll need to adjust based on the cards you see being played, and what you end up drawing, and what pegs have already been controlled.

It’s a great game to play “best two of three.” But it is fun enough you may just keep playing. The game is probably geared more towards teens to adults more than younger kids.

 

Lost Cities

More often than not the game Lost Cities is going to show up on either a “must own” list or a “best two-player game” list. It is also solid proof that a game doesn’t have to be new to be a good two player game. This game is great and plays great at multiple ages.

Lost Cities was designed by award-winner Renier Knizia. If you are new to tabletop games that may not mean much, but trust me, seeing that a game is designed by Knizia means you are getting a quality game.

On your turn, you get to play a card to a color or discard it to a special discard pile of the same color in the center of the board. Then, you get to pick a new card either from a big pile or from the discard pile. The little wrinkle of drawing after you play really makes the game interesting.

Now, here’s the trick: the cards you play in colors need to go in an ascending order (see photo), but they don’t have to be in sequence. You’ll find yourself holding on to cards, hoping to get a perfect chain, at the risk of not having enough time to get all the cards you want to get down. There is another interesting rule, to throw in. Multipliers (Handshake cards) are like 0-value cards. They show you’re investing in a color, but you can’t play them after you’ve played a higher-numbered card. So, if you play a red 4, you can play any other red card higher than 4 later, but no more multipliers, 2s, or 3s. But, the more multipliers you have in a color, they can double and triple your score for that column.

The game keeps going back and forth until all the cards are used up. Then, you score points for your colors. Each card you played is worth points, but watch out for those multipliers. They act like multipliers for both negative and positive points. Colors start with a score of -20, so you need to play at least 20 points of cards to make a profit. Even if you end up with a negative score, the multiplier still applies. And guess what? If you get at least eight cards in a color, you get a bonus of 20 points! One multiplier doubles your points, two triples them, and three quadruples them. Pretty neat, huh?

Fox in the Forest

I’m a sucker for trick takers – Hearts, Pinochle, The Crew and now Fox in The Forest. If you don’t know the nature of a trick taker, in its simpliest form – a card is led of a particular suit/color. Generally everyone must follow the suit and who ever has the highest number of the suit led, “wins” the trick. Now that formula can be morphed into a number of different ways – but that is the broad overview.

Each player gets 13 cards, and there’s a pile of 7 cards waiting to be drawn. The top card from this pile becomes the “Decree Card” (a fancy name for the trump suit), telling everyone which type of cards are extra special for this round.

Now, here’s where the fun starts. One person plays a card, and the other has to follow with the same type if they can. The highest card wins the round, (standard tricking taking) but there’s a twist – if you can’t match, you can play a super cool “trump” (Decree) card to take it down. Now the other key wrinkle, and what make this a great little two player game, is the special power cards that shift the game just enough to always make it interesting. You might get to draw another card, or play a non-trump card as trump, or simply score an extra point. Speaking of scoring, what I also really like is the way the game scores. There are 13 tricks to a hand. If you win less than 4 tricks you score 6 points. If you win 4/5/6 tricks you score 1/2/3 points. Win 7-9 tricks and you score 6 points. Win 10-13 tricks and you are considered “Greedy” and you score ZERO. Trying to position yourself is key. You play several rounds, and if you win just a few tricks, you score points. Win too many, and you might end up with zero points – oops! Oh, and there are special cards with odd numbers that do cool things, like changing the trump card or letting you draw extra cards.

Now, why do people love this game so much? Well, it’s not just fun; it’s interesting! You get to make lots of important choices, like how many tricks you want to win or lose. The odd-numbered cards add a dash of magic, making every round a puzzle to solve.

“I’m going to give this one a seal of excellence and recommend that you go out and pick up a copy”

Ray Zee – Dice Tower

Star Realms

Boy I love Star Realms. My son (9) and I have probably played over 200 games of it. So fast, so easy, so good. It is one of the foundational deck builders out there. I spoke about Star Realms here in detail. For the price point and the fun, there is few that are better – here is brief description.

As I said Star Realms offers an exciting introduction to deck-building card games, making it perfect for those new to the hobby. The game revolves around outer space combat. Players will “build” their deck by “purchasing” cards from a shared market in the center of the board. The cards are spaceships or bases – each with varying abilities. Your goal is to reduce your opponent’s score, known as Authority, to zero for victory. In the game, Trade (currency) is your key resource to acquire powerful Ships and Bases from the Trade Row. But you will need Comabt Value as well as additional Authority which allows you to heal.

There are 4 factions in the game, each that seem to focus on a specific attribute. Interestingly enough, you don’t play as one faction or another – each player will have ships from the same factions. It is generally wise to specialize in or two factions though, as the cards can play off of each other.

Easy to grasp for beginners, Star Realms presents ongoing strategic decisions. With each turn, you decide between acquiring Trade or Combat, attacking Bases or Authority. As you progress, the game’s depth becomes apparent, offering replayability and room for advanced tactics. The games are over in short order making it great to fill time and/or get a lot of games in. There isn’t a lot of tear down or set up involved, and it doesn’t take up a lot of real estate on your site.

Check out this play through to get a sense of just how fast it is:

“The best thing about this game is that it captures the feel of playing Magic the Gathering without the pressure to spend more money”

J Carmichael and S Rodgers – Three Minute Board Games

Onitama

Ok – I know I will get some grief including this one here – It is not a pure card game like the rest here, it is more of a game that uses cards if that makes sense. But if you love Chess you are going to like Onitama. It takes all the strategic thought process of Chess and distills into a concise two-player game that you don’t need to be a grand master to enjoy.

The game is incredibly easy to understand, but it will take you awhile to really wrap your head around it. Like Chess, you’ll be thinking two or three moves ahead. Onitama is a two-player, perfect information abstract game with a random starting set-up. On a 5×5 board, both players start with five pawns on their side. One is the Main Pawn (losing him losses the game) in the middle, and the lesser pawns on his sides. To play, each player has two visible cards that display a possible move for any of the pawns. There is a fifth card, face up between the players that cannot be used by either player currently, but will shift to a players side after their turn. On a player’s turn, she chooses one of her cards, moves one of her pieces according to the chosen card, then swaps the card she used with the fifth card in the middle. The other player then chooses one of his cards, moves accordingly, and exchanges that card with this fifth card — which is, of course, the card the first player just used.

Moving onto one of the opponent’s pawns removes that pawn from the game. Taking the opponent’s main pawn, or moving your main pawn into your opponent’s main pawn’s starting space, wins you the game. Again thoughtful thinking is needed. Remember the card you are using, is the same card your opponent will ultimately be using against you! It is no wonder that this game is a Mensa recommended!

“It gets your brain going like a game of chess, but it only takes 20 minutes and its a lot more fun..”

Jon Purkis – Actualol

7 Wonders Duel

Perhaps the most award winning game listed here. According to Amazon, and I suppose because 7 Wonders Duel would be an excellent Christmas gift, there have been over 7K sold in the last month (as of Dec. 2023). 4.8 Star rating. It is solid, and I mean solid. The game offers multiple ways to play, and because the setup is different each time it never gets stale. It also has some sweet expansion you can explore if you find you enjoyed it. It isn’t a I play a card, you play a card – so let’s see just what it is.

What sets 7 Wonders Duel apart from its namesake the original 7-Wonders is that its exclusive focus on two players. And having played the two player variant of the original 7-Wonders, this is just a way better experience. Unlike the original, here, players aren’t simultaneously drafting cards but strategically choosing from face-down and face-up cards arranged at the round’s beginning. Grabbing a card requires precise timing, with bonus moves offering immediate access to a second card. Each acquired card can be built, traded for coins, or contribute to constructing a wonder. As a player starts collecting cards, you’ll find you’ll need to be nimble and adjust how you think you might win the game, weather it is through science, military, or straight victory points.

Each player starts with four “Wonder’s” cards, with each Wonder’s construction the player will receive a unique ability. However, with only seven wonders available, one player will inevitably fall short. Resources play a pivotal role; you can buy them anytime or earn cards for future building, increasing costs for your opponent. Similar to Onitoma, there is that feeling you may be helping your opponent by picking a card that may allow access to an even better card for your opponent. Victory in 7 Wonders Duel comes through military dominance, scientific achievements, or accumulating the most points if none of the immediate-win conditions occur. This games carries a slight higher difficulty rating as state by BGG (2.25) but don’t let that hold you back – it really is quite good.

“I have been totally blown away by this game. Obviously I had 5 positive points, one neutral, and no negatives because I have really a hard time finding anything wrong”

Jon – JonGetsGames

Jekyll vs Hyde

I believe this is probably the newest game on the list. Probably why I have a hard time winning it! It is a two player trick taker, with some interesting wrinkles thrown it. It’s a great tug of war game that I’m sure is going to stand the test of time and be a mainstay on “Good Two Player Card Game” lists like this one for years to come.

Jekyll vs. Hyde is a trick-taking game for two players based on the famous characters Jekyll and Hyde. (Incidentally, these “two” also show up in Horrified which I talked about here). One player is Dr. Jekyll ; the other is Mr. Hyde. The game plays in three rounds. Each round is played in somewhat traditional trick taking fashion – play a card, highest card of that color takes the trick. There are some twists though that will essentially change what the trump color is. Also, you can almost think of as the game having two trump colors – but one is dominant over the other. Won tricks can trade hands, trump can be reset, and cards traded between players mid round. At the end of each round, Dr. Jekyll’s identity will devolve under Mr. Hyde’s relentless “attacks.” This represented by a track on the board. Mr. Hyde wants the track to move towards him and Dr Jekyll wants the track not to move at all. Compare the number of tricks that each player has won in this round and subtract the lowest score from the highest one (for instance, if Dr. Jekyll won 6 tricks and Mr. Hyde won 4 tricks, then the final result is 6-4=2). This result indicates by how many spaces the Identity Marker will move to Mr. Hyde’s side.

If the marker reaches the last space of the track (far left), then Mr. Hyde instantly wins the game. Otherwise, start a new round: remove the three colored tokens from the board and reshuffle all cards, including the 5 cards that you set aside at the beginning of this round. Mr. Hyde wins as soon as the Identity Marker reaches the last space of the Identity Track (far left). If the marker did not reach the end of the track after three rounds, then Dr. Jekyll wins, escaping from Mr. Hyde’s dark influence. It is great to play both roles of the game, both Jekyll an Hyde because the goals are so vastly different.

“The way the tug of war and the asymmetry works in this game is so good, it makes me want to keep playing this game over and over again…”

Jamey Stegmaier – Stonemaier Games

Piñata

If you fancy yourself as someone who likes to find diamonds in the rough – this game is for you. Piñata is my little game currently flying under the radar. I’ve had several sessions of Piñata with both of my sons – right around when each of them was 7 or 8. It is an easy game to learn and plays quick enough that in particular younger players won’t get board with it.

The play is very straight forward. To begin the game, players place the four numbered piñatas in the center of the table. Players draw candy pieces from the included bag and place the candy on the piñatas according to the number on the piñata (for example, one piece goes on the 1, two pieces on the 2, etc.). Players are dealt a hand of eight cards.

On a player’s turn, he or she must play one card and draw one card. The rules for playing cards are simple:

Players must play cards that match the color of candy on a piñata (so, for example, if a red and a green candy are on the 2 piñata, players must play a red and a green card [or wild cards]). Players must play on their side of a piñata until no more matching cards can be played on their side; then they may play on their opponent’s side of a piñata. There is an advantage to being able to play on your opponents side because you can attempt to set their score opposite of the scoring criteria for that pinata. You see some times you want to sum of the scores to be low and sometime you want it to be high. Who ever matches the criteria the best, wins the candy in the piñata!

Once no more cards can be played on either side of a piñata, the piñata is scored. Each piñata is double-sided and has a red and a purple side. If a piñata is on the red side, the lowest total will win the candy on the piñata. If it is on the purple side, the highest total wins. Once a player claims the candy on the piñata, the piñata is turned over, and new candy is placed on it. If you’ve got enough candies to claim one of the medals – claim your prize!

“If you like card games, and you like 2-player card games, this is one you absolutely have to check out”

Dan King – Game Boy Geek