10 Fast Card Games You Can Play in Under 10 Minutes

Got ten minutes before the bus comes or dinner is ready? These ten card games are built for speed. Most end in a single hand, reward reflexes and nerve more than deep strategy, and work with a standard deck. Perfect for breaks, waiting rooms, or the kitchen table while the pasta boils.

01/10 2 players

♠ Speed

★ Editors' top pick

Speed

2 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

The defining speed card game. Four piles, no turns, whoever empties their hand first wins. Three-minute games.

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02/10 2–6 players

♥ Egyptian Ratscrew

Egyptian Ratscrew

2–6 players Medium Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Flip, slap, collect. A pair or a sandwich means grab the pile. Over before you've finished explaining the rules.

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03/10 2–8 players

♣ Slapjack

Slapjack

2–8 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Flip cards until a Jack shows; first to slap it wins the pile. The simplest reflex game that isn't just card-flipping.

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04/10 2+ players

♦ Snap

Snap

2+ players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Say 'Snap!' on matching ranks. A reflex classic that needs exactly nothing except cards and an opponent.

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05/10 2 players

♠ Spit

Spit

2 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Two solitaires at once, both players racing to empty their hands. One of the fastest and most exhausting card games in existence.

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♣ ♥ ♠ ♦

06/10 2–6 players

♥ Nertz

Nertz

2–6 players Short Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Multi-deck competitive solitaire. Up to six people playing their own game into a shared center. Short, frantic, perfect for four.

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07/10 2–4 players

♣ War

War

2–4 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Flip, compare, bigger card wins. Usually done in under ten minutes once the piles start falling. The first card game you ever played.

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08/10 2–7 players

♦ Thirty-One

Thirty-One

2–7 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

Get your hand as close to 31 as possible in a single suit. One-minute rounds, gentle betting, ideal for waiting rooms.

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09/10 2–4 players

♠ Tonk

Tonk

2–4 players Short Difficulty Easy Age 6+

A rummy-speed-hybrid. Meld fast, drop your hand, score. Jail-yard and break-room classic in equal measure.

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10/10 2+ players

♥ Golf

Golf

2+ players Medium Difficulty Medium Age 8+

Six-card Golf, not the solitaire. Flip cards to get the lowest total in nine rounds. Fits in a lunch break with room to spare.

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