Halloween night needs games with a little menace in them: a cursed card nobody wants to hold, a liar at the table, a pile you have to slap before anyone else. These ten work with an ordinary deck, suit trick-or-treaters and grown-ups alike, and two of them are solitaires for when the doorbell finally stops ringing.
One queen goes missing, and her unpaired sister becomes the cursed card that passes from hand to hand. Whoever holds her at the end loses. Perfect for little trick-or-treaters.
Play cards face down, name a rank and lie as boldly as you dare. Call 'Cheat!' on a liar and they take the pile; accuse an honest player and it is yours.
Slapjack's wilder older sibling: slap doubles, sandwiches and matching top and bottom cards, and fight face-card challenges to win the pile. Expect shrieks.
A British Hearts game where the Queen of Spades is Black Maria, worth 13 penalty points on her own. Her King and Ace bite too, so every spade lead feels like opening a creaky door.
A Crazy Eights cousin whose rules may never be spoken aloud. Newcomers learn by penalty card alone, which makes it the most mysterious game at any Halloween party.
Lay the whole deck face down in a grid and hunt for pairs. Turn the lights low and it becomes a haunted memory game; children routinely beat their parents.
The Australian name for Black Lady, where the Queen of Spades, 'Rickety Kate', costs 13 points. Simpler than Black Maria and a gentle way into Hearts-style games.
A two-deck solitaire with a name to match the night: build three rows climbing in steps of three on a 3x8 grid. Hard, absorbing, and best played alone after midnight.
David Parlett's solitaire deals every card face up and asks you to sweep them all into one 'black hole' pile, one rank up or down at a time. Easy to start, fiendish to finish.
Deal the first three for a mixed crowd of kids and adults, save Black Maria and Rickety Kate for the grown-up table after the sweets run out, and keep Devil's Grip or Black Hole for a quiet hour alone once the last costume has gone home.
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Old Maid, Slapjack and Concentration are the best picks for children. All three use a standard deck, take a minute to explain and suit ages four and up.
Which Halloween card games work for a party of adults?
Cheat and Mao bring the bluffing and confusion a party needs, while Black Maria and Rickety Kate are tense trick-taking games for three to six players.
Do I need a special deck for these games?
No. Nine of the ten use one ordinary 52-card deck (Old Maid simply removes one queen). Only Devil's Grip needs two decks.
Are there Halloween card games I can play alone?
Yes. Devil's Grip and Black Hole are both solitaires, so you can play them on your own once the trick-or-treaters have gone.
