The Best Card Games for 3 Players at Home
Nov 7, 2026 · The Editors
The best card games for three players with an ordinary deck: easy games, trick-taking games and rummy games that work with three — and how to adapt four-player favourites.
Three is an awkward number for cards. Most partnership games need four, and most duels need two. But plenty of games work beautifully with three — some were built for it.
Built for three
Three-handed cribbage. Cribbage stretches to three better than almost anything. Each player gets five cards, one card goes to the crib from the deck, and everyone pegs on a three-track board. How to play cribbage.
Hearts with three. Take out the 2 of diamonds and deal 17 each. The passing goes left, right, then no pass. Otherwise just as good as four-player hearts. Hearts rules, including three players.
Rummy. Deal seven cards each and play as normal. Three is one of the best numbers for rummy — enough players for the discard pile to matter, few enough that turns come round quickly. How to play rummy.
Easy games
Crazy Eights. Deal five each. Match the suit or rank, eights are wild. Crazy Eights rules.
Kings in the Corner. Seven cards each, a cross of four piles, Kings in the corners. Relaxed and sociable. Kings in the Corner rules.
President. With three, there is a President, a Citizen and a Scum, and one card changes hands each round. President rules.
War. Take out one card and deal 17 each; three-way ties go to war. War rules.
Poker and casino games
Poker works well with three — five-card draw or Texas hold'em both play fine, with more hands worth playing than at a full table. How to play 5 card draw.
Blackjack works with any number. One player deals and the other two play against the dealer; rotate the deal every few hands. Blackjack at home.
Games for strong players
Cutthroat spades. Spades with no partners — each player bids and scores alone. Deal 17 each and leave the last card out (or give it to the player who bids highest).
Ninety-nine. A trick-taking game designed for three, where you bid by discarding three cards that encode a number. Elegant and unusual.
Gin rummy, winner stays on. Two play a hand while the third keeps score; the loser sits out next. Gin rummy rules.
Making three work
- Give the odd card to the dealer, or take one card out, so hands come out even.
- Rotate the deal every hand so nobody is stuck with the advantage.
- Keep scores — three-player games are best played over many hands.
A three-track cribbage board is the single best purchase for a regular group of three, and card holders save hands during long rummy games.
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