Introduction - My own experience makes me feel that every child will benefit from playing card games.

It is a healthy experience for a child to play with grown-ups as an equal; and to play with other children without noticing difference in age.

It is good for the child's character to get practice in losing without squawking and in winning without crowing. (Many adults could use some of this practice too!)

1. For Very Young - These games are for children who are too young to think . . . and for grownups who would rather not think! Sometimes it's hard to tell whether the children or the grownups laugh harder!

This is a very hilarious game for children or for adults to play with children. Anybody can learn the game in two or three minutes, and one extra minute makes you an expert!

2. War family - Most games of the War Family call on the players to keep their eyes open and their brains sharp, but they don't require great skill in the play of the cards. The skillful players usually win, but even the youngest player has a very good chance.

SLAPJACK is one of the best fun games that can be played with a deck of cards. It is one of the very first games that my grandfather taught me, and he didn't complain when I won from him regularly.

3. Authors Family - In all of these games tile object is to match cards in pairs or sets of four of a kind. A good memory will help you in some of the games, but you can have a hilarious time even if you can hardly remember your own name!

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: TWO to 5.

THE DEAL: If only 2 play, deal 7 cards to each; if 4 or 5 play, deal 5 cards to each. The rest of the pack is put face down on the table, forming the stock.

OBJECT: TO form more "books" than any other player. A book is 4 of a kind, such as 4 Kings, 4 Queens, etc.

4. Stops - The many games of the Stops family are all good fun, are all easily learned, and are all suitable for mixed groups of children and adults. The simplest game of the family has no Stops at all, but it belongs in the family as a sort of great-grandfather of the other games. This parent form, called Sequence, is excellent for very young children.

5. Solitaire Games - Solitaire games are meant to be played when you are solitary or alone. They will help you pass the time pleasantly when you have to stay in bed or when you want to relax.

(1 deck)
Deal the cards one at a time face up, in a row from left to right. Go slowly so that you can continually compare the last card dealt with its neighbors. Whenever this card matches its immediate neighbor at the left, or the card third to its left, you may move the new card over upon that which it matches.

6. Casino - Games of the Casino family have been children's favorites for hundreds of years. They are especially recommended by many educators, for they teach painlessly the first lessons in arithmetic.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 4. Best for 2.

CARDS: The deck of 52 is used up in 6 deals. In the first deal, non-dealer receives 2 cards face down, then 2 are put face up on the table, then dealer gives himself 2 face down.

7. Rummy - Rummy is the most widely played of all card games. Many different forms of the game are played, but all have a very strong family resemblance. Once you have learned to play the basic game, you can pick up any variant form in a few minutes.

UMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 to 6.

THE DEAL : 10 cards each, when only 2 play; 7 cards each, when 3 or 4 play; 6 cards each, when 5 or 6 play. The rest of the cards are put face down in the middle of the table, forming the stock.

8. Trump Games - A trump suit is one which is given a special privilege: it ranks higher than all the other suits. For example, if spades are trumps, a spade will win any heart, club, or diamond. The device of spades can take the Ace of hearts, although the Ace of hearts can win any lower heart.

In some games, the trump suit is decided by turning up a card from the deck—its suit becomes trumps. In other games, the right to name the trump suit is decided by bidding.

9. Whist - Back in the 1890's the games editor of an English magazine received a letter to this effect:

"My son, aged 9, has seen his elders playing Whist and now wishes to learn the game. Can you recommend to me some simple game I can teach him, which will serve as an introduction to Whist?" The editor replied,"Yes, I can recommend such a game. The game is Whist."

10. Hearts - This is the chief group of nullo games. In all, an object of play is to avoid winning hearts. If you are invited to play "Hearts" with a group that you have never played with before, you had better ask them to state the rules. Otherwise, you may find yourself playing one game while they play another. The name of the basic game, Hearts, is used loosely for all its offspring.

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