The objective of matching games is to have no cards left in your hand. This is achieved by discarding cards into an ever-expanding discard pile or in a particular layout. This is what sets matching games apart from other types of games because once something is discarded it is never taken back up into a hand.
To discard cards, you usually must match with the previously discarded card in some way, whether it be by rank, suit, or any other rule-based match. If a player is unable to do this, they are usually punished by drawing some number of cards from a draw pile, whether it’s one or more depends on the rules of the game.
Discussed below are the three most popular types of matching games. These include the Stops type, the Eights type, and the Layout type.
- The Stops types: these types of matching games require that cards be played in a single ascending order into the discard pile. They are discarded usually by suit.
Examples include:
- Snip, Snap, Snorem
- The Eights type: These games are also played into a single discard pile, but these games allow for cards to be matched by rank or suit.
Examples include:
- Crazy eights
- Spoons
- The Layout type: These games usually have a setup of some kind of layout of piles or single cards on the table. Players may then discard onto or move cards from the layout within the confines of the rules of the game they are playing.
Examples include: