Rating: 8+

Uno is played by two or more people, and a special Uno deck is required. Deal seven cards to each player and place the remaining cards face down in the center of the table in a “draw” pile. The object of the round is to get rid of all of your cards.

To start the game, turn the first card in the draw pile face up and lay itdown next to the draw pile. The first player must then match the card either by color or by number. For example, if the first card is a blue Nine, you may either discard a blue card or a Nine of any color. You also may use a wild card. If you cannot play anything, you must draw from the pile. If you can play the card you drew, you must play it. If not, the next player takes her turn. When a player has one card left, she must declare “Uno!” If the player does not declare “Uno!” before the next player's turn and the other players catch the mistake, the player must draw two cards.

Special Terms

There are several special terms that are used when you play Uno.

• Wild Card—Wild cards may be played on any card. The person playing the card determines the color of the card.

• Wild Draw 4—The player who plays the card determines the color of the card, and the next player must draw four cards without playing any. However, you may play this card only if you do not have any cards that you can play.

• Draw 2 Card—The next player must draw two cards.

• Reverse—The direction of play is reversed.

• Skip—The next player is skipped.

Scoring

One through Nine count at the face value

Draw 2 counts for 20 points

Reverse counts for 20 points

Skip counts for 20 points

Wild card counts for 50 points

Wild Draw 4 counts for 50 points

And the Winner Is …

There are two ways to determine the winner. One method determines that the first player to reach 500 points wins. When a player goes out, the other players must add up their scores, which are then added together to become the score for the player who has gone out. The other method is for each player to keep his or her own score. When one player reaches 500 points, the game is over, and the player with the lowest score wins.