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War Card Game Instructions

Posted in: Instructions Standard Deck of Cards, Printer Friendly Free Game Instructions

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Mar 4, 2009 - 12:56:46 AM

Extra Examples and Instructions:

WAR

War is a fun game for kids and adults alike. Even kids at a young age can understand the concepts of this simple game.

Materials

A full deck of 52 cards will be required for 2 – 4 players. It can be fun to use a deck themed to the occasion, such as a baby shower deck. Jokers can also be used, if desired.

Before Play

Players should be seated in a circle at a table for game play. The center area should be clear for playing. The dealer should shuffle the deck. The easiest way to shuffle a printable deck of cards is to place them all face down on the table and in a pile and move them around with the hands. Then, scoop them up into a neat deck, keeping the faces down.

About the Cards

In War, the rank of the cards is as follows: Joker (if used), A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. In other words, the Joker has the highest value. The 2 has the lowest. There are no wild cards in this game.

How to Play

The dealer should distribute the cards evenly among all players. Cards should be dealt clockwise, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Deal until there are no more cards. Everyone should keep their cards in a deck face-down in front of them.

The first player places the top card from his deck in the middle, then the second player, and so on until all players have placed a card in the middle. Each card should be in the middle, directly in front of the person who placed it. Once all players have put down a card, the player with the highest card gathers all the cards and places them face-down underneath his deck.

If two or more players have matching cards, those players will need to have a “war.” To have a war, each player places three cards face-down on top of the matching card and then a fourth, that goes face-up. While placing the cards, the player states these words “ I de-clare” and on the placement of the fourth card, shouts “War!” As in the normal rounds, the player with the highest card gets to gather all the others and place them face-down at the bottom of his own deck. If the cards again match, repeat the war.

The game rounds continue until one person has all of the cards. That person is declared the winner of the war.