by Melanie Sanders

Created on: March 23, 2008

Well, hands down, the best two player card game of all time has to be WAR! This game is such a classic and never loses it's ability to initiate extreme competitiveness in both players. It's a great game for people of all ages from young to old and for the young to play with the old!

It's about having fun, having a good time and enjoying spending time with your friend, relative, etc. For these purposes, they will be referred to as your opponent! After all you are defending yourself against them for the time being; friendship goes out the window!

Here's how it works... You have a standard deck of 52 playing cards, whichever brand you prefer. You remove the Jokers and the lovely information cards that come complete in every new pack. Then you shuffle the deck of cards a few times and let the other player "cut" the deck, to avoid any cheating that may have incurred, and deal the entire deck between the two of you. Oh, and the cards should be face down... a very important factor.

Now, as if in the competitive sport of, say poker, you put on your best "my card's gonna beat your card" face. With your deck nicely stacked in front of you, you both quickly flip the first card onto the table directly in between you and your opponent. Sometimes, in rare cases, you may even feel the need to say "1... 2.. 3... FLIP". This is effective to be sure both cards land on the table in the same exact moment, because it makes a difference, of course!

The player with the higher card wins both cards and the game is set to repeat itself over and over and over again until one player has all the cards and the other is left empty handed and defeated. Although, not always the most politically correct or most appropriate behavior, the winning player may have a moment of wide-eyed reflection, a smile from ear-to-ear, and some gloating may ensue over how he or she was dealt the better hand and the lucky winner of the night. Don't worry, the moment will pass...

A variation of this game would be to play for pennies, or nickels, or pretzels, or even jelly beans, per "flip". I only recommend this if you are a serious WAR player and ready to give in to chance... after all, that's what's it's all about it. Not skill or card counting... simply the luck of the draw! Now go out and start a WAR of your own!

Learn more about this author, Melanie Sanders.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.