Uno rules

Be the first player to get rid of every card in your hand. On your turn you play one card that matches the top of the discard pile by color, number or symbol. Action cards skip players, reverse the direction of play or force someone to draw, and Wild cards let you change the color.

Players

2 to 6

Deck

108 cards

Starting hand

7 cards each

To win

Empty your hand first

The deck has four colors (red, yellow, green and blue) with 25 cards in each, plus 8 black Wild cards.

• Red
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Wild (black)

Action cards follow the normal matching rule, so a blue Skip can go on any blue card or on a Skip of another color. After a Wild, the next card has to match the color that was chosen, not the black Wild itself. The game shows the current color next to the discard pile so you always know what to match.

Yes, in our version. When a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four is played on you, you don’t have to take the cards straight away. You can pass the penalty along by playing another draw card, and the totals add up. The first player who can’t, or doesn’t want to, add to the stack draws the whole amount and loses their turn.

In our online game a Wild Draw Four can be played on any turn, on any card, and even on top of a draw stack. There’s no restriction and no challenge.

The official rules are stricter. You may only play a Wild Draw Four when you hold no card of the current color (cards that match only the number or symbol don’t count). The next player can challenge it: if the challenge is right, the player who played it draws four instead; if it’s wrong, the challenger draws six. Plenty of families leave the challenge out.

You have to call UNO as you go down to your last card. In our game, a Call UNO button appears when you hold two cards. Press it before you play your second-to-last card. If you play down to one card without pressing it, you automatically draw two penalty cards; nobody has to catch you.

At a real table, you say “UNO” as you play your next-to-last card. If another player points out that you forgot before the next player starts their turn, you draw two cards.

Two-player Uno uses the same deck and the same seven-card deal, with one change: Reverse acts as a Skip. Playing a Skip or a Reverse gives you another turn straight away, and a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four brings play back to you once your opponent has drawn.

That makes action cards much stronger head to head. If you hold several in the same color, you can play them one after another and empty your hand quickly.

The discard pile is shuffled to make a new draw pile. The top card stays where it is, so the current color and number don’t change.

Our Uno is played one hand at a time. The first player to empty their hand wins, and you can start another game straight away. There are no points to add up.

If you want a longer match, the traditional scoring works like this. When a player goes out, they score points for the cards left in everyone else’s hands:

The first player to reach 500 points wins the match. To play this way here, keep score on paper and play rematches until someone gets there.

Seven-O

Playing a 7 lets you swap hands with another player; playing a 0 passes every hand one seat along.

Jump-in

Anyone holding an identical card (same color and number) can play it out of turn.

Draw until you can play

Instead of drawing one card, you keep drawing until you find one you can play.

Forced play

If you hold a playable card you must play it, rather than choosing to draw.

How many cards do you start with in Uno?

Seven cards each, whether there are two players or six.

How many cards are in an Uno deck?

108: 76 number cards, 24 colored action cards (Skip, Reverse and Draw Two) and 8 Wild cards (4 Wild and 4 Wild Draw Four).

Can you stack a Draw Four on a Draw Two?

On LetsPlayCards.Online, yes. You can also put a Draw Two on a Draw Two, or a Wild Draw Four on a Wild Draw Four, but not a Draw Two on a Wild Draw Four. The official rules do not allow stacking at all.

Do you have to play a card if you can?

No. You can always choose to draw instead. After drawing one card you may play any legal card from your hand or pass.

What happens if you forget to say UNO?

In our game you automatically draw two cards if you play down to one card without pressing the UNO button first. Face to face, you draw two if another player catches you before the next turn starts.

Can you win with an action card or a Wild?

Yes. Any legal card can be your last card, and the game ends the moment it is played.

Does Reverse work in a 2-player game?

Yes, but with only two players it acts like a Skip: your opponent misses their turn and you play again.