Card Games: Matching Games

In matching games players take turns to play cards to a continuously growing discard pile or to a layout. The card played must match the previous card or fit in with the other cards in some way depending on the particular game (same rank or suit, next higher rank, etc). A player who cannot play may be penalised by having to draw one or more cards from an undealt stock. The object is usually to get rid of all your cards.

There are three major groups of matching games:

• The Stops Group, in which cards have to be played in ascending sequence, usually in suit.
• The Eights Group, in which each play has to match the previous one in rank or suit.
• The Layout Group, in which each play has to be fitted onto a layout, matching or following on from the card (or tile) it is played next to.

Other types of outplay game, such as trick-taking, climbing and beating games also have similar restrictions on what cards can be played, but in those games the pile of played cards does not grow indefinitely, but is periodically captured, set aside or taken up by a player when certain conditions are met.