Once you get sick of playing the card games built into your operating system, it is time to play card games online. There are numerous venues for online card gaming–so many that there’s no need to pay to play–and the variety of available online card games is such that you’ll never get bored with a game or frustrated by a game’s style.
When you want to play card games online usually you just have to register (for free) and pick the game you want to play. There’s no fees to pay (at reputable sites) and no complicated sign up instructions. Most people’s computers are powerful enough to play card games online, unless you’re running a really old machine. Even then, it is usually just a matter of upgrading your computer’s software, for free, and restarting your browser. Playing card games online is cheap and easy.
All of the online card game venues reviewed here are free or offer a free version and have been played again and again and approved by our staff of online card game lovers.
Yahoo Games
With twenty-seven different online card games playable right in the web browser, this well-known name in all things online has a huge selection and offers you the security of the Yahoo name. If you’re willing to download a few titles, you can increase the number of games available to 52–that’s twenty-five games available exclusively for download from Yahoo.
The standard titles are here–there’s dozens of varieties of solitaire and poker — but Yahoo has plenty of unique card games online for you to play. How many online game sites offer no-download euchre? There’s an odd hybrid of scratch-off lottery and skill game called Lottso, and the download-able Poker for Dummies will help you improve your poker game to the point that you’re ready to compete against other online players.
Yahoo boasts millions of users, and I know plenty of Yahoo Games addicts who play online card games exclusively through the site, and their game variety, big-name support, and constant tweaks to their games and their gaming system mean choosing Yahoo as your main online card game source is a good idea.
WorldofSolitaire.com
To all fans of playing solitaire card games online–I’ve found your new favorite website. Stop playing on tiny ugly screens, stop playing the same game over and over. This is the World of Solitaire.
World of Solitaire takes the top spot for me in terms of online solitaire games — not just because the games are free, but because of the way the site looks and behaves. World of Solitaire offers a realistic and pretty rendering of the cards and play surface. World of Solitaire contains plenty of attractive and endlessly adaptable versions of online solitaire play — fifty games and other variations to tempt you away from work.
The first time you visit World of Solitaire, you’ll recognize why this site is a favorite of many online solitaire players. Before anything happens, a round of Klondike is dealt. As soon as you land on the website, you can start playing solitaire right off the bat. There are so many solitaire card game options to explore here, you shouldn’t waste your time on the entry-level game of Klondike.
Look up at the top of the screen–you’ll see four tabs: Solitaire, Decks, Backgrounds, and Options.
Under the tab labeled Solitaire, you have the option of choosing a new game, “cheating” and undoing your last move, looking at statistics about your online solitaire playing, or click a link to learn more about the World of Solitaire website.
The tab called Decks is exactly what it sounds like — an option where you can change the look of your deck by picking from nine different card back options. If you like the standard American deck on your computer, you can use it, but be adventurous.
Just like the Deck tab is about Decks, so the Backgrounds tab is an option to change the playing surface you play your online solitaire on.
Under the Options tab, you can change settings for your game, making your online solitaire card game the exact game you want to play.
WorldofSolitaire.com is the best online card game website for those of us who are obsessed with solitaire. There’s no better online venue for the world’s favorite one-player game.
GameHouse.com
This site is similar to Yahoo Games in that it does not offer just card games but an entire world of playable online games. For those of us interested in card games, GameHouse.com has a ridiculous variety.
There are nearly fifty unique card games playable at GameHouse.com–but don’t expect a truly realistic gaming experience as you would at an online casino or at some games at Yahoo Games. These are more “cartoon-y” versions of card games, not aimed at kids but games that don’t take themselves very seriously. Don’t be turned off by a less than “realistic” experience–take UNO Undercover, for example. I love the game UNO, and at GameHouse.com you can choose to play it in “adventure mode” (where hands of UNO develop a storyline more like an arcade game) or play more traditional rounds of UNO without the storyline.
GameHouse.com may not be the best site for people looking to play traditional online card games, but for those looking for a fun break for their day, or for people bored with the standard lineup of games at other online card game sites, GameHouse.com is a good distraction.
Playing card games online is free, it is full of variety, and I haven’t even touched on the community aspect of online card gaming. Millions of people like yourself play card games online and are looking to make friends, compete with each other, and share their game playing time with you online.
Once you get sick of playing Minesweeper or Spider Solitaire on your PC reach out to an online card game playing site. You’ll be surprised by the different options available to you and you’ll never go back to the same old boring round of Hearts again.
WorldWinner is another site that offers card games, although we’re particularly fond of their Scrabble Cubes game. And online poker can be a lot of fun too.