One and Done: The Ultimate ‘UNO’ Explainer
Horde your Wilds and load up your Skips because we’re discussing the card game that ruins Thanksgiving: UNO.
Greetings, gamers! If you’re like me, you love getting together with family and friends for game night. Whether you prefer board games, card games, or a good old-fashioned TTRPG, sitting around the table for some gaming is always a treat. However, if you want to cause arguments with just a few cards, there’s no finer family fun game than UNO.
UNO has been around for a long time, and the rules have shifted to fit the times. Many are a dinner table that have fallen to pieces over whether you can stack Draws, whether 7s switch hands, and other such things. However, in its undiluted form, UNO has been played for ages. If you truly want a fun, simple game without too many bells and whistles, this is one of the easiest games to pick up.
What is UNO?
UNO is a card game produced initially by International Games Inc. in 1971. Merle Robbins, the original creator of the game, mortgaged his family home and sold his barbershop to get the game off the ground. Thankfully, his gamble paid off, and he ended up selling the game to a group of friends for $50,000 plus 10 cents per game royalties. The group, headed by Robert Tezak, founded International Games to sell UNO from the back of his funeral parlor. When Mattel acquired the company in 1992, they took over licensing for UNO, and the game as we know it was officially born.
UNO is a “card-shedding” game that uses a specially printed deck of cards. The object is to stack cards of the same number or color until you have one card in hand, at which point you must declare “UNO!” The game ends when one player is entirely out of cards. The UNO announcement is a warning, similar to “Check” in Chess. There are plenty of ways to hinder your opponents, such as forcing them to draw extra cards, reversing the order of play, or Skip the player entirely. The game draws its inspiration from crazy eights, which is based on the German game mau-mau. Some variations of the game add points or other special rules.
UNO House Rules
Though the basic gameplay of UNO is straightforward, many players choose to enhance their game with house rules:
- Many players play that “Draw 2” and “Wild Draw 4” cards can be stacked, increasing the penalty to the next player. For example, there are four players. Player A plays a Draw 2. Player B could either draw two cards or play another Draw 2 on top. This forces Player C to draw four or continue the chain.
- A house rule in both the video game and many tabletop variants is “Seven-O”. This rule states that a 7 allows the player to swap hands with another player. A 0 rotates hands in the order of play. This allows canny players to secure victory or throw off an opponent.
- The most common and widely accepted house rule for UNO is “Jump In”. As the name suggests, players can play a card out of turn if they have an exact copy of that card, i.e. a Red 4 on another Red 4.
DOS and other Variations
Several variations of UNO exist, each with their own unique gameplay mechanics:
- DOS – A variation of the original game created in February 2018. This game utilizes center rows instead of a singular pile. As the name suggests, players can discard a pair of cards that add up to one of the top cards of a pile instead of a single card.
- UNO Attack – Known as UNO Extreme in the UK and Canada, this variation adds a machine. Instead of drawing cards, you press a button on the machine. At random times, the machine will distribute a random number of cards, which go to the player whose turn it is.
- UNO Stacko – Combining all the fun of UNO with the stress of Jenga, this game includes a tower and a deck. Whenever a player plays a card, a block that matches that card’s color or value must be pulled. “Draw Two” cards force the player to do this twice.
- UNO Flip! – Utilizing a two-sided deck, this variation relies on manipulating the deck in your favor. It is most commonly played in the video game.
- UNO Spin – This game adds a wheel that dictates several special rules. Players can play a “Spin” card to force the next player to spin the wheel. The penalties can vary from being the first to shout “UNO Spin” to drawing until you hit a Red card.
