Uno rules: how to play, what the action cards do, and how to win

Uno is one of the few card games that almost everyone has played, and most people learned it at a kitchen table with the rules half remembered. This guide sets out the standard rules, explains each action card, and marks the house rules that families and clubs change, so you know which version you are playing.

What is in the box

The deck has 108 cards.

• 76 number cards. One 0 in each of the four colours, and two each of 1 to 9 in each colour.
• 24 action cards. In each colour, two Skip cards, two Reverse cards and two Draw Two cards.
• 8 wild cards. Four plain Wild cards and four Wild Draw Four cards.

Dealing and starting

Each player is dealt seven cards. The rest form a draw pile, and the top card is turned over to start a discard pile. Whoever is dealt first plays first, and turns run clockwise unless a Reverse changes the direction.

If the first card turned over is an action card or a wild, the usual rule is that the first player does what the card says. Some families instead turn over another card, so agree on this before the first deal.

A turn

On your turn, play one card that matches the top card of the discard pile by colour, by number or by symbol. If you have no match, draw one card from the pile. If the drawn card can be played, you may play it. Otherwise your turn ends.

A wild can be played at any time. When you play one, you name the colour that the next player must follow.

The action cards

• Skip. The next player loses their turn.
• Reverse. The direction of play changes. With only two players, a Reverse works like a Skip.
• Draw Two. The next player draws two cards and loses their turn.
• Wild. You choose the colour for the next card.
• Wild Draw Four. You choose the colour, and the next player draws four cards and loses their turn. The official rule allows it only when you have no card of the colour currently in play, and many players challenge a Draw Four that breaks that rule.

Saying Uno

When you are down to your last card, you must say "Uno". If you forget and another player notices before the next person plays, you draw two cards. That penalty is a house rule rather than part of the printed rules, but most tables use it.

Winning and scoring

The first player to empty their hand wins the round. Many players keep score across rounds. The usual scoring gives the winner points for the cards left in the other players' hands: number cards count their face value, Skip, Reverse and Draw Two count 20 each, and the wilds count 50 each. The first player to reach an agreed total, often 500, wins the game.

House rules worth agreeing first

• Stacking: whether a Draw Two can be answered with another Draw Two.
• Seven-zero: some families swap hands when a 7 or 0 is played.
• Draw until playable: whether you keep drawing until you can play, rather than drawing one card.
• The penalty for forgetting Uno, and how many cards it costs.

Settle these before you deal. A short agreement at the start saves an argument at the end.

Who it suits

Uno is usually recommended from around age seven, which is about when children can read the action cards and count their hand. Younger children can play a simplified version with only number cards and colours, which is a useful way to learn matching before the action cards arrive.