UNO game rules

The UNO rules of the classic card game simply and clearly explained and available for download as PDF.

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Goal of the game

The goal in classic UNO is to be the first player to score 500 points. The player who is the first to place all his cards in his hand receives points per round. Points are awarded for all cards that the other players still have in their hands (see Points).

Game preparation

The cards are shuffled and each player is dealt 7 cards, which they take into their hand. The remaining cards are placed face down in the middle and form the card pile. From the pile of cards, the top card is turned face up and placed next to it. This stack forms the discard pile. A player is drawn by lot to start the round.

Game play

The first game places a card from his hand on the discard pile. A card can only be placed on a card of the same suit or the same number. The black cards are special action cards with special rules (see action cards). If a player cannot place a matching card, he must draw a penalty card from the face-down pile. He can play this card again immediately, if it fits. If he does not have a matching card, the next player has the turn. The player who discards the penultimate card must call „UNO!“ (which means „one“), thus signalling that he only has one card left in his hand. If a player forgets this and another player notices it in time (before the next player has drawn or discarded a card), he must draw 2 penalty cards. The round is won by the player who has discarded the last card. The points are added up and a new round is played.

Action cards

In the game there are black action cards with different functions, which are explained below.

PULL TWO CARD

When this card is played, the next player must draw 2 cards and may not discard any cards in this round. This card can only be placed on a card of the same suit or other draw two cards. If it is revealed at the beginning of the game, the same rules apply.

RETOUR CARD

This card changes the direction of play. If the card was played to the left, it now plays to the right and vice versa. The card can only be placed on a corresponding color or another return card. If this card is drawn at the beginning of the game, the dealer starts and then the player continues the game on his right instead of his left.

SUSPEND CARD

After this card is played, the next player is „skipped“. The card can only be placed on top of another card of the same suit or another drop card. When this card is drawn at the beginning of the game, the player to the left of the dealer is „skipped“ and the player to the left of that player continues the game..

COLOR SELECTION CARD

The player who places this card decides which color to place next. The color already lying down may also be chosen. A color choice card may be placed even if the player could place another card. When a color choice card is drawn at the beginning of the game, the player to the left of the dealer decides which color to place next.

DRAW FOUR COLOR SELECTION CARD

This card is the best. The player who places it decides which color to place next. The next player must also take 4 cards from the deck. He may not discard any card in this round. Unfortunately, the card may only be laid if the player who has it does not have a card in his hand that matches the color in the discard pile. If the player has a card with the corresponding number or action cards, the draw Four Color Selector card can still be placed.

A player who has a draw four color choice card can bluff and place the card „unauthorized“. However, if he is „caught“ doing so, certain rules apply (see Penalty Cards). If this card is drawn at the beginning of the game, it is put back into the deck and another card is drawn.

Penalties

If a player does not follow the rules, he must draw one or more penalty cards. The rules are as follows:

• UNO: If a player forgets to call UNO! after laying his penultimate card and the next player has not yet played his card, he must draw a penalty card.
• Wrongly dealt: Whoever lays a card even though it is not his turn or has played a wrong card must resume playing and is also dealt a penalty card.
• The +4 may only be played if the player cannot use the current suit, with the exception of other action cards. If the player affected by the +4 believes that the card was played wrongly, he may challenge the previous player. The previous player must then show his cards to prove that he was not able to use the suit correctly. If he can confirm this, the challenging player must now take 6 cards instead of 4. If, on the other hand, he was convicted of having played the +4 illegally, he must draw the 4 cards himself.

Points

The first player to get rid of all his cards gets the following points for the cards his opponents still hold in their hands:

Whoever reaches 500 points first wins the game.

In addition to the standard rules of UNO there are many variations and variations.