To play UNO, you must match the top card on the discard pile by either color, number, or symbol. If you don't have a matching card, you must draw a card from the draw pile.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of the rules:
1. Starting the Game:
- Each player starts with 7 cards.
- The remaining cards form the Draw Pile.
- The top card of the Draw Pile is flipped over to start the Discard Pile. If this card is an Action card (Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, or Wild Draw Four), special rules apply based on standard house rules, which often involve returning the card to the deck and drawing a new one.
2. Taking Your Turn:
- On your turn, you must play one card from your hand onto the Discard Pile. The card you play must match the top card of the Discard Pile in either:
- Color: (Red, Yellow, Green, or Blue)
- Number: (0-9)
- Symbol: (Skip, Reverse, Draw Two, or Wild card symbols).
- If you do not have a card that matches, you must draw one card from the Draw Pile. You can play the card you just drew immediately if it matches the top card of the Discard Pile. Otherwise, your turn ends.
3. Action Cards:
- Skip: The next player loses their turn.
- Reverse: The direction of play is reversed (clockwise becomes counter-clockwise, or vice versa). In a two-player game, a Reverse card functions like a Skip card.
- Draw Two (+2): The next player must draw two cards and lose their turn.
- Wild: You can choose the color that play continues with.
- Wild Draw Four (+4): You can choose the color that play continues with. The next player must draw four cards and lose their turn. This card can only be played if you have no other cards in your hand that match the color of the top card on the Discard Pile. However, you can bluff about this! If the next player suspects you're bluffing, they can challenge you to show them your hand. If you were bluffing, you must draw four cards. If you weren't bluffing, the challenging player must draw six cards.
4. Going Out:
- When you have only one card left, you must say "UNO!". If you fail to do so before another player notices and calls you out, you must draw two cards.
- The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round.
5. Scoring:
- Scoring varies depending on how you want to play. Typically, points are awarded based on the cards remaining in other players' hands:
- Number cards (0-9): Face value
- Skip, Reverse, Draw Two: 20 points each
- Wild, Wild Draw Four: 50 points each
- The first player to reach a predetermined score (e.g., 500 points) wins the game.
