How to play UNO

You win a round when you have no cards left in your hand. The winner scores points for the cards the others are still holding. In the classic game, the first player to reach 500 points wins.

Without points: Newer Mattel instructions make scoring optional. You then play single rounds, and whoever gets rid of all their cards first wins.

You need a UNO deck. Classic UNO has 108 cards: in each of the four colors (red, yellow, green, blue) one 0, two each of 1 to 9, and two each of Draw Two, Reverse and Skip. There are also four Wild cards and four Wild Draw Four cards.

Decks with 112 cards: Some editions include four extra cards: three blank cards for your own rules and one special Wild card. Depending on the edition, this is either Wild Swap Hands (you swap your hand with another player) or Wild Shuffle Hands (all hands are collected, shuffled and dealt out again). For classic UNO, set the four cards aside. If you play with them, they're worth 40 or 50 points depending on the edition.

1. Everyone draws a card. Whoever has the highest number deals; action cards don't count.
2. Deal seven cards to each player. The rest go face down as the draw pile.
3. Turn over the top card to start the discard pile.
4. The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play moves clockwise.

If the first card is an action card: A Wild Draw Four goes back into the deck, and a new card is turned over. On a Draw Two, the player to the dealer's left draws two cards and misses their turn; on a Skip, that player is skipped. On a Reverse, the dealer goes first and play moves to the right. On a Wild, the player to the dealer's left chooses the color and goes first.

Some newer Mattel instructions have you return any action card or Wild that turns up as the first card. You then keep turning cards until a number card shows.

• Play a card that matches the top card of the discard pile: same color, number or symbol. Any blue card or any 7 can go on a blue 7.
• Or play a Wild card, which always fits.
• Can't play? Draw one card. If it fits, you may play it right away; otherwise your turn is over.

You may also draw even if you could play. You may then only play the card you just drew.

When the draw pile runs out, the top card of the discard pile stays where it is. The remaining cards are shuffled and become the new draw pile.

• Skip: The next player is skipped.
• Reverse: The direction of play reverses.
• Draw Two: The next player draws two cards and misses their turn.
• Wild: You choose the next color.
• Wild Draw Four: You choose the next color, and the next player draws four cards and misses their turn. You may only play it if you have no card of the current color. Cards that only match the number or symbol don't stop you.

Challenge: If a Wild Draw Four is played on you, you may challenge. The player who played the card then shows their hand to you only. If they had a card of the current color, they draw the four cards themselves. If they didn't, you draw six: the four plus two penalty cards.

With two players, Reverse works like Skip: you play again right away. Stacking Draw Two or Wild Draw Four cards to pass them on is a popular house rule and not part of the official basic rules.

Call “UNO” when you play your second-to-last card. If another player catches you before the next player starts their turn, you draw two penalty cards. Once the next player has started, it's too late.

The round ends as soon as someone plays their last card. If it's a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four, the next player still has to draw the cards, and they count toward the score.

The player who went out adds up the cards the others still hold and scores that total. Write the points down, then shuffle and deal again.

The first player to reach 500 points wins the game.