Playing card games has long been a popular pastime and a fun way to bond with family, friends, and like-minded community members with the same passion. More games have emerged over the years, from classic games using the standard 52-card deck to trading card games with their own unique rules and gameplay. 

They can also be played casually or competitively, making for a leisurely activity or a more high-stakes game. So, if you’ve played some of the simpler, popular card games like Solitaire or Go Fish, you might be looking for a challenge. Many complex card games can test your mental skills and strategic thinking while still being fun; here are some of the most complex ones:

Poker

Though poker is often seen as a game of chance to the uninitiated, many avid and professional players showcase how complex it can be. Players have to make logical and strategic decisions based on incomplete information, all while considering the high stakes and risks. Live poker games and tournaments also factor in a psychological aspect, as players must also look for tells or maintain a poker face to throw opponents off. Though poker is already complex, online poker can add an extra challenge. 

Some online players do multi-tabling, which consists of simultaneously participating in multiple poker games. It provides players with more chances of winning but requires much more focus. However, online poker sites have various features to make it easier for multi-table players. Leading online poker platform ACR Poker uses the Deal-Making feature, which comes into play when there’s a mutual decision to split the remaining prize pot and end the game immediately after a multi-table tourney. Whether you’re playing one or more tables or joining live or online games, the complexity of poker makes the game so thrilling, so innovative features like the aforementioned Deal-Making feature simplify the game, even if you have to focus on multiple games at once. 

Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering pioneered trading card games when it was released in 1993 and is still one of the most popular ones, with around 50 million players as of 2023. However, it’s gained a reputation for its complicated rules, and it was even named the world’s most complex game in 2019. Players must cast spells to defeat opponents and use creature, artifact, or enchantment cards to gain an advantage on the battlefield. It’s a simple-sounding premise, but other factors should also be considered. 

Ability types dictate when the ability takes effect and how it can influence the gameplay. Mana and mana colors limit the actions that players can take at any given time, but they also help pace and add variety to the game. Magic has also significantly evolved over time, and thousands of cards and changes in rules can make the game even more complex. However, online or digital versions, such as Magic: The Gathering Arena, have made it much more accessible for newer players to learn the ropes. Magic: The Gathering Online is the more complex digital version with a competitive player base. Features like hotkeys, auto-yield, and automatic decisions can add another layer of complexity and strategy to know when and how certain decisions should be made and when they can be done automatically.  

Bridge

Though Bridge isn’t a common American pastime as it was in the mid-20th century, it’s still one of the most complex card games that many still gather to play. Four players form teams of two and aim to score points by making a bid or by defeating the opposing partnership’s bid on how many tricks—sets of four cards—will be won by their team. The game uses a standard 52-card deck, but the suits and cards have different ranks and values. The game requires much skill and strategy, especially since you’re playing with a partner. The bidding system is what makes the game complex, as partners have to work with limited communication to arrive at a viable final contract. They can bid slowly to make it easier to exchange information or increase the bid rapidly to make it difficult for their opponents. It’s a game that requires a lot of skills, such as probability, communication, and strategic planning, to trump the competition. 

Canasta

Canasta was developed to be a more time-efficient yet still exciting version of Bridge, but it’s also still a complex card game. The objective is for a pair of players to outscore the other pair by creating melds, or combinations of three or more cards with the same rank; a meld with seven or over is called a Canasta. Players also have to ensure their meld is valid. Natural and wild card types each have different score values, and a meld is only passable if it has two or more natural cards and no more than three wild cards. Though it’s not as complicated as other card games, it still requires a lot of strategy and tactics to ensure players develop the best meld that’s worth more points to reach 5,000 faster than the other pair. 

Check out The Game of Nerds for more on gaming, movies, comics, and all things fandom.