Low Deck: Multiplayer Number Card Game Online
Twelve hidden cards. Reveal, replace, and clear matching columns. Lowest total wins.
Card & casino · 2 to 8 players · about 30 minutes · free to host, nothing to download, TV optional
About the game
Low scores win here. You sit behind a grid of twelve face down cards, three rows of four, and spend the game swapping high cards out for low ones before anyone else finishes. Low Deck suits 2 to 8 players, with 3 to 5 the most fun, and a full game to 100 points runs about 30 minutes.
Your grid is on your own screen and everyone’s visible cards show on the TV if you connect one. No TV? Pick "Just this screen". On a video call, each player does the same on their own device.
How to play
- Everyone reveals two of their twelve cards. The player showing the highest total goes first; in later rounds, whoever ended the last round starts. On your turn, draw a card or take the discard and swap it into your grid. The card you replace goes on the discard pile.
- If you discard a fresh draw, reveal one hidden card instead. A card taken from the discard must be swapped in. Three matching visible cards in a column are removed.
- Reveal your whole grid to trigger one final turn for everyone else. Then every card is turned up and scored. Your positive round score doubles unless you are the sole lowest scorer. When someone reaches the target total (100 by default), the lowest total wins. The host starts each new round.
Open a room for Low Deck. No app, no accounts, free to host.
Tips to play well
- The deck runs from minus 2 to 12: five minus 2s, fifteen 0s, and ten of every other value. Anything 0 or below is worth keeping, and a 0 is the card you will see most.
- A matching column vanishes completely, even three 12s. Two high cards already in a column can be worth chasing if the third is likely to come.
- Ending the round is a gamble. If anyone ties or beats your score, your positive total doubles, so only flip your last card when you are confident you are lowest.
- Watch the discard pile before you draw. Taking a known low card is safer than gambling on the deck, but it must go into your grid.
Host settings
- Finish at: 50, 100 or 150 points, default 100. The game ends after the round in which someone reaches it.
- Turn time: 20 to 90 seconds in steps of 10, default 40. Run out and the game discards a fresh draw and reveals a hidden card for you.
Questions people ask
Is Low Deck the same as Skyjo?
It is our own take on the low scoring grid card style. The idea is familiar: reveal, replace, clear matching columns and keep your total down.
How long does a game take?
About 30 minutes to 100 points. Set the target to 50 for a shorter game or 150 for a longer one.
Can I play Low Deck with the computer?
Yes. The host can add bots. They keep cards of 3 or lower, discard anything higher, and never peek at hidden cards.
Can kids play?
Yes, if they can add small numbers. The game totals every grid for you at the end of each round.
Similar games
- Summit: Ten stages to the top. Collect sets, runs and colours, lay them down, and climb one stage a hand. 2 to 6 players, about 45 minutes.
- Showdown!: Match the colour or the number, empty your hand, and never forget to call Showdown! 2 to 10 players, about 25 minutes.
- Nine Lives: Draw until someone draws the Kaboom. Dodge it, pass it on, or hiss it away. Last cat standing wins. 2 to 10 players, about 15 minutes.
- AfterMath: Play a card, claim its square. Five chips in a row makes a line. 2 to 12 players, about 30 minutes.
Guides
- Phase 10 Rules: All Ten Phases Explained With Example Hands, Where to Play Phase 10 Online, and Games Like Phase 10: All ten Phase 10 phases with example hands, the official rules and scoring, where to play Phase 10 online, and games like Phase 10.
- Card Games for Groups: 15 Games for 4 to 12 Players, With a Standard Deck or Without: The best card games for groups, by size: Spoons, Kemps, Hearts, President and more with one standard deck, plus boxed and free online picks.
- Games Like UNO: Card Games to Play Next, Plus UNO Online With Friends and the Real Rules: The best card games like UNO, from Crazy Eights to Phase 10, where to play UNO online with friends for free, and the official rules versus house rules.
- Game Night Games: 60 of the Best, Picked by Group Size, Crowd and Time: The best game night games for 2 to 20 people, sorted by group size, crowd, place and time, with players, minutes and what you need for each.
Skyjo is a trademark of its owner. Rondovo is not affiliated with it.