How Many Cards Are In Uno? Understanding The Game Of Uno

Uno is one of those popular card games you may remember playing since you were a kid, yet you still play it with your children today. It provides countless hours of fun and may help sharpen mathematical skills. However, not many actually count how many cards are in Uno.

An Uno card deck contains 108 cards. These cards could be broken down into 25 of four colors (yellow, blue, green, red). Each color suit contains Number Cards and Action Cards such as ‘Skip,’ ‘Draw Two,’ or ‘Reverse.’ There are also Wild Cards, which have no color.

This article explores how many cards there are in Uno, as well as the gameplay, rules, and how each card is being played. We also discuss the new Uno cards and whether Uno is a luck-based or skill-based card game.

What Is Uno?

Uno is an American card game. Players play a specially printed deck of cards and aim to shed all the cards they have in their hands as fast as possible. The game was developed in 1971 by Merle Robbins and is now owned by Mattel.

Uno is an American card game played with a specially printed stack of cards. The game revolves around the concept of shedding, where players try to clear up all the cards in their hands as fast as possible.

In the meantime, if it helps, players could either slow down their opponents’ process of shedding their cards or add more cards to their hands. Many also consider Uno to be rather close to the European card game of Mau Mau.

Uno was originally created in 1971 by Merle Robbins of Reading, Cincinnati, Ohio. Merle developed the game by playing it with his family and friends before eventually realizing its commercial potential. Merle then spent $8,000 to get 5,000 copies of the game made.

He started selling it from his barbershop, and the local businesses also offered to sell these Uno cards for him. He later sold the rights to the card game to a group of friends for $50,000, plus royalties of 10 cents per game.

The group is led by Robert Tezak, who runs a funeral parlor in Joliet, Illinois. He formed the International Games, Inc. to market Uno. he later arranged for Saltzman Printers to print the game cards.

In 1992, Mattel acquired International Games Inc., bringing Uno into its ownership. Uno card games today are made by Mattel.

How Do You Play Uno?

Playing an Uno game involves setting up the game, playing the game, and finally tallying up the score to determine the winner. An Uno game needs a minimum of two players and, at most, may take several hours to complete.

Playing the Uno game starts with you setting up the game, such as getting players, preparing scoresheets, and also dealing with the card. Then the game commences, with players playing and determining who got the first Uno. Finally, scores are calculated.

The process of setting, playing, and scoring continues until a player reaches 500 points and is declared the winner.

Setting The Game

To prepare for the game, you must perform several things, such as getting players, preparing score sheets, and preparing the cards for play.

Getting Players

You need a minimum of two players to play Uno, with a maximum of 10. If you have more players, consider adding a second deck of cards. However, some prefer to keep the game to one deck to make cards more predictable and turn faster.

Scoresheets

You only need a piece of paper with a pen for the scoresheets. Please write down the players’ names on the sheet, and draw a vertical border line between them. This makes it easier to calculate their scores later.

Preparing The Cards

You should have a deck of Uno cards. Inspect and ensure that all 108 cards are available and the card is legible. This avoids possible disputes between players later.

Playing The Game

Once all the players have sat down to play, you can start the game. To start the game:

Start by shuffling the cards to randomize the order of the cards. Deal out 7 cards to each player.
There is no need for a dedicated dealer in Uno. Players take turns to shuffle and deal cards, and the dealer can also deal cards to himself.
Once the cards are dealt. The dealer places the remaining deck in the center, slightly off-left. The cards should face down. This will be the draw pile.
Another player can take the first card from the deck and place it slightly further on the right side of the card deck. This will be the discard pile.

At this point, players can start to discard the cards in hand.

The player on the dealer’s left now discards a card based on the card on the discard pile.
The card discarded can be either:
- Of a similar number to the last card on the discard pile, regardless of color. For example, if the top discard pile shows an 8 Green, a player discards 8 Blue.
- Of a similar color to the last card on the discard pile, regardless of number. For example, if the top discard pile shows 8 Green, a player discards 5 Green.
- An Action Card of similar color as the top card on the discard pile. For example, if the top discard pile shows 8 Green, a player discards Reverse Green.
- A Wild Card. For example, if the top discard pile shows an 8 Green, a player discards a +4 Wild Card, declares the new color to be red, and the player next to him has to draw four cards.
If a player has no card to play, he draws a card from the draw pile. If he can play the new card immediately. If not, he loses a turn.
Players continue to take turns discarding their cards until one player is left with a single card.
The player must quickly declare “Uno” before other players can do so.
If the player gets called out by others, he has to draw 2 cards from the draw pile.
The first place that discarded all cards in hand first is the winner of the round.

Calculating The Score

Once the round is up, the scores for the round can be counted. Only the round winner gets scores, while the other players get zero by default.

The score for the winner is calculated from what remains unplayed from the opponent’s hand. The scoring is as follows:

20 points for each Reverse, Draw 2 or Skip cards
50 points for each Wild, and Wild Draw 4 cards
The face value for each unplayed numbered card.

The score is written down before a new game round is played.

Determining The Winner

The process of playing and calculating scores will be repeated until a single player reaches 500 points. At that point, the player can be declared the winner of the Uno game. 500 points are the official rule from Uno.

However, some players changed the points requirement as some may think it is too long, and the game becomes boring then. The popular modification is to set the winning score at 100 points, although any score is possible. The key is to have all players agree on it in the first place.

How Many Cards Are In Uno?

An Uno deck has 108 cards. These cards could be broken down into numbers, action, and wild cards. Number and action cards are part of the 25 cards for each colored suit (yellow, blue, green, red). Wild cards do not have color.

Card Type	Color Suit	Number/Symbol
Number Card	Red, Blue, Green, Yellow	0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Action Card	Red, Blue, Green, Yellow	Reverse, Draw Two, Skip
Wild Card	No Color Suit	Wild, Wild Draw 4

In general, a regular Uno card deck comes with 108 cards. These cards can be broken down into three major types: number, action, and wild cards.

Some cards here contain colors, meaning they belong to a color suit. There are four color suits in Uno, red, blue, green, and yellow. Each color suit contains 25 cards and consists of number and action cards. 8 wild cards do not belong to any color suit.

Number Cards

Number cards are the most abundant in an Uno deck. The numbered card contains numbers from 0 to 9. These numbered cards are then repeated twice across all color suits. This means each color suit will contain 20 number cards, with each number in two cards.

However, this two-card rule does not apply to the card with 0. There is only a single 0 card in each color suit.

For example, if you look at all the numbered cards for the red suit, you may see:

A single 0 Red
Two 1 Red
Two 2 Red
Two 3 Red
Two 4 Red

Two 5 Red
Two 6 Red
Two 7 Red
Two 8 Red
Two 9 Red

Action Cards

Action cards are specific cards that can be used to alter the gameplay. They are different from wild cards in that they contain colors.

This means they can only be played when their color matches the card’s color on the top of the discard pile.

There are two similar action cards in each color suit. This means if you look at all the action cards in a yellow suit, you will see two Skip cards, two Reverse cards, and two Draw Two cards.

These action cards are:

Skip

When this card is played, the player next loses his turn. The player, after that, gets to play the game. If the game is two-person, the skip card works like a reverse, allowing the person who played the card to keep his turn.

Reverse

When this card is played, the order of the gameplay is reversed. This means if the gameplay goes clockwise, it now becomes anti-clockwise. Other players can revert the order again by playing another reverse card.

Draw Two

When this card is played, the player next will have to draw out two cards from the draw pile.

Wild Cards

There is a reason why these cards are called Wild Cards. They are powerful cards that can easily change the gameplay. Players either use Wild Cards to set themselves up for victory or to slow down opponents closing in on Uno.

There are two types of wild cards, the Wild and Wild Draw 4. Wild cards do not belong to any color suit. Each Wild Card type comes in four copies each.

This means you will find 4 Wild and 4 copies of Wild Draw 4 cards in a deck of Uno cards.

Wild

When this card is played, the player declares the new color to be played by the next player. This card may be used if a player does not have any suitable card to play and wants to avoid picking up a new card from the pile.

Wild Draw 4

The killer card designed to derail any player too close to Uno. When played, the player declared the new color to be played by the next player. The next player also has to draw 4 cars from the draw pile.

Can You Play Uno Online?

Uno can be played online across many digital devices such as smartphones, computers, and tablets. Players can play through apps from their devices, or they can access many free online games available for free on websites.

If you are a fan of Uno and need more of the game, you do not need to bother other people to play the game. There are many options to get your itch for Uno online.

You can start by checking out the Uno game apps available at the App Store or the Play Store. There are many versions for you to choose from. Using the official app for best performance and security may be a good idea.

If you prefer to play Uno on your desktop or laptop, consider checking out websites that host Uno games. Some of these sites may require you to pay, while some are free.

Since some of these websites may not be sanctioned by Uno, you should be careful with divulging your personal information. Websites like Crazy Games do not require registering any information to play Uno for free.

Are There New Uno Cards?

In 2022, Uno added a series of new cards to the present 108-card deck. These cards are Wild Reverse, Wild Skip, Wild Double Skip, Wild Swap Hands, and Wild Targeted Draw. Uno believes these cards will add additional twists to gameplay, improving the excitement and fun.

Beginning in 2022, Uno introduced a series of new cards to the 108-card stack. These cards are all Wild Cards, as they do not have a color suit and can be played out at any point in the game. When played out, players also can declare the color for the next player to play.

There are a total of 6 new cards added into the game, making an Uno card deck now containing 114 cards.

Wild Reverse

Wild Reverse is your usual Reverse action card on steroids. Since it does not have a color, it can be played without restriction, much like a wild card. Use it to deny your opponents a chance to reach Uno.

When played, the turn order reverses. For example, if players take turns anti-clockwise, the game goes clockwise. Aside from that, the player also gets to dictate the color the next player needs to play.

Wild Skip

Wild Skip is also similar to the Skil action card in function. However, it is a wild card, meaning you play it anytime. Only one Wild Skip card is added to the deck.

When played, the next player loses turns. The player after that will have to play a card in the color you have dictated. Similar to Wild Reverse, you can use this card to deny someone on the last card to play.

Wild Double Skip

Uno had no double skip card before, so this is the first. When played, instead of skipping one player, two are skipped instead. It is also a wild card, meaning you can declare color for the next eligible player. Only one Wild Double Skip card is added to the deck.

There may be some best ways to use this card. You can use this card to skip turns of those on their last cards, to deny them a chance to Uno or win.

If you are playing a three-person game, use this card as your second last card, declare Uno, and watch the turn return to you. Then happily throw out your last card and win the game.

Wild Swap Hands

Wild Swap Hands has also never appeared in Uno, so this is completely new. In fact, this is quite a savage card to use. This is because when played out, you can choose to swap your entire hands with another player of your choice. Only one Wild Swap Hands card is added to the deck.

So imagine if you ended up with a hand of 12 cards, from being hit with tons of Draw Twos and Draw Fours. Then one of the players is down to an Uno. You throw out Wild Swap Hands, and you exchange your hands with him. From 12, you now have only 1 card.

This card is likely designed to ensure everyone can win an Uno game, even if they are loaded with cards in their hands. In fact, the more cards you have in hand, the more likely you are to get Wild Swap Hands!

Wild Targeted Draw

Wild Targeted Draw takes the Wild Draw 4 card and adjusts the recipe to produce a different card. This card will also easily add more excitement and twists to your Uno game. It is a wild card since it has no color and can be played anytime the opportunity arises.

When played, you first get to choose any player in the game and ask that player to draw out two cards from the draw pile. You then dictate to the next player what color of the card to play. There will be two Wild Targeted Draw cards added to an Uno deck.

Is Uno A Luck Or Skill Card Game?

Uno is likely a game requiring skill and some element of luck. This is because even if you have the best luck in the world and have the best hand, you still need skills to use the cards well. However, even if you are the best Uno player in the world yet end up with the worst hand possible, winning can take a lot of work.

The debate about whether Uno is a luck or skill-based game has been going on for a long time. Some see it as a luck-based game, while some see it as requiring skills to win consistently.

Similar to many things, the answer may lie somewhere in the middle. Uno is a game that requires skills and some elements of luck to win.

Luck-Based Game

Those that believe Uno is a luck-based game see that there are so many areas in the game that luck is needed:

Good Starting Hands

Many players believe your starting hand is crucial to determine if your game will be defensive or offensive. To them, if your first hand contains only 2 colors, you may start the game by drawing cards and adding them to your hands instead of reducing them.

Not Hit With Action, Wild Cards

During the game, you may also need the luck to avoid being constantly hit with action or wild cards. If you are constantly hit by these cards, you will keep having to add cards and lose turns to play your cards out.

Your Last Card Is Playable

Suppose you have made it to Uno. Then whether you get to finish your game and win depends on whether the last card on the discard pile is playable. If not, you have to draw a card and become further away from winning.

Skill-Based Game

Those that believe Uno is a skill-based game see that a good player can use their skills to arrange cards to control gameplay. Skilled players can also minimize damage from a bad situation during a game. These skills come from playing many Uno games.

Deny Opponents To Win

A skillful Uno player would know what to do when an opponent is getting too close to or is already in Uno. Usually, a good player would always reserve a Reverse or Skip card in hand to prevent specific players from getting a chance to play out their last card.

A good player may even have some Draw and Wild Draw cards in hand to force their opponents in Uno to draw additional cards.

Self-Protection

A skill important in Uno is self-protect. For example, when reducing the cards in hand, always keep as many types of colors as possible, as it is easier to play with color suits than with numbers or symbols.

This prevents you from having to draw a card from the draw pile because you need a suitable card in hand to play.

Another key is to always be able to reverse any attempts to force you to draw, skip or reverse gameplay. A skilled player may be able to use their hands to restore game order or hit back at any player that forces them to draw.

Control Final Plays

The ultimate skill in Uno is to know how to structure cards to control the play’s final stage.

If done well, you can use your cards to deny your opponents any opportunity to play and cut you off. For example, suppose you have two cards in your hand, a Wild Double Skip and a 3 Red.

In a game of three, you can play the Wild Double Skip, meaning the game skips both your opponents and comes back to you. You then declare Uno that the new color is red, and then you play your 3 Red to win.