I’ve got into a craze last year, which are games played with your every day 52 card 2 joker poker deck. Everyone pretty much has ones of these laying around somewhere in your home, but that does not mean you cannot be gaming.
Because I’m mostly a solo gamer, I am just doing solo on this list. These games have to playable with an unmodified deck, and need no other components whatsoever. However, I will allow reference cards, as long as they are not part of the game itself and you could just use an online reference or whatever.
5 – Regicide
By Paul Abrahams, Luke Badger and Andy Richdale
This is the game to be blamed by the craze. It all started with Regicide. This is basically a boss battler where you are fighting the face cards using the other cards as attack. Each suit has a special power that will hit harder, defend damage, cycle your discard or draw more cards. However, each boss shuts down its own suit, so managing your resources is how you win. Or so I’ve been told, winning is not something I do a lot in this game.
Regicide has it all. It’s clever, intense and super fun. It doesn’t feel like a normal “poker deck solitaire” in the slightest, it feels like a fantasy game. The only factor that brings it down on this list is because it’s brutal.
4 – Leafbearer
By Gregg Jewell
This is actually a third step design. Gregg Jewell took another classic game, Mancala, and created Awaken the Ancients. Then, took that game and transformed into a poker deck game, and that is Leafbearer.
Each turn, like Mancala, you take all cards under one of the face cards and distribute them one at a time to the following spots. Your goal is to match the value to the face card above (11 for Jacks, 12 for Queens and 13 for Kings) with at least one matching suit. However, as soon as that happens, the card on that spot starts eating cards of the same suit played there. The goal is to heal all 8 faces, and try to have the least amount of cards eaten.
I think Mancala is a super underrated game, and this is just taking its spirit and elevating it to the max. It’s not hard to win, but quite a challenge to maximize your points, specially with the expansion.
3 – Alpine Solitaire
By Austin Palmer
For a poker deck solitaire, this game is so incredibly thematic. Every turn you have to play a sequence of cards, either ascending, same value or descending. However, each grouping of cards must be more valuable than the last, either by quantity of cards or type. If you empty your hand, you create a milestone. Create three milestones, also in ascending order, and you win. Otherwise, you draw cards depending on the suit of the last played one.
This is such a complete and well rounded game. Every aspect of gameplay feels interesting and puzzling, with so much consideration and planning needed to win. It will melt your brain and make you keep coming back to try again.
2 – The Emissary
By Wil Su
This game is a paradox. I think it might be the best design on this list in a strict sense. It’s also one that I almost never play. Like ever. Let me explain.
The Emissary is a solo trick tacking game, which is already quite unique, but it does so in a brilliant way. Every turn you go to one of the face cards, and your mission is to win tricks exactly equal to their position in line. This means that while their play is random, just a top deck, you have a huge burden of analyzing suits and probabilities, and which tricks to win or lose. It’s a fantastically rich design where there is so much to consider every single card.
Why do I never play it? Well, For Northwood exists. Wil Su got pretty much everything here, and just added some variety with your helper cards.
When I look at The Emissary, it feels like a game refined. There is very little extra or missing. I mean, it will cause you AP and fry your neurons, but the reward is just as intense.
1 – River Rats
By Mathijs Jansen and Robin Stokkel
The elevator pitch is enough. Co-op poker with special powers. If you’re not interested, you can stop right here.
In River Rats, you’re facing said rats, AKA the Kings. They have a hand of 5 face up and 2 face down cards. You (and your friends, if unlike me you have them) play cards to a common hand to try to beat them. Worst hand gets a debit, 5 debits and done. For the players, game over. For the rat, well, then comes the second one. Beat the second rat and it’s player victory.
And while that enough sounds cool, every suit of the rats adds in a new challenge. More cards, more debt or messing with your plays. Meanwhile, each suit of the cards you play also have a power, including manipulating deck, cards played or your card market. Even improved by the Ace that represents you.
To put it simply, River Rats is just a lot of fun. It takes something as familiar as poker and turns into this very interesting and intricate experience without ever losing its heart. But one thing River Rats has better than any game on this list is balance. I feel the challenge is just at a perfect point of challenging but doable.
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