UNO: How to Play, Official Rules, and House Rules

(Reference: toymagic.com.mt)

UNO is a globally popular card game published by the American toy company Mattel. In Korea, it’s widely known both as a children’s English-learning tool and as a family game. But did you know the house rules that many of us play with can be very different from the official rules?

This page provides a detailed introduction to UNO’s card types and the proper gameplay according to the official rulebook. It also clarifies common house rules, so you can enjoy UNO both correctly and with more fun.

What Is UNO? Origins

UNO is a simple game for two or more players. The deck consists of four colors—red, yellow, green, and blue—number cards (0–9), and several action cards.

Invented in the United States in 1971 as a simpler version of traditional card games, UNO soon spread worldwide. The name “UNO” comes from the Italian word for the number one.

Today, UNO is produced and sold by Mattel, one of the largest global toy companies. It has become a game that anyone—young or old—can enjoy with ease.

UNO Official Rules

(Reference: wikiHow)

First, let’s take a look at UNO’s basic rules.

Game Setup

  • Players: 2–10 players.
  • Objective: The first player to get rid of all their cards wins the round.
  • Dealer selection: Shuffle the deck. Each player draws one card; the highest number deals (cards with symbols count as zero).
  • Dealing cards: Each player receives 7 cards. Place the remaining cards face down to form the draw pile. Turn over the top card to start the discard pile.
  • If the first card is Wild Draw Four, shuffle it back and flip a new card.
  • If it’s Reverse (the dealer plays first and play goes to the right), Skip (the first player is skipped), or Wild (the player to the dealer’s left chooses the starting color), apply that effect.

How to Begin

Play begins with the player to the dealer’s left and proceeds clockwise. On your turn, match the color, number, or symbol; if you can’t play, draw one card—if it’s playable, you may play it immediately.

If the Draw pile is depleted, reshuffle the Discard pile (leaving the top card) to form a new Draw pile and continue.

Playing Cards

(Reference: wikiHow)

You must play either a card of the same color or the same number (or action symbol) as the top of the discard pile.

For example, if the discard pile shows a blue 4, you may play any blue card or any 4, regardless of color.

UNO Special Rule: Calling “UNO”

  • When you play your next-to-last card, you must call ‘UNO’ to signal that you have one card left.
  • If you forget to call UNO and another player catches you before the next turn begins, you must draw 2 cards as a penalty.
  • If no one notices before the next player plays, you continue without penalty.

The first player to play all their cards wins the round. This is the basic gameplay, but the full rules are more detailed.

https://uno-rule.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mattel-UNO-Rule.pdf

Scoring System: How to Win the Game

According to Mattel’s official instructions, when a player goes out, they score points equal to the total value of all cards remaining in other players’ hands. The first player to reach 500 points wins the game.

In other words, the game continues for multiple rounds until someone reaches 500 points. Winning quickly is helpful, but it’s also strategic to end the round when opponents still hold many high-value cards, maximizing your score.

Card Values

The point values for each type of card are as follows.

  • Number cards (0–9): the printed number is the point value.
  • Action cards (Skip, Reverse, Draw Two): 20 points each
  • Wild/Wild Draw Four, Wild Shuffle Hands, Wild Customizable: 50 points each

UNO Card Types and Meanings

The official deck (Shuffle Hands edition) has 112 cards: 76 number cards; 8 each of Draw Two/Reverse/Skip; 4 Wild; 4 Wild Draw Four; 1 Wild Shuffle Hands; 3 Wild Customizable. For a classic 108-card setup, remove the 1 Shuffle Hands and 3 Customizable cards.

Because UNO is popular worldwide, there are many special editions and spin-offs, such as UNO Flip, UNO Quatro, UNO DOS, UNO Flex, UNO Dragon Ball, and UNO Marvel.
If you’d like to see an intense UNO no mercy, check out this video:

Number Cards (0–9)

There are 76 number cards in total. Since most of the deck is made up of numbers, these cards form the core of strategy and play.

Originally, only the number 6 had an underline for clarity. Today, both 6 and 9 are underlined to avoid confusion.

Action Cards

Typically, each color has 2 of Draw Two/Reverse/Skip (8 each per type) and there are 4 Wilds, plus 1 Wild Shuffle Hands and 3 Wild Customizable in the standard 112-card deck.

Now, let’s introduce the meaning of each special card along with images!

Skip

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  • When a Skip card is played, the next player cannot play a card, and play immediately passes to the following player.
  • If a Skip is the starting card, the first player is skipped.
  • In a two-player game, playing a Skip means the player immediately gets another turn, allowing them to play again consecutively.

Draw Two

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  • One of UNO’s signature attack cards is the Draw Two. Just as its name suggests, when this card is played, the player to the left (the next in turn) must draw 2 cards from the draw pile.
  • After drawing, they lose their turn, and play passes to the following player.

Reverse

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  • Reverses the direction of play. If the game was moving clockwise, it now moves counterclockwise.
  • In a two-player game, Reverse functions the same as Skip, allowing the player to go again.

Wild

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  • You may play a Wild on your turn even if you have another playable card; you choose the color that continues play.
  • The player who plays it chooses the next color.

Wild Draw Four

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  •  Changes color and makes the next player draw 4 cards.
  • You may play WDF only if you do not have a card that matches the current color (you may still play it even if you have a matching number or Action card).
  • Only the next player may challenge a Wild Draw Four. You may play WDF only if you don’t have a card matching the current color (having a matching number or Action card is allowed). If you’re guilty, you draw 4; if you’re innocent, the challenger draws 6
Challenge (Challenge) Rule

If the previous player played Draw Four and you suspect, “Did this person ignore the rules? That’s a foul,” then shout “Challenge!!”, and the person who played Wild Draw Four must show all their cards.

  • What to verify: Check whether the player who just played Wild Draw Four had any card of the current color in their hand.
  • Method: Only the next player may challenge the WDF.  Once a challenge is declared, the player who laid the card must reveal their entire hand for review.
  • Judgment and penalties:
    • Violation (condition not met) → The player who played Wild Draw Four draws 4 cards and passes the turn.
    • Legal (condition met) → The player who issued the challenge draws 6 cards (4 basic + 2 penalty) and passes the turn.
Situation–Outcome
  • Condition violated (foul) + successful challenge → The player who played Wild Draw Four draws 4 cards.
  • Condition met (legal) + failed challenge → The challenger draws 6 cards (basic 4 + 2 penalty).
  • No challenge → The next player draws 4 cards and their turn ends.

Wild Shuffle Hands

(Reference: Uno Rules – Skip Bo Regular)

  • Playable at any time; allows you to choose the next color.
  • Collect EVERY player’s hand, shuffle them all together, then deal all cards out starting with the player to your left until no cards remain (some players may end up with more or fewer cards).
  • It’s a Wild, so you may play it on your turn even if you have another playable card, and you choose the color to continue.

This prevents one player from gaining too strong an advantage and can be used strategically when your hand is weak.

Wild Customizable 

These rules add creativity, but they should remain fun and fair for everyone.

  • Write a custom rule on the blank line with a pencil (erasable).
  • By agreement, it applies as written (typically to the next player), and failure to comply results in drawing 1 card.
  • It’s a Wild: playable on your turn; you choose the next color.

Unofficial (House) Rules

Though UNO has official rules, many groups use house rules. Here are some popular ones.

Last Player Holding Cards Loses

Instead of playing to 500 points, some groups simply declare the last player holding cards the loser. This is simpler for games with young children since no score is needed.

Playing Multiple Cards

Some house rules allow players to lay down multiple cards of the same number at once. This speeds up the game but changes strategy, so players must agree beforehand.

  • Example: if the discard pile shows blue 8, you may play yellow 8, red 8, and green 8 together.

Draw Stacking

  • Official rules: a Draw Two means the next player must draw 2 and skip.
  • House rule: the next player may “stack” their own Draw Two, passing 4 to the next, and so on. This can create massive draw penalties.

But officially, stacking is not allowed—you may only play one card per turn.

No Action Cards at the End

Officially, you can end the game with an action card. Some house rules forbid ending with cards like Wild, Draw Two, or Draw Four for balance reasons.

UNO FAQ — Playing It Right

Q. When do you calculate scores?
 A. After a player goes out. Everyone reveals their remaining cards, and points are calculated immediately.

Q. Are there alternatives to 500 points?
 A. Some groups set different targets, or play 5 rounds and award victory to the player with the highest total score. Action cards (special cards) are treated as 0.

UNO Top 5 Series

If you enjoy UNO and want variety, try these editions:

  • UNO FLIP!: Double-sided cards with a “dark side” that changes the flow of play.
  • UNO Attack Extreme: An automatic card dispenser adds tension with unpredictable draws.
  • UNO Party: Supports more players and adds special cards for a party atmosphere.
  • UNO DOS: A spinoff where players can play two cards at once, introducing new mechanics.
  • UNO Quatro: A Pokémon-themed variant popular among children.

Partner Sites

We collaborate with international UNO communities to expand the fan base. For more information, check out these sites: