Tips and Strategies to Win at Uno

“The game that ends friendships” or so they say, but is that really true? Is the game of Uno that intense to the point where limits and friendships are tested?

After having been invented in the 1970s, Uno’s popularity never seemed to wane, and with the rise of social media, it experienced a rapid boost in 2017 when it seemed like everyone had been playing Uno. Simply said, it was a house favorite. It's a more relaxing and fun game than making words for Scrabble or playing Words with Friends.

For those who are familiar with how this game is played, you might already have some ideas or go-to tactics to win, but did you know that there are actually a few tried and tested strategies that are guaranteed to increase your chances of winning?

What’s the big deal?

Lately, it seems like everyone and their mother has heard of Uno, maybe even played it at some point in their lives. But what exactly is it about this game that makes it so wildly popular?

Well, for starters, Uno’s rules are pretty simple to follow along: just match the color or number of the card played before you use up all your cards. Seems simple enough right? Of course, there are other mechanics that go into the game that make it more exciting, but in its most basic form, it’s the perfect game to play on game night because it’s easy to learn, accessible, and has tons of fun!

Its entire purpose for being created was for it to be a game that everyone can play, be it children, adults, or adults versus children–everyone can play a fair game no matter the age or maturity. It is for these very reasons that Uno takes the crown for crowd favorite. If you like board games such as Uno, also check out some other board games you may enjoy playing with your family and friends.

Getting an edge over your opponents

While it was mentioned that everyone can play a fair game with Uno, there are still some strategies available you could try out to make your odds of winning even higher. However, now would be a good time to mention that there is no foolproof way to victory and it’s still largely dependent on luck since you never know how things might play out. But if you’re desperate for that win, here are 9 tips and strategies you can try the next time you find yourself playing a game of Uno.

1. Plan ahead and review all your cards.

At the start of every game, players are dealt 7 cards in total. These cards can contain regular numbered cards or some special cards. Once you receive everything, study them carefully and maybe even arrange them in your hand to make things more organized and easier to see.

This is the initial and most crucial part of your planning stage because it is here where you can plan ahead. The things you should look out for are colors that you have too much of, and any special cards such as a +4, +2, skip, reverse, and the like. Studying which cards you have will allow you to think of a strategy ahead of time.

2. Switch colors often.

Following the first tip, once you’ve gotten a peek at all your cards, it’s important to weed out all of your repeating colors. It’s always good to have a variety of colors available since it ensures that you’ll always have a card to play. With this, you can also focus on eliminating as many cards as possible.

Don’t keep too much of one color. If you do so, it limits your options as the game progresses. Say that you kept way too many yellow cards. Your opponent drops a blue 5 card, you have neither a blue nor a 5–you’re screwed. You want to avoid having to draw a card from the pile as much as possible.

3. Play your special cards smart.

In the game of Uno, aside from the regular numbered cards, there are also special cards that allow you to perform certain actions. Such cards include: Skip, Reverse, Wild Card, Draw 2 (+2), and the Wild Card Draw 4 (+4).

The Skip card makes it so that the person supposedly playing after you cannot take a turn. This is best played when the person after you only has a few cards left. By using the Skip card, you prevent them from losing even more cards, and may even throw them off the game.

Reverse cards allow you to switch the direction of the players’ turns. If your order of turns used to be clockwise, by playing the Reverse card, it will now switch to counterclockwise. This card can be handy when there’s a certain player who you want to lose a turn, but in the order that the game is going, a simple Skip card isn’t enough.

The Wild Cards allow you to switch the color that’s being followed, what’s best is that the person who dealt that card can choose whatever color they want so that it plays to their advantage.

+2s and +4s are two of the more popular cards in Uno and allow you to directly attack the person playing after you by forcing them to draw a certain number of cards. If you use a +4, not only do you make them draw 4 cards, but you can also switch the color that’s being followed in the game.

All these special cards are best-used later on in the game and should be used wisely. If you are able to time everything right, then it could just lead to your victory.

4. Keep wild cards till the end.

The wild cards (+4 and Wild Card) should be used toward the end of the game when almost everyone’s hand only has a few cards left. Keeping these wild cards, also ensures that you will always have a card to deal with during your turn.

The more the game progresses, the fewer cards you have (that is, if you’re playing smart). And the fewer cards you have, the fewer options you’ll get when your opponents drop specific cards. Saving a wild card till the end will ensure that you never have to draw from the deck and increase the number of cards you have.

5. Save your +2s and +4s.

Like with all special cards, it’s a good idea to save your +2s and +4s for specific scenarios. Say that the person after you is so close to reaching Uno, just drop that +4 you’ve been saving, and you’ve just blocked them from finishing their road to victory.

The end game is where you’ll want to use up your +2s and +4s since everyone’s getting desperate to get rid of all their cards. However, sometimes, it’s just funny seeing that one player who’s unlucky enough to just collect all cards suddenly gets dealt a +4. After all, it’s just for fun, right?

6. Get rid of all higher numbers.

Now here’s a tip for the start of the game, you want to get rid of all your higher numbers, so that includes your 6s and above.

Most people aren’t aware of this tactic, so as the game progresses and the cards that you’re putting down are all 2s and 1s, your opponents are less likely to have such low numbers within their own deck. It’s all about throwing them off their game.

7. Pay attention to your opponents.

What most people forget when following a specific strategy is that they get too focused on their own cards, so much so that they completely forget to pay attention to everyone else’s cards.

You must always be in the know of how many cards each player has left. This allows you to make the right plays and know when to put down certain special cards. There’s no point in following a strategy if you forget to keep track of everyone else’s cards.

8. Play it like it’s poker.

Sometimes, Uno can be a game of deception. You have to throw your opponents off their guard. By masking your emotions and sometimes even bluffing, you could force other players to play a certain card thinking that they’ll get you with it.

This can be best seen when using a wild card. What most people would do is switch it to a color that they have the most of in hopes to get rid of them, but what this does is just let your opponents know that you have a lot of that particular color. Because of this, they may be adamant to change the color immediately to stop you from lessening your cards even more.

9. Be careful when challenging a +4.

When playing a +4, or even a +2, be sure that it won’t come to bite you back. Stacking +4s and +2s (granted that they’re the same color) are allowed in Uno, and by stacking, it doubles the number of cards that you’ll have to pull.

Just make sure that no one else can play a +4 or a +2 lest it backfires on you.

Time to ruin some friendships!

Now that you know there are strategies that could actually help you win in the game of Uno, it’s time to invite your friends over and watch as you completely obliterate them. Impress your friends, and maybe ruin some friendships along the way, with these 9 Uno tips and strategies!

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