Family Card Games To Play On Vacation

One of my favorite go-to activities when I travel with my family is to find a relaxing seating area at the hotel and play card games with my family. My Gujarati bloodline has definitely pushed me toward this passion. While I also own a standard deck of cards, the one you normally use when playing poker,  I'm also very proud of my special set of cards: the beautiful Ganjifa. I've inherited these special cards from my grandfather and I absolutely adore the gorgeous Dashavatar designs on them. I even did a little research and found out they were originally made of tortoiseshells, nacre, and ivory. Mine have beautiful Indian zodiac motifs and bright colors on them and they are made of paper and wood.
On rainy days or lazy weekends when there isn't much to do, I enjoy playing a few fun games of Ganjifa with the family.
 

How We Play Ganjifa

If you ask me, it's a whole ritual. An ancient one that makes me feel closer to my ancestors every time I play. I swear I suddenly feel all this positive energy taking over once I pull out the special clean white cloth from the drawer and place it on the floor. This is part of the ritual, as the game is played on the floor with all players seated on a white cloth. The game is played by 3 players in a counter-clockwise direction. Basically, to win the game, you need to win more cards than the cards that have been dealt, which are 40+ cards at the end of the Ganjifa game.

Other Card Games I Like To Play On Vacation

When we relax at the hotel after a full day of travelling, or even when I’m at home feeling bored, I gather the family and see who's up for a fun game of Rummy, Sic Bo or Poker, but we usually end up playing Teen Patti. Much like the Australians are known for their deep-rooted "pokies" culture, India is a country of Teen Patti and Andar Bahar even so much that Indian casinos have created digital versions of the games. The habit of playing Indian card games almost means becoming one with the cards, transcending into a parallel universe of numbers, symbols, simple or complex calculations, predictions, skills, and strategies. I love every ounce of it!

Why I Love Rummy A Good Game Of Rummy

You need to gather four people to play the game, which automatically means I will ask my parents to join me, and maybe a cousin or a friend who would happen to drop by unexpectedly, as one does. Rummy is a real mood changer, trust me on this one. It's in the way you soak in the energy of other people near you while clearing your head for half an hour or more. It's in the way you need to focus on beating the other players while cracking jokes and feeling all the tension magically leaving your body.

Each of the players receives 10 cards. The remaining deck will be left in the middle of the table or the floor – we prefer laying down on the floor, sitting on cozy cushions. We make 3 decks of cards: one with the 3 three Jacks, one with the 3 Aces, and the last one with four consecutive cards belonging to the same suit. Each player needs to pick a card to complete the deck. If the player decides the picked card could be useful, they will add it to create a set, while placing the unnecessary cards in the deck in the middle of the table. The first player to complete three sets is the winner.

Satte pe Satta

This translates to “7 on 7” and it is frankly one of the simplest games to play when you are not really in the mood to sweat behind the cards, but you also want to have some fun. I usually stick to only 3 players to simplify things. Each of the players receives a set of random cards from the 52 cards in the standard deck. The player who owns the 7 of hearts will start the game. The next player is allowed to play a 6 or an 8 of hearts or start with a 7 from a different set. If a player has 7 of clubs, diamonds, or spades, they are not able to pass their turn. Each player needs to keep going, playing their card, and each set needs to be completed starting with the Ace and all the way up to the King. The player who managed to finish a set first is the winner.

In my household, the winner of a card game usually receives a bowl of fresh laddu and gets to pick the next Bollywood film to watch!