You're staring at a grid. It's late. Your coffee is cold, and there’s a stubborn five-letter gap mocking you from the center of the New York Times Wednesday puzzle. The clue? Card game. It’s annoying, isn't it?
The problem with a crossword clue card game isn't that you don't know any games. It’s that there are too many of them. English is cluttered with four-letter, five-letter, and six-letter pastimes played with a deck of fifty-two. If you don't have the crossing letters, you're basically guessing into a void. You might try "Poker." It doesn't fit. You try "Whist." Still nothing. Honestly, the frustration is real.
Crossword constructors—the people who actually build these devious little grids—love card games because they are "vowel-heavy." Words like ECARTE or LOO are goldmines for filling difficult corners. If you want to stop getting stuck, you have to stop thinking about what you play on Friday nights and start thinking about what fits a grid pattern.
The Most Common Answers for Crossword Clue Card Game
Let's get the short ones out of the way. If you have a three-letter space, 90% of the time, the answer is LOO. Nobody actually plays Loo anymore. It’s an old British trick-taking game that involves a "pam" (the jack of clubs), but it survives almost exclusively in the world of crosswords. If it isn't Loo, it might be GIN, though usually, a constructor will specify "Gin ____" to make it easier.
Four-letter options are where things get competitive. FARO is a huge favorite. It was a massive gambling game in the Old West—think Tombstone or Deadwood—but now it mostly lives in the NYT archives. Then you’ve got SKAT. It’s German. It uses a 32-card deck. It’s also a frequent flyer in puzzles because of that "K" and "T" combo.
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Don't forget UNO. It's the most common "non-standard deck" answer. If the clue mentions "colorful" or "family," write in UNO and move on.
The Five-Letter Heavy Hitters
When you hit five letters, you’re usually looking at POKER or WHIST. Whist is the ancestor of Bridge. It’s classic, elegant, and shows up in 19th-century novels and Monday puzzles alike.
However, if the clue feels a bit more "refined" or European, the answer is often BEZIQUE. Or maybe CANOTTA. Just kidding—it's CANASTA. Canasta was a global craze in the 1950s. It uses two decks and four jokers. Because it has three A's, constructors use it to link long vertical words.
Then there is EUCHRE. If you’re from the Midwest, you know this game. If you aren't, you only know it because of the Sunday Crossword. It’s a trick-taking game where the "Bower" is the top trump.
Why Do These Specific Games Keep Appearing?
It’s about letter frequency.
In the world of "Cruciverbalism" (the fancy word for crossword building), some words are just better than others. A word like ECARTE is a six-letter gift from the gods. It starts and ends with E, has a C, an A, an R, and a T. Those are some of the most common letters in the English language.
ECARTE is a two-player game from 19th-century France. You’ll almost never hear someone at a bar say, "Hey, want to play a round of Ecarte?" But you’ll see it in a Will Shortz-edited puzzle at least once every few months.
The "Trick-Taking" Trap
Many clues will specify a "trick-taking" card game. This is a specific mechanic. If you see that phrase, ignore Poker. Ignore Rummy. You are looking for:
- BRIDGE (The king of them all)
- HEARTS (The one with the Queen of Spades)
- PITCH
- NAP (Short for Napoleon)
If the clue mentions "gambling," your brain should immediately pivot to FARO, MONTE, or BACCARAT.
Beyond the Standard Deck
Sometimes the crossword clue card game isn't about Spades and Hearts.
We already mentioned UNO, but keep an eye out for SET. It’s a three-letter game about pattern recognition. There’s also WAR, though that’s usually considered too simple for a high-level puzzle unless the constructor is desperate for a three-letter filler.
Recently, we’ve seen more modern references. MAGIC (as in Magic: The Gathering) has started to creep into the "Indie" crossword scene, like the puzzles found in The New Yorker or AV Club. These puzzles cater to a younger, more "online" demographic. If the clue mentions "Gathering" or "Trading cards," that’s your huckleberry.
How to Solve a "Card Game" Clue Without Brute Force
I’ve been doing these puzzles for years, and the best advice is to look at the crossings. If the second letter of your five-letter card game is an 'O', it’s probably POKER or MONTE. If the last letter is an 'A', think CANASTA.
But what if you’re totally blanking?
Look for keywords in the clue itself.
- "Old" or "Ancient": Look for LOO, WHIST, or FARO.
- "French": ECARTE, BELOTE, or BACCARAT.
- "For two": GIN, BEZIQUE, or CRIBBAGE (though Cribbage is long).
- "Stakes": ANTE, which isn't a game, but is the most common "card game" related word in crosswords.
Honestly, sometimes the "game" isn't a game at all. Sometimes the clue "Card game" is actually a "hidden-in-plain-sight" trick. Is the answer DEALING? Is it SHUFFLE? If the word length is long, like 7 or 8 letters, you might be looking for an action rather than a title.
The Infamous "Skat" and "Skoal" Confusion
Don't confuse your card games with your toasts. SKAT is the game. SKOAL (or Skol) is what you say when you clink glasses. I’ve seen people tank an entire Saturday puzzle because they put "Skoal" in a spot where "Skat" belonged. Don't be that person.
The Ultimate Cheat Sheet for Length
Since grids are defined by space, here is how the most common answers break down.
3 Letters
- LOO: The crossword classic.
- GIN: Often part of "Gin Rummy."
- WAR: The simplest game.
4 Letters
- SKAT: German, 32 cards.
- FARO: Wild West gambling.
- WHIST: Precursor to Bridge.
- BRAG: An old British game similar to Poker.
- SOLO: A variation of Whist.
5 Letters
- POKER: The obvious choice.
- EUCHRE: Midwestern favorite with Bauers.
- MONTE: As in "Three-card Monte."
- RUMMY: Usually has many variations.
- PITCH: Also known as Setback.
6 Letters
- ECARTE: French, two players, very common in puzzles.
- BRIDGE: The ultimate trick-taking game.
- HEARTS: Avoid the Queen of Spades.
- CANASTA: Mid-century classic.
7+ Letters
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- CRIBBAGE: Uses a board with pegs.
- BACCARAT: James Bond’s favorite.
- PINOCHLE: Uses a special 48-card deck.
- SOLITAIRE: Also called "Patience" in the UK.
Nuance Matters: The "British" Factor
If you are doing a cryptic crossword or a puzzle from a British outlet like The Guardian, the answers shift. You’re more likely to see PATIENCE instead of Solitaire. You might see PONTOON instead of Blackjack.
In American puzzles, "Blackjack" is rarely the answer because it’s long and has a 'J'. Instead, the answer is usually TWENTY ONE or just VET (short for Vingt-et-un).
Misconceptions About "Card Game" Clues
Most people think they need to be a Vegas pro to solve these. You don't. You just need to know the "Crosswordese" vocabulary. Crosswordese is that specific set of words that rarely appear in real life but appear constantly in puzzles because they have high vowel counts.
LOO is the king of Crosswordese. OMERTA is another one (though not a card game). If you memorize the list above, you’ll solve 95% of these clues without ever having to pick up a deck of cards.
Another misconception? That the clue is always a noun. Sometimes "Card game" might be clued as "Player at a table," leading to DEALER. Or "Card game need," leading to DECK or PACK. Always stay flexible. If "Poker" doesn't fit, maybe the answer is BLUFF.
Actionable Strategy for Your Next Puzzle
The next time you see a crossword clue for a card game, follow this specific order of operations to save your sanity:
- Count the squares first. Don't even think of a game until you know the length.
- Check for "vowel-bait." If the squares are _ _ _ _ E, and it’s a French game, it’s almost certainly ECARTE.
- Look for "regionalisms." If the clue mentions Germany, it’s SKAT. If it mentions the Old West, it’s FARO.
- Consider the "Action." If no game fits, try words like DEAL, SHUFFLE, ANTE, or CUT.
- Use a solver as a last resort. If you’re truly stuck, sites like Crossword Tracker or Rex Parker’s blog can show you how that specific clue has been used historically.
The goal isn't just to find the word; it’s to understand the "meta" of the constructor. They aren't trying to test your knowledge of 18th-century gambling; they’re trying to see if you know the secret language of the grid. Master these few dozen words, and you’ll never be intimidated by a blank corner again.
Keep a small list of these "Crosswordese" games in your notes app. Within three or four puzzles, you won't even need the list anymore. You'll see "Three-letter card game" and your hand will reflexively write "LOO" before your brain even processes the question. That’s when you know you’ve officially become a pro.