Game rules

Below are the official rules for each game or, where no official rules exist, the most widely played version. Each page explains how to play and ends with a summary of how the game works on Selminha.com.

Card games

Sueca Rules: How to Play the Portuguese Partnership Card Game
Sueca rules, the classic Portuguese card game: the 40-card deck, card values, trump, following suit, scoring, the clean sweep and reneging. Play free.
Truco Rules: How to Play Paulista, Mineiro and Argentine Truco
How to play truco, the Brazilian and Argentine card game: top cards (manilhas), calling truco, the hand of eleven, envido and flor. Play free with friends.
Hearts Rules: How to Play and Dodge the Points
Hearts card game rules: passing, the 2 of clubs lead, breaking hearts, the queen of spades, how to shoot the moon and playing to 100. Play free.
Spades Rules: How to Play Partnership Spades
Spades rules for partners: bidding, Nil and Blind Nil, spades as trump, bags, scoring to 500, renege penalties and common tournament rules. Play free.
Crazy Eights Rules: How to Play, Draw and Keep Score
How to play Crazy Eights: match suit or rank, wild eights, the draw pile, blocked games, scoring and action cards. Play free online with friends.
Pife and Cacheta Rules: How to Play Brazilian Rummy
How to play Pife and Cacheta, two classic Brazilian rummy games: sets and runs, drawing and discarding, going out, the wild card and lives. Play free.
Escoba Rules: How to Play, Capture Cards and Keep Score
How to play Escoba, the card game of making 15: card values, capturing, sweeps, playing in teams and scoring each round. Play free with friends.
Solitaire Rules: Klondike, FreeCell and Spider
Solitaire rules for Klondike: the layout, draw 1 or draw 3, building the foundations and standard scoring, plus FreeCell and Spider rules. Play free.

Board games

Domino Rules: How to Play Dominoes, Go Out and Keep Score
Domino rules for 2, 3 or 4 players: the 28 tiles and blanks, how many tiles to draw, who leads, passing, blocked games and scoring. Play dominoes free.
Checkers Rules: American Checkers and Other Variants
Checkers rules: how pieces move, forced jumps, double jumps, king rules, who can jump a king, draws and tournament play, plus other variants. Play free.
Chess Rules: The FIDE Laws of Chess Explained
Official chess rules (FIDE): how each piece moves, castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate, stalemate, draws and the clock. Then play free online.
Backgammon Rules: From the Setup to the Doubling Cube
Backgammon rules: 15 checkers each and the setup, moving, doubles, hitting blots, the bar, bearing off, the doubling cube and gammons. Play free online.
Tic-Tac-Toe Rules: How to Play, Win and Tie
Tic-tac-toe rules: the 3x3 grid, X and O, who goes first, the eight winning lines, the cat's game and a strategy that never loses. Play free online.
Sea Battle Rules: The Fleet, Firing and How to Win
Sea Battle rules for the classic paper game: the 10x10 grid, the five ships, placing them, hit, miss and sunk, the salvo variant and tips. Play free.

Casino games (play chips, no real money)

Blackjack Rules: How to Play Casino 21
Blackjack rules as casinos play them: card values, when to hit or stand, double down, split, insurance, surrender, soft 17 and payouts. Play free online.
Baccarat Rules: How Punto Banco Works
Baccarat rules (punto banco): card values, naturals, the third card rule, payouts, no-commission tables and the squeeze. Then play free online.
Queen High Poker Rules: Ante, Play and Pair or Better
Queen High Poker rules: Ante and Play, when to fold, the dealer qualifying with queen high, hand rankings, Pair or Better payouts and the Ante bonus. Play free.
Video Poker Rules: Jacks or Better
Video poker rules for Jacks or Better: hold and draw, the winning hands, how to read the 9/6 paytable, the Royal Flush bonus, payback and tips. Play free.
Roulette Rules: Bets, Payouts and the Zero
Roulette rules for European and American wheels: straight up, split, street, corner, dozens, columns, every payout, the zero and la partage. Play free.
Craps Rules: The Come-Out Roll, the Point and Every Bet
Casino craps rules: the come-out roll, the point, Pass Line and Don't Pass, odds, Field, place bets, hardways, payouts and house edge. Play free.

Sports

Pool Rules: The Official Rules of 12 Games
Official pool rules from the WPA: table, balls, fouls, 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, Straight Pool, One-Pocket, Blackball, Heyball and more. Play free.
Bowling Rules: The Lane, Scoring and Fouls
Official bowling rules: how to keep score with strikes and spares, the 10th frame, the lane, pins and ball, fouls, dead balls and splits. Play free online.

Puzzles

Peg Solitaire Rules: How to Jump and End With One Peg
Peg solitaire rules: the 33-hole English board and 37-hole European board, how pegs jump, the central game, classic shapes and tips to end with one peg.
Tower of Hanoi Rules: How to Play and Solve It in the Fewest Moves
Tower of Hanoi rules: three pegs, one disk at a time, never a larger disk on a smaller one, minimum moves (2^n - 1) and how to solve it. Play free.