UNO is played with a specific deck of 108 cards. Unlike a standard 52-card deck, this one is all about colors and numbers. The deck is split into four suits, or colors: red, yellow, green, and blue.

Most of the deck consists of numbered cards, but the Action Cards, like Draw Two, Reverse, and Skip, are what make the game unpredictable. We'll get into exactly what they do later. For now, just know they exist.

To start, one person acts as the dealer. After shuffling, they deal seven cards to each player, face down. The remaining cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form the Draw Pile a term you'll be familiar with from other card games.

Next, the dealer takes the top card from the Draw Pile and flips it face up. This single card starts a separate pile next to it, known as the Discard Pile. This is the card the first player must match.

The core of UNO is simple. The player to the left of the dealer goes first. They must play a card from their hand that matches the top card of the Discard Pile. A match can be made in one of three ways:

• By Color: If the top card is a Blue 7, you can play any blue card.
• By Number: If it's a Blue 7, you can play a 7 of any color.
• By Symbol: If it's a Green Skip card, you can play a Skip card of any color. You can also play a Wild card at any time.

What if the very first card flipped to start the Discard Pile is an Action Card? The rule is simple: its effect is applied immediately to the first player. For example, if it's a Draw Two card, the first player must draw two cards and their turn is skipped. If it’s a Wild card, the player to the dealer’s left chooses the color to start play.