Ranking America's favorite card games of 2024 

Nothing is more versatile than a pack of cards. There’s a card game for every occasion: family-friendly gatherings, road trips, a rainy day activity with the kids, game nights, or a trip to the casino. It’s practically an essential for every American household (or is it?).

But what classic card game can claim the title of America's favorite? It's a question we've set out to answer definitively.

Americans Prefer to Play Alone

While most card games are typically played together, Solitaire sits at the top of this list as America’s favorite card game by far, without much competition.
Sure, this may be because it was found on every Windows PC for 13 years, and an easy boredom-killer for kids and adults alike. Or because the rules are relatively easy to memorize. 

But the truth is probably a lot simpler, you can play it alone. 

While this may be by choice - a game of solitaire is a good mindful practice - loneliness has become a widespread issue, with 1 in 3 Americans saying they feel lonely at least once a week. 

Solitaire vs Patience

If you didn’t know, Patience is just another name for Solitaire, so you can see how much Americans just really love the game, no matter what it’s named. 
 

It’s unsurprising, given that it’s been around since the late 18th century, but what is surprising are the states using the less common, European version of the name. 

With 98% searching Solitaire and just 2% searching Patience, New York and Nevada sit at the top for Patience, perhaps these states are most influenced by our friends across the pond. 

Uno: The Modern Day Classic

Nothing says family game night like Uno, and America agrees. Despite being the newest card game on this list and first launching in a barbershop in Ohio in 1971, Uno has quickly become a favorite, taking #4 on this list. 

While it requires a specialized card deck, unlike the others on this list, that hasn’t affected its popularity. Whether it’s thanks to Mattel’s marketing or a true testament to the fun of the game, there are undoubtedly households where a deck of Uno cards has taken the place of the classic. 

Vermont is The Place for Card Games

Turns out the state of Vermont just can’t get enough of a good card game. Vermont sits near the top for 50% of the card games on our list, taking first place for many. They’re certainly not fussy when it comes to choosing a game.

Except for Blackjack, Vermont’s not a fan apparently. 

Not Everyone Plays Card Games

While you’d imagine a deck of cards to be a staple in many households, not all the states agree. 

It seems no card game has won over the hearts of people in Arkansas, Alabama, and Alaska. All three states consistently stayed at the bottom of the rankings for the majority of the games. 

The question is: what are they doing instead? 

Where’s Nevada?

Surprisingly, Nevada, home to the entertainment capital of the U.S., Las Vegas, isn’t at the top for any game. The closest it gets is Patience (#3). 

You’d expect it to be higher for Blackjack (#36) and Texas Hold Em (#5), as popular casino games, but perhaps this is due to the rising popularity of online casinos and sites like Global Poker. Or maybe everyone in Nevada already knows exactly how to play. 

Methodology

To identify which card game is the most popular in the U.S., we used Google Keyword Planner to extract search volume data for a curated selection of card-game-related keywords. 

We did this both on a country-wide level for the United States and also by state, using data between March 2022 and February 2024. 

To find each state’s favorite game, we standardized the search volume data by calculating the proportion of search volume per 100,000 people within each state's population.