This game goes by a few names: Racing, Horse Race and Race Track. It is a very simple card game that involves easy betting. In this post, we’ll tell you how to play a family friendly version where we will play for bragging rights but you can play with candy or money. You can find all the variations at the bottom of the post.
Other easy card games that you might like are Haystacks, Blind Poker and Spoons.
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What You Need for Horse Race Card Game
You will need one standard deck of cards and a token for each player that is unique in some way. You will also need a paper and pen to keep score.
Setting Up Horse Race
To start, pull out all of the aces. These are the horses. Next, discard the jokers. Place the aces, or horses, in a row. Next, shuffle the rest of the cards and place seven cards in their own row at the top of the aces so that they form an L shape.
Playing Horse Race Card Game
To start, each player choses a horse to bet on. Once they have picked their horse, they place their token to the side of the horse they chose.
Now that all the bets are placed, the announcer flips over a card. The horse or ace that matches that suit moves ahead one card. For example, if the 3 of hearts is flipped over, the ace of hearts moves one spot.
To make it more fun, the announcer can call out the moves if he wishes; something like this “Heart is out of the gate and has an early lead.” The spectators can get in the game with cheers and the likes as the calls are announced.
Cards are flipped over one by one and the horse that matches the suit moves forward. This continues until one horse passes the finish line by moving past the last of the seven cards laid out.
Scoring
Points are now earned. A player who bet on the winning horse gets 25 points. If a player bet on the horse that came in second, she gets 20 points. And any players who bet on the third place horse earn 15 points.
Now all the cards, except for the aces, are reshuffled and a new set of seven cards are laid out. Players now get to choose a new horse to bet on.
Five or More Cards
When the seven cards are flipped over and there are five or more of any suit then the cards are collected, reshuffled and set out again.
Winning Horse Race Card Game
The player who gets to 100 points first is the winner.
Horse Race Card Game Variations
Different Finish Lines
In some variations of Horse Race cards there are 6, 7, or 8 cards placed down. Similarly, some games have the winning horse reach the last card not needing to pass it.
Faltering Rule
The faltering rule is when a horse is sitting on the line of a card whose rank is flipped over. The horse is said to have faltered and moves back one space. For example, if the 4 of clubs is in the seven card line up and a horse is in line with it and another 4 is turned over, then that horse needs to move back one space.
Stumbling Rule
For this variation you will need to keep in the jokers. When a joker is flipped over, then the lead horse has stumbled. You can either move ahead all other horse one spot or you can move the leader back one space.
Playing Horse Race for Money
When you play Horse Race Cards for money or other wagers, the dealer needs to announce the odds of the horses. Player then chose how much to bet on a horse. The winning horse pays out and all other bets are lost. Here are the payouts based on the cards in the seven card line up.
If there are 0 cards of the suit that wins, it pays an even 1:1
When there is 1 cards it plays 2 to 1
For 2 cards it pays 3 to 1
When there are 3 cards it pays 5 to 1
For 4 cards it pays 10 to 1
Calcutta Horse Race Cards
For this variation, the horses are auctioned off before the race starts. The first and second place horses earn money.
We Have a Winner
The Horse Race card game is fun, simple, easy and will keep players wanting more. It is perfect for players of just about any age and great for a small group.
If you like this game then be sure to check out Play or Pay, Chase the Ace and the card game Golf. And for even more fun visit our Family Game Shelf Shop for seasonal and original games, including our Whacky Putt mini golf dice game.
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