Card Games vs Computer: Play Classic Card Games Against AI Opponents

What “vs computer” means here

Every seat at the table that is not yours is taken by a computer player that follows the standard rules of the game and plays a real strategy. It bids, passes, discards and plays cards on its own judgement; it takes a moment over its move so you can follow the play; and it is always ready — there is no lobby, no matchmaking and no waiting for a fourth. In the partnership games one of those computer players is on your side: in Euchre and Spades you and North play against West and East, and North is an AI partner that bids on its own hand, covers your calls and does not overtake your winning cards.

Three things are true of every opponent, at every level. It plays only legal moves. It sees only what you would see in its seat — its own hand and the cards on the table. And it never changes the deal: the shuffle is random and the same for both sides.

Which games have computer opponents

The four solitaires — Solitaire (how to play), Spider Solitaire (how to play), FreeCell (how to play), Pyramid Solitaire (how to play) — have no opponent at all. They are puzzles against the deal, with unlimited undo, a timer and personal bests instead of a difficulty menu (Spider lets you choose one, two or four suits).

The three difficulty levels

Every game with opponents offers Easy, Medium and Hard. The levels change how the computer decides, never what it is allowed to do or what it can see.

• Easy plays legally but loosely. It largely picks among its legal plays at random, with a few guard-rails — the Gin Rummy opponent still will not break up a made meld, and the Golf opponent still flips rather than throwing away a good card. It is the right level for learning the rules or for a relaxed game.
• Medium plays the sensible strategy from our guides. It discards to protect its crib in Cribbage, passes to create voids in Hearts, bids from real hand strength in Euchre and Spades, knocks when it can in Gin Rummy, and swaps on expected value in Golf. Most players find it a fair game.
• Hard adds table-craft and inference. The Cribbage opponent evaluates every discard by expected value; the Euchre maker pulls trump with a high lead while defenders refuse to lead trump; the Spades partner is more willing to go Nil when you have bid enough to cover it; the Gin Rummy opponent tracks what you pick up and avoids feeding you useful cards; and the Golf opponent watches your face-up cards, denies you pairs and races to close a hole when it is ahead.

The difficulty menu is locked while a game is in progress, so a game played on Hard was played on Hard from the first deal to the last. Your choice is remembered between visits on your device.

How the AI plays each game

We would rather describe the opponents accurately than claim they are unbeatable. Here is what each one actually does, drawn from the same strategy we teach in the guides.

• Cribbage: the opponent scores every possible keep-and-discard and keeps the best hand, giving less to your crib and more to its own; in the pegging it looks for fifteens, pairs and runs and avoids leaving the count on 5, 10 or 21. Counting is automatic and exact for both sides, so there is no muggins and nothing to miss. See Cribbage strategy.
• Hearts: the three opponents pass high cards and try to create voids, duck tricks that carry points, get rid of the Queen of Spades when it is safe to and take a cheap trick rather than a costly one. They can shoot the moon, and they will try to stop you doing it. See Hearts strategy.
• Euchre: every computer player scores its hand before ordering up or naming trump, goes alone only with a very strong hand, and observes stick-the-dealer. Your partner counts trump, leads to your calls and does not overtake a trick you are already winning. See Euchre strategy.
• Spades: bids come from hand strength — high spades, aces and kings, short suits — and the team plays to make the combined bid. Once the bid is safe the computer plays low to avoid bags. A partner who has bid Nil is covered; an opponent's Nil is attacked. See Spades strategy.
• Gin Rummy: the opponent takes the upcard when it completes or extends a meld, discards the card that leaves the least deadwood, knocks as soon as it can unless it is close to gin with stock to spare, and lays off and undercuts when you knock. On Hard it rates each discard by how likely it is to help you, based on what you have picked up and thrown away. See Gin Rummy strategy.
• Golf: the opponent estimates the value of its grid, treating its own hidden cards as unknowns, and takes the discard or draws from the stock depending on which is likely to lower its score; on Hard it also weighs what a discard would do for you and closes the hole quickly when it is ahead. See Golf strategy.

Fair play: why the computer does not cheat

“The computer cheats” is the most common complaint about card games against AI, and it is usually a feeling rather than a fact — a run of bad deals, or an opponent that played a hand better than expected. On CardCouch it is not possible by design. The AI is handed only its own hand and the public state of the table; it does not read your hand, peek at face-down cards, or know what is coming off the deck. The shuffle is a plain random shuffle made once at the start of a hand, and it is never adjusted to help or hurt either side. Scoring is exact and itemised, so you can check every point.

The flip side is also honest: the AI is good, not perfect. Hard is a strong club player that uses sound strategy and tracks what it can see. It does not search every possible line, and it can be out-thought.

Why play card games against the computer?

• No waiting. The game starts when you open the page and ends when you close it; nobody leaves mid-hand.
• Learn at your own pace. The table shows which cards you may legally play, the computer never hurries you, and Easy is forgiving while you learn a new game.
• Practise the fundamentals. Counting cribbage hands, safe discards in Gin Rummy, judging a Spades bid — the things that separate beginners from good players are all things you can drill against the AI.
• Play anywhere. The games run in the browser on a phone, tablet or desktop, and every playable card is a real button, so the keyboard works too.
• Free, with no account. Nothing to install or sign up for. Your difficulty setting is remembered on your device.

What you cannot do yet

There is no multiplayer — you cannot invite a friend or join a table with other people — and no pass-and-play for two people sharing one device. Both are on the roadmap. There is also no hint button in the games against the computer; the strategy guides are the place to go for advice, and the FreeCell and Solitaire auto-move only sends cards that are safe to the foundations. If you want a game to play with someone in the same room, our guide to card games for two players covers the classics.

Frequently asked questions