The Uno game is one of the most popular family card games. How many times have you strolled down the game aisle in the supermarket to find out there are endless variations of Uno? Today, we will focus on Black Uno – and how to play it.
Black UNO is a variation on UNO combined with black trivia. A dedicated deck is available for purchase, though players could create their own trivia cards with custom UNO blank cards. Black UNO trivia is available in the Google Play and Apple App stores via the Black UNO app.
The beauty of the Uno game is that there are over 500+ versions for children, families, teenagers, and adults. Black Uno is for everyone who likes to spice the game up with black trivia questions or for those looking for a way to learn about and/or appreciate black culture.
How Do You Play an Uno Black Card Game?
Black Uno is a card game mixed with black trivia for education and culture. The game rules aren’t difficult; they are easy to follow. The following guidelines will explain how to play Black Uno step by step.
Game set up – Shuffle the deck
This one is obvious, but don’t forget to shuffle the cards—deal seven cards to each player. The players should keep the cards face down.
Deal the cards – create a draw pile
The rest of the cards are on the table, facing down in a pile. This will be the draw pile for the players.
Start the game by turning over the top card from the draw pile.
Start playing
The game starts clockwise. The player lays down the card that matches the word, color, symbol, or number of the card turned over from the previous step.
For instance, if the top card is a five in green, the player can play any card green in color or with the number five on it. The player puts the card in the discard pile.
Can’t play? Draw a card
If the player has no card matching the top card, they must take the card from the draw pile. The player can play that card right away if the match is good. If the card doesn’t match the top, the next player can take their turn.
Trick cards
Black Uno card decks have trick cards which make the game more interesting. We will return to trick cards in the next section.
How to win
The game is played until one of the players has one card left. When that happens, the player has to say, “Black Uno.” If the player doesn’t say it, they will be penalized if the other players call them out.
The player has to draw a card and is not allowed to exit the game. It seems silly to think someone will forget they have one card left in their hands, but it happens often.
When the player calls “Black Uno” and plays the last card, they win the game.
How Is Black Uno Different From Regular Uno?
Black Uno is different from regular Uno because there is the option to answer the black trivia question when a Black Power card is played. The easiest way to incorporate the trivia questions into Black Uno is to download and use the Black Power Card Uno app.
Regular Uno doesn’t have the option to answer any kind of trivia questions. This is why Black Uno is so innovative.
The original Uno card game was invented in 1971 by barber Merle Robbins. He enjoyed playing cards with his family, particularly the crazy eights game.
The crazy eight rules were a little difficult for him to understand, so he tweaked the rules a little bit, and the Uno card game was born.
Original Uno is a fun and interesting card game for children and adults. The rules are easy to follow. The main goal in regular Uno (in all versions of Uno, hence the name) is to get rid of all cards in our hands. When we have only one card in our hand, we have to say “Uno.”
The dealer deals seven cards to each player. The remaining cards are put on the table as the draw pile. The top card from the draw pile is turned over. Then, the game starts clockwise.
The player must lay down the card that matches the top card in color or number. If they don’t have the matching card, they must take a card from the draw pile until they get a match.
As we can see, the rules of regular Uno are similar to Black Uno. But Black Uno has some cards that regular Uno does not. Check out the next section to find out more.
What Do the Black Uno Cards Mean?
The Black Uno card game is unique and has its own cards. If a player plays the Black Power card, the next person has two options: to draw a certain number of cards or to answer a black trivia question through the Black Uno Power Card mobile app.
Read on to find out what Black Uno cards mean.
Draw 2 card
This card means what it says. If the player plays this card, we must draw two cards. This is a very sneaky move because the game’s main goal is to get rid of all cards.
Skip card
If the player plays this card, the next player in line loses their turn to play; the player is skipped over.
Reverse card
If the player plays this card, it reverses the game’s direction. For example, if we played to the right, with the reverse card, we play to the left.
Switch card
If the player plays the Switch card, they can choose the next color for the play. Here is a tip: we can play the Switch card anytime during our turn.
Wild card
The Wild card allows us to change the color that is being played to any color of our choosing.
Wild draw 4 card
The Wild Draw four card is wild indeed. It allows us to choose the next color and obliges the next player to draw four cards from the draw pile and skips their turn.
Also, we can only play this card if we don’t have the matching card of the previously played card.
Trade hands card
The Trade Hands card means players can trade hands with any player they choose.
Black Power card
If the player plays the Black Power card, the next player has two options: to draw a certain number of cards or to answer a black trivia question through the Black Uno Power Card mobile app.
The app is available for download in both the Google Play and Apple App stores.
The game creators recommend going through the questions in order and not skipping any. We think it’s a solid recommendation.
Can You Finish Uno With a Black Card?
We can finish a Black Uno game with a black card. In any Uno card game, a player can finish it with the so-called action card. If the player finishes the game with the Draw 2 or 4 cards, the next player has to draw the cards.
Can You Stack Black Cards in Uno?
Stacked drawn cards are called a stack attack. For example, when people play any version of Uno, they can allow stacking Draw 2 or 4 cards. Stacking Draw 2 or 4 cards is part of house rules, not the official Uno rules.
When playing Black Uno, agree beforehand on the rules. Usually, this is how we play: if a player throws a Draw 2 card, and the second player plays the Draw 4 card. This means the third player has to draw six cards.
This process continues until the player decides to draw the cards or answer the black trivia question.
If the question is answered correctly, the player who threw the last card must draw the notated number of cards.
Can Anyone Play Black Uno?
Anyone who enjoys Uno combined with black trivia can play Black Uno. The only rule is to have fun. Ideally, players will also learn some new facts and appreciate Black culture.
Black Uno is played with a mobile app. If we want to experience the full potential of the game, we will have to download the Black Uno Power Card app so we can have the option of answering the trivia question.
The Black Uno app is free; you can download it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. When we buy the Black Uno cards, instructions on how to do it are included.
When they find out they have to download an app to play Black Uno, most people get discouraged, which is silly. We have many apps on our phones, and the Black Uno app is necessary for playing the game.
The Black Uno Power Card app has hundreds of questions and is constantly updated. Black Uno is a card game with a twist. We recommend trying it!
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
The Black Uno version is a level-up card game because it allows you to learn more about black trivia culture in a fun and relaxed way. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is or isn’t. Anyone can enjoy learning about and appreciating this rich, nuanced, and beautiful culture. All cultures have beauty if we’ll just look for it.
The Black Uno rules we discussed here are more guidelines than rules. Before playing, agree on the rules beforehand and let the games begin!
This is an especially great game for kids. They frequently decide to answer the trivia question rather than draw a card. So it’s a great way to add some education and history to a card game.
Here is some further reading on fun ways to play Uno, plus a few more we listed below. Have fun!
- Custom UNO Card Ideas (17 Creative Tips and Ideas!)
- Can You Play Doubles in UNO? (Read This First!)
- How Do Challenges Work in UNO? (3+ Challenges to Know About!)
Resources
Learning from your own experience is important, but learning from others is also smart. These are the sources used in this article and our research to be more informed as gamers.
- “Game Rules / FAQ.” Black Uno, www.blackunocards.com/game-rules-faq. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.
- “UNO Rules.” Black Everywhere, www.blackeverywhere.com/uno. Accessed 26 Sept. 2022.
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