Overview
UNO Flip is a card game played similarly to the original UNO but with a flip element added. There are two sides to the card deck in UNO Flip and both sides can be used in play. One side of UNO Flip cards is light, while the other is dark. Play starts on the light side and flips to the dark side when a player plays a FLIP card. Play continues on the dark side until another FLIP card is played after which it switches to the light side. The game is played in rounds and continues until a player scores a total of 500 points.
Objective
Get rid of your cards quickly in each round and score points. The first player to achieve a total of 500 points wins.
Uno Flip Rules
Play starts on the light side unless the first card of the discard pile is a Flip Card in which case play starts on the dark side.
“Action cards” trigger specific action(s) in the game which must be executed.
Playing a Wild 2 Card or a Wild Colour Card illegally attracts punishment. These cards can only be played if the player has no other card that matches the last played card in colour. If a player suspects they are a victim of any of these cards illegally, they can challenge the player that played the card. The challenged player must show their cards to the challenger to verify that indeed they have no matching card(s). If the card was played illegally, the challenged player will suffer the action triggered by the card. If the play is legal, the punishment is increased for the challenger. Instead of drawing 2 cards, they must draw 4 if the card played was a Wild 2 Card. In the case of a Wild Colour Card, the challenger will draw cards until they match the colour chosen by the challenged player and must also draw an extra 2 cards after.
A player down to their last card must announce to the others by saying “UNO”, failure to do so will lead to the player drawing two cards from the draw pile.
Number of Players Needed
At least 2 players are needed to play but up to 10 players can play a game of UNO Flip.
Equipment
UNO Flip card deck
Pen and Paper for keeping a record of scores.
Setting Up
Ensure all the cards in the deck face the same direction since there are two sides to the UNO Flip card. The light side can be faced-up while the dark side is faced-down or vice-versa, just make sure all the cards are consistent whichever way you choose to arrange them. Once this is settled, shuffle the cards and have each player draw a card from the deck. Each player will then reveal the light side of their drawn card and the player with the highest number becomes the dealer.
The dealer reshuffles the cards and deals 7 cards to each player. Players hold their cards with the light side facing them and the dark side facing opponents. Remember the game starts with the light side so you must ensure this side of your cards is not seen by your opponents. The remaining cards after the dealer has shared 7 cards to each player form the draw pile. The cards in the draw pile are placed on the table with the light side faced-down and the dark side facing up.
The dealer picks the top card of the draw pile and flips it over to reveal its light side. This card begins a discard pile and the game can be started.
How to Play Uno Flip
Players take turns to play a card on the discard pile beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. The card played by any player must match the current top card of the discard pile by colour, number or symbol. If a player is unable to play a card on the discard pile, they must draw a card from the draw pile. If the card they drew can be played, they are allowed to play it in that same turn if not, their turn ends. The symbols represent “Action cards” of which there are several of them and vary depending on the side of the card being played.
On the light side, we have the following “Action cards”: Draw One Card, Flip Card, Reverse Card, Skip Card, Wild Card, and Wild Draw 2 Card. The dark side has the following action cards: Flip Card, Reverse Card, Draw Five Card, Skip Everyone Card, Wild Card, and Wild Draw Colour Card. Each Action Card triggers specific action(s) in the game. The function of each “Action card” is explained below.
Draw One Card
Once this card is played, the next player must draw one card from the draw pile and miss their turn. This means the next player will only draw a card from the draw pile and must not play any card on the discard pile. If this card turns up as the first card of the discard pile, the starting player must draw a card from the draw pile and miss their turn. The Draw One Card is available only on the light side of the UNO Flip card and can only be played on another card with the same colour as it or on another Draw One Card.
Reverse Card
In UNO Flip. When a Reverse Card is played, the direction of play reverses. For example, if play was going from left to right and the Reverse Card is played, the direction of play changes and goes from right to left and vice versa. If this card happens to be the first card of the discard pile, play starts with the dealer and moves to the right rather than to the left. This card is available both on the light and dark sides and can be played either on another card of the same color as it or on another Reverse Card.
Skip Card
The Skip Card simply skips the next player making them lose their turn. Once the Skip Card is played, the next player must forfeit their turn without taking any other action and play continues. If the Skip Card starts the discard pile, the player to the left of the dealer loses their turn and the player next to them begins play. This card may only be played on another Skip Card or on a card of matching color. It is available only on the light side of the UNO Flip card deck.
Wild Card
The Wild Card allows you to choose the color that continues play from that point. For example, if a blue card was in play before the Wild Card was played, the player that played the Wild Card is allowed to continue play with any card color including blue. Note that the Wild Card can be played on any card. If the first card of the discard pile is a Wild Card, the player on the left of the dealer is free to start play with any card. The Wild Card is available on both sides of the UNO Flip card.
Wild Draw 2 Card
The Wild Draw 2 Card is similar to the Wild Card but with an extra function. This card not only allows the player that played it to determine the colour that continues play but also punishes the next player. The next player after the player that played a Wild Draw 2 Card must draw 2 cards from the draw pile and forfeit their turn. However, there is a catch. A Wild Draw 2 Card can only be played if none of the cards in the player’s hand matches the colour of the top card on the discard pile.
Note that a player is allowed to play this card even if they have action cards or a card with the same number as the card on top of the discard pile. The restriction only applies to colour. If this card is the first card of the discard pile, it must be returned to the bottom of the deck and another card drawn for the discard pile. This card is available only on the light side of the UNO Flip card deck.
Flip Card
The Flip Card changes the side of the card used in play whenever it is played. For example, if play was on the light side and a Flip Card is played, play continues on the dark side and all the players must flip over their cards to the dark side. The discard pile is flipped over so the last card played will be at the bottom. Likewise, the draw pile is also flipped over to the dark side. Play continues on the dark side until another Flip Card is played after which play must switch to the light side.
A Flip Card can only be played on another card with the same colour as it or on another Flip Card. Flip Card is available on both the light and dark sides of the card deck.
Draw 5 Card
Once this card is played, the next player has to draw five cards from the draw pile and miss their turn. This card is only playable on a card of similar colour or another Draw 5 Card. The Draw 5 Card is only available on the dark side.
Skip Everyone Card
This does exactly as its name says. When it is played, all the players are skipped and must lose their turns. Play will continue with the same player that played the Skip Everyone Card. The card is only available on the dark side and must be played on a card of matching colour or on another Skip Everyone Card.
Wild Draw Colour Card.
The Wild Draw Colour Card is also a Wild Card but with an extra function. After it is played, the next player must draw cards from the draw pile until they draw a card of the colour chosen by the player that played the Wild Draw Colour Card and must also lose their turn. There is no limit to the number of cards a victim of a Wild Draw Colour Card can draw, they must keep drawing until they get a card of the colour selected by the player that played the Wild Draw Colour Card.
Just like the Wild Draw 2 Card, a Wild Draw Colour Card can only be played if the player does not have any card that matches the colour of the card that was last played. However, having a card that matches the number on the card that was played last or having action cards does not stop a player from playing a Wild Draw Colour Card. This card is only available on the dark side of the card deck.
A round of UNO Flip drags on until one player has discarded all their cards. If the draw pile gets depleted before the round is over, the discard pile is reshuffled and the game continues. There are rules guiding player actions once they are almost out of cards. A player with two cards left must shout “UNO” immediately they play one of the two cards left with them. Saying “UNO” notifies the other players that you are down to your last card. If this player fails to shout “UNO” and gets caught before the next player begins their turn, the player must draw two cards from the draw pile.
Also, if the last card played in a round is one of Draw 1, Draw 5, Wild Draw 2, or Wild Draw Colour, the next player must comply by drawing 1 card, 5 cards, 2 cards, or a matching colour card as the case may be. The drawn cards are also counted and contribute to the total score awarded to the winning player at the end of the round.
Winning the Game
To win a game of UNO Flip, a player must score at least 500 points. If at the end of a round of UNO Flip the winning player does not have up to 500 points, the cards are reshuffled and another round is played. The scores are recorded and kept, with scores from subsequent rounds added to it. The game ends only when a player scores at least 500 points.
Scores are tallied at the end of a round following this guide. The player that was able to discard all their cards and win the round earns points for all the cards remaining in the hands of their opponents as follows:
All number cards from 1-9: Points are given based on the face value of each card. A 1 card fetches 1 point, a 2 card fetches 2 points, and so on.
Draw 1 Cards: 10 points each
Draw 5 Cards: 20 points each
Flip Cards: 20 points each
Reverse Cards: 20 points each
Skip Cards: 20 points each
Skip Everyone Cards: 30 points each
Wild Cards: 40 points each
Wild Draw 2 Cards: 50 points each
Wild Draw Colour Cards: 60 points each
A score of 500 is needed to win the game else another round is played and this continues until a player achieves a total score of at least 500 points.
