How to Play Uno Flip: Game Setup, Rules, and More

Co-authored by Derek Pederson and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: September 16, 2024 Fact Checked

VIDEO

UNO Flip is a super fun variation of UNO you can play with up to 9 of your friends. Every card has two playable sides, each one with different numbers and actions. UNO Flip is super easy to learn and a blast to play. Keep reading to learn how to set up the game and get started!

Simple Instructions for Playing Uno Flip

Hold the cards with the Light Side facing you and play like regular Uno: players match a card from their hand to the card on the top of the discard pile by number, color, or symbol. If you don’t have a card that matches, take a card from the draw pile. Flip the deck to the Dark Side when someone puts a FLIP card.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setup

Download Article

1
Choose a dealer by cutting the cards. Shuffle the cards and put the stack in the middle of the table so the Light Side of the cards (the side with the white border) is face-down. Then, every player draws a card and reveals the Light Side. Whoever has the highest number starts as the dealer for the first round.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- If anyone draws an action card without a number, it counts as a 0.
Whoever is the dealer shuffles all the cards again with the Light Side face-down. After they finish dealing, set the stack of cards in the middle of the table with the Dark Side face-up to make the draw pile. Everyone can look at their hand, but keep the Light Side of the cards hidden from the other players.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Start the discard pile on the Light Side with the top card of the draw pile. Flip over the top card of the draw pile to reveal the Light Side. The game will always start on the Light Sides of the cards. The player to the left of the dealer takes the first turn.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- If you reveal a Wild card when you flip the top card over, then the player to your left gets to choose the starting color.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Gameplay

Download Article

1
Play a card with the same number, color, or symbol as the top discarded card. Take your turns starting in clockwise order. Look at the top card in the discard pile and check your hand to see if you have a card you can play. If you have a card with a matching number, color, or symbol, you can play it onto the discard pile for your turn. You can only play one card per turn.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- On the Light Side, the colors are blue, green, red, and yellow. On the Dark Side, the colors are pink, teal, orange, and purple. The numbers on the cards range from 1 to 9 in each color.
- You can play a Wild card no matter what the top card of the discard pile is.
- Always try to play a card from your hand if you can since you earn points for playing all of your cards.
2
Draw a card if you’re not able to play a card from your hand. Take the top card of the draw deck and add it to your hand so it shows the same side as the rest of your cards. If the card you just drew matches the color, value, or symbol of the top card in the discard, you can play it immediately. Otherwise, your turn ends immediately.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- If the draw deck runs out of cards during a round, just shuffle the discard pile to make a new draw pile.
3
Say “UNO!” when you only have 1 card left in your hand. Say it loudly as soon as you play your second-to-last card so the other players know you’re about to go out.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- If you forget to say “UNO!” before the next player starts their turn, another player can catch you by saying something like, “You forgot to say UNO!” If you get caught, you have to draw 2 cards from the top of the deck right away.
4
Finish and score the round when someone plays their last card. After someone plays the last card, everyone reveals the cards they have left in their hands. The player who went out gets points for every card other players still had, but the point value varies depending on the card.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Cards with the numbers 1–9 are worth their face value in points.
- Draw One: 10 points.
- Draw Five: 20 points.
- Reverse: 20 points.
- Skip: 20 points.
- Flip: 20 points.
- Skip Everyone: 30 points.
- Wild: 40 points.
- Wild Draw Two: 50 points.
- Wild Draw Color: 60 points.
5
Keep playing rounds until someone scores 500 points. If a player hasn’t reached 500 points yet, shuffle all of the cards and deal a new hand to each player. At the end of each round, add any points you earned to your previous total. Whoever crosses 500 points first, wins!^{[8]
X
Research source}
- Fun variation: Instead of awarding points to the first player out each round, players add the points left in their hand after each round to their score. Once a player reaches 500 points, the player with the least amount of points wins.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Action Cards

Download Article

1
Flip. Flip Cards have a card icon with an arrow on them. As soon as you play the card, the cards switch from the Light Side to the Dark Side, or vice-versa. Flip the entire discard pile over so the card you just played is on the bottom of the stack. Then, flip over the draw pile to the other side. Finally, flip your cards so you’re looking at the same side that’s showing in the discard pile.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- If this is the first Flip card played in the game, you’ll change from the Light Side to the Dark Side.
- There are 2 Flip cards of each color in both the Light Side and Dark Side of the deck.
- Dark Side action cards are more powerful than Light Side actions.
2
Draw One. Cards with “+1” on them force the next player to take 1 card from the top of the draw pile and add it to their hand. That player also loses their turn, so the player after them will go next.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- There are 2 Draw One cards of each color in the Light Side of the deck.
- If you flip this card as the first card of the game, the first player draws a card and misses their turn.
3
Draw Five. Draw Five cards have “+5” written on them. The next player after you has to draw 5 cards from the top of the deck into their hand and they lose their turn.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- There are 2 Draw Five cards of each color in the Dark Side of the deck.
4
Skip. Skip cards have a circle with a line through them as their symbol. As soon as you play a Skip card, the next player loses their turn and you skip over them.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- There are 2 Skip cards of each color in the Light Side of the deck.
5
Skip Everyone. Skip Everyone has a circular arrow symbol. Rather than only skipping the next player after you, you get to skip all of the players at the table and take a second turn.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- There are 2 Skip Everyone cards of each color in the Dark Side of the deck.
6
Reverse. Reverse cards have arrows pointing to opposite sides and they make the direction of turn order change. If it’s the first time you play a Reverse card in a game, then you switch from going clockwise around the table to counter-clockwise, so the player to your right will take the next turn.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- There are 2 Reverse cards of each color in both the Light Side and Dark Side.
- If you reveal a Reverse card as the first card at the start of the game, then the dealer plays first and continues counter-clockwise around the table.
7
Wild. Wild cards show the 4 colors of the side you’re currently playing. You can play a Wild card on your turn no matter what the card in the discard pile is. Choose a color on the side that you’re currently playing. The next player will have to play a card of that color.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- There are 4 Wild cards each in the Light Side and Dark Side.
8
Wild Draw Two. Wild Draw Two cards look like a Wild card with “+2” written on it. You can only play a Wild Draw Two card if you don’t have any other cards in your hand that match the color of the discarded card. You can choose the next color that needs to be played and the next player after you has to draw 2 cards. They also lose their turn.^{[16]
X
Research source}
- There are 4 Wild Draw Two cards in the Light Side of the deck.
- If another player thinks you have another card in your hand that you were able to play, they can challenge you to reveal your hand. If you had another card you could have played, then you have to draw 2 cards instead. If the person was wrong, they draw 4 cards as a penalty.
9
Wild Draw Color. The Wild Draw Color looks like a wild card with a deck symbol on it. You can only play this card if you don’t have another card in your hand that matches the color of the discarded card. After you play this card, choose a color and the next player has to draw cards from the deck until they get a card of that color.^{[17]
X
Research source}
- There are 4 Wild Draw Color cards in the Dark Side of the deck.
- If someone thinks you had a card of the same color as the discard, they can challenge you to reveal your hand. If you get caught, then you have to draw cards until you get one of the color you chose. If the person challenging you was wrong, they take the penalty and draw 2 additional cards.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How can I draw favorably when dealing cards?

Zach Waldman
Professional Comedy Magician
Zach Waldman is a Professional Comedy Magician based in Los Angeles, CA. He has over 20 years of experience as an entertainer and performer. He is a comedian, magician, and mentalist, and he customizes his show to be distinct for every audience he performs for. His clients include some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Microsoft, Google, BusinessWeek, Absolut, the L.A. Kings, Anheuser-Busch, and more. He has been a member of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) since 2001, and performs regularly at the Academy’s clubhouse, The Magic Castle. For the past 20+ years, Zach has been a mainstay at many other reputable Los Angeles theaters and comedy clubs including the El Portal, the Comedy Store, the Improv, Flappers, and the Laugh Factory. Before moving to L.A., he attended the Player's Workshop of the Second City. He received his degree from the University of Central Florida.

Zach Waldman

Professional Comedy Magician

Expert Answer

Start by arranging the deck subtly, ensuring it's randomized yet favorable to your strategy. Use shuffling methods that maintain this order while appearing natural and using distraction. When dealing, use sleight of hand to subtly improve your hand, but always do so within the bounds of fair play to have a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 15 Helpful 11