Playing card games like UNO have been a bonding time for family and friends. But the thing is, we probably have been relying too much with our “rules” instead of reading the game’s actual rule book.
The “Wild Draw 4 Card” or the +4 card introduced us to the harsh reality of playing the card game. It can single-handedly win the game for us and probably make us lose some of our friends in the process. Imagine all the battles you’ve won with it and the smile you’ve had as you look at your unsuspecting opponent whenever you have a +4 card in your hand. Just pure evil.
But here’s the catch — it turns out we’ve been using the Draw 4 card wrong all these time.
LaToya McCaskill Stallings dropped the bomb on Facebook when she shared her discovery after reading the actual rule book of the game. It turns out “…you can only play the Draw 4 Wild card IF you have NO other cards that can be played.”
Yes, you can’t just drop the +4 card whenever you damn please, Sandra!
According to the official rules of UNO,
“When you play this card (Wild Draw 4 Card), you get to choose the color that continues play PLUS the next player must draw 4 cards from the DRAW pile and lose their turn. However, there’s a hitch! You may only play this card when you do NOT have another card in your hand that matches the COLOR on the DISCARD pile (but it is acceptable to if you have matching number or Action Cards). If turned up at the beginning of play, return this card to the deck and pick another card.”
Cheaters never win, and if you think your opponent isn’t following the proper usage of the +4 card, you can turn the game against them.
“If you suspect that a Wild Draw 4 Card has been played on you illegally (i.e. the player has a matching card), then you may challenge that player. The challenged player must show you (the challenger) their hand. If guilty, the challenged player must draw 4 cards instead of you. However, if the challenged player is innocent, you must draw the 4 cards PLUS an additional 2 cards (6 total).”
It’s probably time to apologize now to some friends who’ve suffered the horrors of +4 cards.
We've been playing UNO wrong. You can only play a +4 card if you have no other cards that can be played.
RT to mend a broken friendship.
— niall quinn (@niallmarinus) January 6, 2018
Now who’s up to play UNO cards? I swear this time we’re playing it right.
