The gameplay and rules of Uno! is fairly straightforward and players are aimed to getting rid of cards as fast as they can to claim the win. There are some general principles and strategies for players to increase their chances of winning this card game.

The bottom line strategy is to play mindfully. That is to say, players should always pay attention to the cards being drawn and played by themselves and by others. Some special attentions should be given to the colors of the cards being played and the numbers of them. For example, if players notice that a couple of cards in one same color are played, they should try to play cards with a different color to prevent others getting rid of too many cards in the same color too quickly. Likewise, if players notice the numbers on cards played are large or small, they should react accordingly to divert the cards to another direction. However, it is generally recommended for players to discard cards with larger numbers first because this can prevent the worst case scenario —losing too much. In situations where others are winning, players should get rid of large numbers first so that the winner would win less in the end.

Apart from that, there are certain cards that should be played wisely at the appropriate timing. For example, if the player has a wild card at hand, it is better to leave it towards the end unless the player is in a desperate and losing situation. Another tricky card that is related to the wild card is the reverse card. Players should stay alert to not play this card right after a wild card is being played. Even if they have no other available card at hand, they should draw an extra card to get by and keep the reverse card for later.

One more tip on speculating the card color of other players who have announced Uno is to check the colors of the cards being discarded. If the player who calls Uno doesn’t discard the last card, that means he has no matching-color card at hand. The game can still be won with this narrow margin if players can manage to increase the number of cards for their competitors.