1: Shuffle a regular 52-card deck and lay every card face down in four rows of 13.No card overlaps another.
2: On your turn, turn any two cards face up, right where they lie.Leave them long enough for everyone to see both.
3: Two cards of the same rank are a pair: two 6s, two kings.Suits do not matter on this sheet.
4: A pair? Take both cards, set them down by you and play again.Keep going until you miss.
5: No pair? Turn both cards face down again, exactly where they were.That is the memory part: every player saw them.
6: Play then passes to the player on your left.Two or more can play.
7: When no pair is left to take, the game is over.A full deck holds 26 pairs.
8: Each pair is one point.Count the pairs in front of you.
9: The most pairs wins. Players tied on pairs share the win.There is no tie-break.
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Layouts, from 20 cards to two decks 9
1: The full deck: 52 cards in 4 rows of 13.The usual layout for the standard game.
2: With both jokers: 54 cards in 6 rows of 9.The two jokers are a pair with each other.
3: Two decks: 104 cards in 8 rows of 13, for a much longer game.With all four jokers: 9 rows of 12.
4: Two decks with different backs: deal them like a checkerboard, back colors alternating.A card's twin always lies under the other back color, so there are fewer places to look.
5: Fancy: the dealer picks the shape, such as a circle, a triangle or a diamond.Any shape works if no card overlaps another.
6: Spaghetti: no rows at all. The cards are scattered face down across the floor.The standard rules still apply.
7: Ours, a short game: the aces to the 5s, 20 cards in 4 rows of 5.Ten pairs. A good first game.
8: Ours, a middle game: the aces to the 9s, 36 cards in 6 rows of 6.Eighteen pairs.
9: Whatever the layout, a card that missed goes back on its own spot.Do not straighten the rows mid-game: it moves cards people remember.
What counts as a pair 8
1: Rank only: two cards match whenever their rank is the same. Suits are ignored.Each card has three possible partners.
2: Rank and color: the 6 of hearts matches only the 6 of diamonds.And the queen of clubs only the queen of spades. Each card has one partner.
3: Sources differ on which of those two is standard. Agree before the first card is turned.The standard sheet here uses rank only.
4: Zebra: same rank, opposite colors. A red 7 pairs only with a black 7.The 7 of diamonds takes the 7 of clubs or spades, never the 7 of hearts.
5: Two decks: a pair is the same card twice, such as both 10s of clubs.Same rank and same suit.
6: Jokers pair with each other. In the rank-only game the joker pair counts double.It is the hardest pair to find: each joker has one partner.
7: One Flip: a player who makes a pair keeps it but does not go again.The turn passes after every two cards.
8: These can be combined: Zebra with One Flip, or rank only with two decks.Say the mix out loud before the first turn.
One player 7
1: Lay out the deck as on the standard sheet and take every turn yourself.Any layout and any pair rule will do.
2: Turn two cards. A pair comes off the table.A miss goes back face down, as always.
3: Make a pencil mark for every miss.A miss is two cards that did not match.
4: Clear the whole table. Your score is the number of marks.The lower, the better.
5: Or play with no pencil and no score, as a quiet game.The game is over when the table is clear.
6: Ours: for a short solo game, use the 20-card layout and try to beat your last score.Add a rank when ten pairs get easy.
7: Ours, counted from the deck: a game cannot take fewer turns than it has pairs.That is 26 turns for the full deck, with not one miss.
For young kids and families 7
1: Use the rank-only rule: any two 4s are a pair.The version named as especially good for young children.
2: Ours: start with a few ranks, such as the aces to the 5s, and add a rank when that is easy.Fewer cards, shorter game.
3: Ours: each player names the card they turn, out loud.Hearing "red 4" helps everyone remember it.
4: Ours: the youngest player takes the first turn.Turns then pass to the left.
5: Ours, for a mixed table: adults need rank and color, kids need rank only.Same cards, two levels.
6: A player with a very good memory can play blindfolded.The others say which cards were turned and move the cards for that player.
7: Picture cards made for the game play the same way: two of each picture.Any cards do, as long as the backs give nothing away.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-13, in our own words. Concentration, also called Memory, Pairs or, in Britain, Pelmanism, is a traditional card game with no governing body. The sheets were checked on 2026-10-13 against English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Concentration (card game): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_(card_game), and against the card game rules site Pagat, which files the game under its British name: https://www.pagat.com/misc/pelmanism.html. Both give cards laid face down, two turned up a turn, a matching pair kept with another turn, a miss turned back, play until every pair is taken, and the most pairs winning with a tie allowed. They differ on the pair: Pagat matches any two cards of a rank with suits ignored, and offers rank and color for players who want one partner a card; Wikipedia gives rank and color as its standard and rank only as the variation Any Color, which it calls especially good for young children. The standard sheet follows Pagat. Cards that do not overlap and go back without changing position, two or more players, a point a pair and the three possible partners are as Pagat gives them. Four rows of 13, the jokers and six rows of nine, two decks, the turn passing to the left, the one-player score kept in marks, and the variations Zebra, One Flip, Fancy, Spaghetti, the checkerboard and blindfold play are as Wikipedia gives them. Rows marked ours are this site's own suggestions and are not official; card counts were worked out from a 52-card deck. The page is written for ages 4 and up. It needs no boxed set of picture cards and has no tie to any, and nothing is played for a stake: pairs only keep score. Licence: own work
How it works
Concentration, also called Memory, Pairs or Pelmanism, is a card game for two or more players and a regular deck. One player can also play it alone, counting misses, and fewer cards make a shorter game for young children.
Read the full guide
Rules to play the memory game with young kids
Shrink the deck. For young kids and families starts with a few ranks, counts any two cards of a rank as a pair, and has each player name the card they turn. Add a harder pair rule for the adults, and it is a memory game for families at one table.
Memory card games from one deck: what a pair is
The two sources split here. Pagat counts any two cards of a rank. Wikipedia's standard game also asks for the same color, so the 6 of hearts takes only the 6 of diamonds. What counts as a pair has both, with Zebra and One Flip.
Turn the card you are less sure of first. If it is the wrong one, you have not shown the card you know.
Questions and answers
How do you play Concentration?
Lay a shuffled deck face down in rows. In turn, each player turns two cards face up. Two of the same rank are a pair: keep them and go again. Otherwise turn them back in place. When the table is clear, the most pairs wins.
Is the memory card game the same as Concentration?
Yes. Memory, Concentration, Pairs and, in Britain, Pelmanism are names for one game, so the memory game rules are the ones on these sheets. Picture cards made for it are played the same way as a regular deck.
What are the one-player rules for the memory card game?
Take every turn yourself and make a pencil mark each time two cards do not match. Clear the whole table, then count the marks. The fewer marks, the better the game.
How many cards do you need to play Concentration?
A full deck of 52 makes 26 pairs, laid out in four rows of 13. Add both jokers for six rows of nine. For a short game, our 20-card layout uses the aces to the 5s.
Do you get another turn after a match in the memory game?
Yes, in the standard game: a player who finds a pair keeps turning cards until a miss. The variation One Flip passes the turn after every two cards, pair or not.