Deck of Cards Gift Exchange

A playing card gift exchange game on one printed sheet: deal one deck, call the other.

1: Bring two full decks with different backs, and one wrapped gift for each guest.A standard deck has 52 cards. Take the jokers out of both.
2: Shuffle the first deck and deal it out evenly, face up in front of each player.Cards left over go back in the box.
3: The host shuffles the second deck. That one is the caller's deck.Different backs keep the two decks from getting mixed.
4: The host turns the top card and calls it out: seven of clubs.Hold the card up as well as saying it, for the players at the back.
5: Whoever has that card takes a wrapped gift from the pile and flips the card over.Already holding a gift? Keep it, or trade it for one from the pile.
6: Once the pile is empty, a called player may swap gifts with anyone in the room.Or stay put. The other player cannot say no.
7: A card that nobody was dealt is a dead card. The caller turns the next one.Dead cards are the ones that went back in the box in step 2.
8: The game ends when the caller's deck runs out.Every card dealt has come up by then, so every player holds one gift.
9: Everyone unwraps at the same moment.For a sharper game, unwrap as you go: players swap harder for a gift they can see.

Next step No cards? Use the dice charts More ways to run a gift exchange

How it works

A deck of cards gift exchange uses two decks. Players hold cards from one, and the host calls cards from the other to decide who takes a gift and who swaps. Print this list prints the nine steps.

Read the full guide

Deck of cards gift exchange game rules, sheet by sheet

The list next to Print this list changes the sheet. The playing-card match is the standard game. Variations: suit, color, high card has other ways to decide who picks. Settled disputes rules on decks that got mixed, a player out of the room and a gift that keeps moving.

Christmas gift exchange card game rules, by head count

8, 20 and 40 guests gives the cards for each player by head count, and how many cards stay in the box.

Tips

Use two decks with different backs, or the first dropped card stops the game.
Lay each player's cards face up in a row, so neighbors can help spot a match.

Questions and answers

How does a gift exchange with playing cards work?

Players are dealt cards from one deck, and the host calls cards from a second. When your card is called you take a wrapped gift or, once the pile is empty, swap with anyone. It ends when the caller's deck runs out.

How many decks do I need?

Two, with different backs, for up to 52 guests: one to deal and one to call. A standard deck has 52 cards in four suits of 13. Take the jokers out unless you play the joker variation.

How many cards does each player get?

As many as the deck deals evenly: six each for 8 guests, four for 13, two for 20 or 26, and one for 40. Cards left over stay in the box and are dead when called.

Does everyone end up with a gift?

Yes. Every card in the caller's deck is turned, so each player is called at least once, and a player with empty hands always takes from the pile.

What is the high card version?

A quicker game with one deck. Deal one card each, face up. Aces are high, the highest card chooses a gift first, and the turn passes down the ranks.

All 34 rules

The playing-card match 9

1: Bring two full decks with different backs, and one wrapped gift for each guest. A standard deck has 52 cards. Take the jokers out of both.
2: Shuffle the first deck and deal it out evenly, face up in front of each player. Cards left over go back in the box.
3: The host shuffles the second deck. That one is the caller's deck. Different backs keep the two decks from getting mixed.
4: The host turns the top card and calls it out: seven of clubs. Hold the card up as well as saying it, for the players at the back.
5: Whoever has that card takes a wrapped gift from the pile and flips the card over. Already holding a gift? Keep it, or trade it for one from the pile.
6: Once the pile is empty, a called player may swap gifts with anyone in the room. Or stay put. The other player cannot say no.
7: A card that nobody was dealt is a dead card. The caller turns the next one. Dead cards are the ones that went back in the box in step 2.
8: The game ends when the caller's deck runs out. Every card dealt has come up by then, so every player holds one gift.
9: Everyone unwraps at the same moment. For a sharper game, unwrap as you go: players swap harder for a gift they can see.

Show all 34 rules (25 more)

Variations: suit, color, high card 8

Aces lock a gift A player whose ace is called takes any gift in the room, and that gift cannot be taken again. A player left with empty hands takes from the pile.
Face cards rob Number cards take from the pile. A jack, queen or king lets its holder take any gift already chosen. The robbed player takes a new one from the pile.
Four suits, four piles Sort the gifts into four piles and stand a suit card on each. The suit of the called card says which pile to choose from.
High card chooses first No caller's deck. Deal one card each, face up. Aces are high, and the turn passes down the ranks. Equal ranks go in the order spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.
Jokers move everything Leave both jokers in the caller's deck. When one turns up, every player passes their gift one place to the left.
One deck cut in half No second deck? Cut every card of an old deck in two. Players hold one half, and the caller draws the other halves from a bag.
Red takes, black trades A red card called means take from the pile. A black card means swap with any player. With empty hands, a black card takes from the pile too.
Same rank, same turn Players whose face-up cards share a rank, such as two sevens, may trade with each other when either card is called.

8, 20 and 40 guests 8

13 guests: four cards each The whole deck is dealt, so no card is dead.
20 guests: two cards each That deals 40 cards and leaves 12 in the box.
26 guests: a full deal at two apiece All 52 cards are in play, so no card is dead.
40 guests: one card each Each player is called once and takes from the pile. Shuffle the caller's deck and run it again for the swaps.
5 guests or fewer: deal half the deck Deal from 26 cards and call from all 52. With five players that is five each and one in the box.
8 guests: six cards each That deals 48 cards and leaves 4 in the box.
More than 52 guests: shuffle two decks to deal and two to call A card can then have two holders. Both act when it is called, the first hand in the air going first.
Small children: lay the cards in a row on the table Little hands cannot fan six cards. Face up in a row, a child can spot a match alone.

Settled disputes 9

A guest had to go home early. They leave with the gift they hold, and their cards are dead from then on.
Am I allowed to take my old gift straight back? Not on the very next card called. After that, yes.
The caller flipped two cards together. Take them in order, the upper card first.
The calling deck turns out to be a card short. Count both decks before the party. Mid-game, the holder of the missing card is called last.
The deck ran out and the room wants more. Shuffle the caller's deck and go through it again, or stop while everyone is still laughing.
My card came up while I was out of the room. The caller sets that card aside and calls it again when the player is back.
One player seems to be called far more than the rest. That is the luck of the shuffle. Everyone was dealt the same number of cards.
The present I chose has been taken from me three times. House rule: after three moves a gift is locked with whoever holds it.
The two decks have been shuffled into each other. Sort them by their backs. This is why the backs must differ.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site by the Game Night Generator editors on 2026-10-03: a rule sheet in our own words for the gift swap played with two decks of playing cards. The swap has no official rules and is played many ways; every step, variation and ruling here is a house rule of the editors. Facts about the deck were read that day on English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_52-card_deck, CC BY-SA 4.0): a standard deck has 52 cards, 13 ranks in each of four suits, with spades and clubs black and hearts and diamonds red, and jokers are not part of the 52. The numbers on the guests sheet are the editors' arithmetic from 52 cards (8 times 6 is 48, 13 times 4 is 52, 20 times 2 is 40, 26 times 2 is 52). No shop, brand or price is named. A script compared every row with every other list on this site, and no row repeats one. Licence: own work