Trash (Garbage) card game

Computer players1

Play with friends

Make a private room and share the link, or join one with its code. Everyone plays on their own phone; add computer players to fill seats.

Fill ace to 10. Jacks are wild; queens and kings are trash.

Fill your row from ace to 10 before anyone else. Jacks are wild, queens and kings are trash. Play against the computer, then read the rules.

Players
2–4
Time
15 min
You need
1 deck; 2 decks for 5+
To win
Win a round with one card

Trash card game rules

Setup

  • Deal ten cards face down to each player, laid out in two rows of five. These are your positions: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5 on top and 6 to 10 below.
  • Put the rest of the deck face down as the stock and turn one card up to start the discard pile.

Your turn

  1. Draw from the stock, or take the top discard if it fits one of your empty positions.
  2. If it's an ace to 10, put it face up in its position and pick up the face-down card that was there.
  3. Keep going with the card you picked up, placing it if you can.
  4. A jack is wild: put it in any face-down position and keep going.
  5. Your turn ends when you draw a queen or king, or a card whose position is already filled. Discard it.

If you later draw the real card for a position filled by a jack, you can swap it in and play the jack somewhere else.

Winning

The first player to turn all their cards face up wins the round. In the next round, the winner gets one card fewer, and only needs ace to 9; everyone else keeps their count. The first player to win a round with just one card wins the game.

Variations

  • Kings wild instead of jacks.
  • Last turn: after someone fills their row, every other player gets one more turn, and anyone who also finishes counts as a winner.
  • Garbage with more players: add a second deck for five or more.

More games to try: Golf, Speed and Old Maid.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Trash card game?

A simple luck-driven game for two or more players, also called Garbage. Each player tries to fill a row of positions from ace to 10 by drawing cards and swapping them into place.

Which cards are wild in Trash?

Usually jacks. They can fill any position. Queens and kings are trash and end your turn. Some families make kings wild instead.

What happens when you win a round of Trash?

You play the next round with one card fewer: nine positions (ace to 9), then eight, and so on. The first player to win a round with a single card wins the game.

How many players can play Trash?

Two is classic. Three or four can share one deck; for more, shuffle in a second deck.

Is Trash the same as Garbage?

Yes, they're two names for the same game, and the rules are the same.