What kinds of games does pagat.com cover, and who maintains the site?

Updated

pagat.com is a documentation site for traditional card and tile games from around the world, maintained by editor John McLeod. It covers multiplayer traditional games, gambling and casino card games, domino and tile games, solitaire (one-player) games, games that require commercially produced proprietary packs, and reader-contributed invented games. You can use it to look up rules, filter games by number of players or region, and email the editor with corrections or contributions.

What the site covers

The homepage organizes content into several distinct collections, each aimed at a different kind of lookup:

Section What it contains
Alphabetical Index Traditional games for two or more players, listed with player count and the type of cards or tiles needed
Classified Index Games sorted by mechanism, objective, and equipment, including a children's games section
Player Number Index Games suitable for a specific number of players, with recommendations for two through six players
Regional Index Games arranged by the country or region where they are played
Gambling Games Poker rules, hand ranking and variations; blackjack, baccarat and other casino card games; responsible-gambling advice
Domino Games Games played with Western or Chinese dominoes, plus other tile games including rummy tiles
Solitaire Games One-player games with cards, dominoes and other tiles, plus solitaire software
Proprietary Games Games requiring special commercially produced packs
Invented Games Newly created games and variations contributed by readers

The site also surfaces Most Popular Games (Shithead, Swoop, Twenty-Nine, Gin Rummy, Golf Rummy Basic), Recent Interest (Swoop, Tonk, Zwicker, Pontoon, Golf Poker Betting), and an Editor's Choice list (Toepen, Zwicker, French Tarot, Schnapsen). A "What's New" section dates recent updates.

Who maintains it and how to give feedback

The site was founded in 1995 and is edited by John McLeod, reachable at [email protected]. Its stated aim is to document the rules of traditional card and domino games so players can broaden their knowledge and try unfamiliar games. The name comes from the Pagat, the lowest trump in the Central European game of Tarock.

Readers are invited to email the editor with errors, comments, improvement ideas, or contributions. The site credits readers worldwide for helping develop and expand it by sharing information about the games they play.

How to use it for a specific need

  • Looking up one game's rules: start with the Alphabetical Index, which also tells you the player count and required cards or tiles before you commit to reading the rules.
  • Finding something for a group size: use the Player Number Index, which links to recommended games for two, three, four, five and six players.
  • Finding games from a place: use the Regional Index.
  • Finding games for children: the Classified Index includes a dedicated children's games section.
  • Finding a game by how it plays: the Classified Index sorts by mechanism and objective, useful when you know the style you want but not the name.

If a rule looks wrong or a game is missing, the documented route is a direct email to the editor rather than an on-site form.