Ena UNO: A Unique Twist on the Classic Game

Welcome to Ena UNO, the Slovenian version of the popular card game UNO. In Slovenian, “ena” means “one,” and this version of UNO brings a unique flair to the traditional game. Ena UNO features its own special set of cards, but don’t worry – you can easily adapt the rules to play with a standard UNO deck. There are a few exciting rule changes in Ena UNO, such as the ability to play out of turn, stacking action cards, and facing penalty draws for mistakes. In this guide, I will show you how to play Ena UNO, incorporating the core rules of UNO while incorporating these exciting variations.

The Cards & the Deal: Getting Started

To play Ena UNO, you’ll need a standard UNO deck. Depending on the year of publication, your UNO deck may have either 108 or 112 cards – either deck will work just fine.

Okay, let’s get started! Before we begin, we need to determine who will be the dealer. To do this, we’ll cut the deck of cards. The person who gets the lowest card will be the dealer. Oh, and just a quick note, action cards don’t count when it comes to determining the lowest card. They’re worth zero points.

Once we have our dealer, it’s time to deal the cards. Each player will get seven cards, and these should be dealt face down. The remaining cards should be placed face down in the middle of the table. Don’t forget to turn one card face up to start the discard pile. The player to the left of the dealer will take the first turn.

Now, here’s something important to know: the dealing order will change after each round. It will always pass to the left. So, if you were the first dealer, the person to your left will be the dealer in the next round.

THE PLAY

THE FIRST TURN

When the dealer turns up an action card, you have to follow the action. If it’s a Draw Two card, you’ll need to draw two cards and skip your turn if you’re the first player. If it’s a Skip card, the first player will miss their turn. If it’s a Reverse card, the player to the right of the dealer goes first. And if it’s a Wild or Wild Draw Four card, the dealer gets to choose the color, and the player going first has to draw four cards if it’s a Wild Draw Four.

YOUR TURN TO PLAY

When it’s my turn to play, I have several options. I can choose a card that matches the color, number, or action of the card on top of the discard pile. I can also play a Wild card or a Wild Draw Four. However, if I don’t have a card that I can or want to play, I can simply draw one card from the draw pile. And if that card is eligible, I can play it. Once I’ve drawn a card or played one, it’s time for me to pass my turn to the next player.

OVERTAKING

In Ena UNO, the main focus is on speed. If you have a card that is exactly the same as the one on top of the discard pile, you can play out of turn. For example, let’s say a red 9 is played, and you have a red 9 in your hand. You can quickly place it on the discard pile before it’s your turn, causing the players who were supposed to go before you to be skipped. And then the game continues from where you left off.

Now, if the top card is a draw card and you overtake with another identical draw card, the draw count increases. The next player will have to draw the total number of cards. And guess what? If they have another identical draw card, they can stack it and make the draw count even higher. However, this can only happen with Draw Fours.

Now let’s talk about calling UNO. It’s important to let others know when you have only one card left in your hand. When you’re down to your last card, you need to say “UNO” out loud. If you forget and someone catches you, you will have to draw two more cards as a penalty. So, be careful and don’t forget to call UNO when you’re close to winning!

Did you know that in the game of UNO, when you only have one card left, you have to say “UNO” out loud? It’s a crucial rule, and if you forget to say it, you’ll have to draw two more cards. But here’s the catch: you have to say “UNO” before the next player takes their turn. If you don’t, the penalty still applies!

Beware of Penalties!

Not following the rules in UNO comes with consequences. If you play out of turn, try to take someone else’s turn, play the wrong card, draw too many cards, or deal the cards incorrectly, you’ll have to draw two more cards as a penalty.

How to Finish a Round

Once someone gets rid of their final card, the round is over. Then, the dealing of cards moves to the left for the next round to begin.

Scoring in Ena Uno

In Ena Uno, we follow the same scoring system as in regular UNO. The player who gets rid of all their cards doesn’t earn any points for that round. However, the other players score points based on the cards they still have in their hand.

Let’s talk about how to play a game of Ena. Here’s what you need to know:

Each card in Ena has a point value. For the numbers 0 to 9, the point value is the same as the number on the card. Special cards like Draw 2, Reverse, and Skip are worth 20 points each. Wild cards and Wild Draw Four cards are worth a whopping 50 points each.

How to Win

The game ends when a player reaches 500 points. The player with the lowest score at that point wins. If there’s a tie, keep playing until someone breaks the tie.

Some Notes from Mark

Ena is usually played with a special deck that’s a bit different from a regular UNO deck. In this version of the game, I wanted to combine the most interesting parts of Ena with the more well-known UNO gameplay.

I think it’s cool that in Ena, you can overtake other players and give them penalties for making mistakes. It adds a level of strategy and speed to the game, making it more exciting.

Another interesting feature is the ability to stack draw cards. While there are only two of each colored card, there are eight Wilds and four Draw Fours. This means that Draw Fours are more likely to be overtaken and stacked upon, which can be really tough for the player who has to keep drawing cards.

And with so many Wild cards in the deck, things can get wild pretty quickly!