How Many Cards Are in an UNO Deck? Full Breakdown & Setup

A standard UNO deck contains 108 cards. Newer sets sold since 2015 usually hold 112 cards because Mattel added a few extra Wild cards. Whichever box you own, the four familiar colours and the number, action, and Wild cards work the same way once you know how the deck is put together. This guide breaks the deck down card by card, explains the difference between the 108-card and 112-card versions, and walks through how many cards you deal and how to set a game up correctly.

How many cards are in a standard UNO deck?

A classic UNO deck has 108 cards. Those 108 cards fall into three groups: 76 number cards, 24 action cards, and 8 Wild cards. The cards are split across four colour “suits” — red, yellow, green, and blue — plus the Wild cards, which belong to no single colour.

Here is the exact make-up of every card in a 108-card deck, shown by type, by colour, and by total count.

The 108-card deck broken down by type

The 108 cards divide neatly into number cards, action cards, and Wild cards. Understanding each group makes the deck easy to remember and helps you spot missing cards if you ever need to check a second-hand set.

Number cards (76 total)

Number cards make up the bulk of the deck, with 76 of the 108 cards. Each of the four colours has 19 number cards: a single 0 and two each of the numbers 1 through 9. That means every colour has one 0 and eighteen other numbers, and 19 × 4 colours = 76 number cards. Because there is only one 0 per colour but two of every other number, the 0 cards are the rarest numbers in the game.

Action cards (24 total)

Action cards add the twists that make UNO competitive, and there are 24 of them. Each colour carries two Skip, two Reverse, and two Draw Two cards, which is 6 coloured action cards per colour and 24 across the four colours. These coloured cards can only be played on a matching colour or on a matching action, so a red Skip can follow any red card or any other Skip. If you want the full rundown of what each one does, see our guide to UNO action cards.

Wild cards (8 total)

Wild cards are the only cards that belong to no colour, and a standard deck has 8 of them: four Wild cards and four Wild Draw Four cards. A Wild card lets you choose the colour that play continues in. A Wild Draw Four does the same but also forces the next player to draw four cards and miss their turn. Because they can be played at almost any time, Wild cards are the most flexible — and the highest-scoring — cards in the deck.

Why do some UNO decks have 112 cards?

Some UNO decks hold 112 cards because Mattel expanded the standard set from 2015 onward. The 112-card version keeps all 108 original cards and adds four extra Wild-type cards: one special Wild and three customizable blank Wilds.

• One Wild Swap Hands / Wild Shuffle Hands card. Early 2015–2017 printings included a “Wild Swap Hands” card, which lets you trade your entire hand with another player. Since 2017 this has been replaced by “Wild Shuffle Hands,” where the player collects every hand at the table, shuffles them, and re-deals starting to their left.
• Three customizable (blank) Wild cards. These erasable cards let you write in your own house rule, so your group can invent its own effect and reuse it every game.

So a 112-card deck still contains 76 number cards and 24 action cards, but its Wild group grows from 8 to 12. The table below compares the two decks side by side.

How many cards do you deal in UNO?

You deal 7 cards to each player in UNO, no matter how many people are playing. UNO is designed for 2 to 10 players, and every hand starts with the same seven-card deal. After dealing, the remaining cards form the face-down draw pile, and the top card is turned over to start the discard pile.

Because 7 cards go to each player, the number of cards left in the draw pile depends on how many people are at the table. With four players, 28 cards are dealt out, leaving 80 cards in the draw pile of a 108-card deck. The draw pile shrinks as the game goes on, which is why the composition of the deck matters for pacing.

How to set up an UNO game step by step

Setting up UNO takes less than a minute once the deck is shuffled. Follow these steps in order and you will be ready to play a correct game every time.

1. Shuffle the full deck. Use all 108 (or 112) cards and shuffle thoroughly so colours and Wilds are well mixed.
2. Choose a dealer. Any player can deal; a common method is to have each player draw a card, with the highest number dealing first.
3. Deal 7 cards to each player. Deal one card at a time, face down, going clockwise until everyone has seven.
4. Form the draw pile. Place the rest of the deck face down in the middle of the table.
5. Start the discard pile. Flip the top card of the draw pile face up next to it. Play begins with the player to the dealer’s left, unless that first card is an action or Wild card (see below).

New to the game entirely? Our full walkthrough on how to play UNO covers turn order, matching rules, and calling “UNO” once you are down to one card.

What happens if the first flipped card is an action or Wild card?

If the first card turned over to start the discard pile is an action or Wild card, special rules apply before the first player takes a turn. Here is how each starting card is handled according to the official rules.

• Skip: The first player (to the dealer’s left) is skipped, and play moves to the next person.
• Reverse: The direction of play reverses immediately, so the player to the dealer’s right goes first.
• Draw Two: The first player draws 2 cards and forfeits their turn; play moves to the following player.
• Wild: The first player chooses the colour that play must start with, then takes their normal turn.
• Wild Draw Four: This card is returned to the deck and a different card is drawn to start the discard pile, because a game should not begin with a forced four-card draw.

UNO card point values and deck composition

Card point values follow directly from the deck’s composition, and they matter because the winner of each hand scores the points left in everyone else’s hands. Since number cards are the most common, most points on the table come from action and Wild cards.

• Number cards (0–9): worth their face value — a 7 is worth 7 points, a 0 is worth 0.
• Action cards (Skip, Reverse, Draw Two): 20 points each.
• Wild and Wild Draw Four: 50 points each.

With 8 Wild cards worth 50 points apiece and 24 action cards worth 20 each, the highest-value cards are exactly the ones there are fewest of — which is why holding a Wild Draw Four when someone else calls “UNO” can be costly.

Common mistakes about the UNO deck

Most confusion about the UNO deck comes from a few repeated errors. Knowing them helps you check a deck quickly and settle table disputes.

• Assuming every deck has 108 cards. Many modern retail boxes contain 112 cards. Count the Wild cards: a 108-card deck has 8 Wilds, while a 112-card deck has 12 (including the Shuffle/Swap Hands and blank cards).
• Thinking there are two 0 cards per colour. There is only one 0 per colour; every other number (1–9) appears twice. That single 0 is why each colour has 19 number cards, not 20.
• Believing Wild cards belong to a colour. Wild and Wild Draw Four cards are colourless until the player who plays one names a colour.
• Dealing the wrong number of cards. The deal is always 7 cards per player, regardless of player count — not 5 or 10.
• Starting a game on a Wild Draw Four. If that card is flipped first, return it and draw again rather than forcing an opening penalty.

108 vs 112: which UNO deck do you have?

To tell which deck you own, count the total cards or look for the blank, write-on Wild cards. If your set has three erasable customizable Wilds and a Shuffle Hands (or Swap Hands) card, you have the 112-card modern edition; if it stops at the four Wilds and four Wild Draw Fours, you have the classic 108-card deck. Both are official, and either works for a standard game — the extra cards in the 112-card set are simply optional variety. If you are missing cards, the composition table above tells you exactly what a complete deck should contain.

Vanliga frågor (FAQ)

How many cards are in an UNO deck?

A standard UNO deck has 108 cards: 76 number cards, 24 action cards, and 8 Wild cards. Newer editions sold since 2015 usually have 112 cards, adding one Shuffle/Swap Hands card and three blank customizable Wilds.

How many cards do you deal in UNO?

You deal 7 cards to each player, no matter how many people are playing. The remaining cards form the draw pile, and the top card is flipped over to start the discard pile.

How many of each colour are in an UNO deck?

Each of the four colours (red, yellow, green, blue) has 25 cards: one 0, two each of 1–9, and two each of Skip, Reverse, and Draw Two. That is 19 number cards and 6 action cards per colour.

How many Wild cards are in UNO?

A 108-card deck has 8 Wild cards — four Wild and four Wild Draw Four. A 112-card deck has 12 Wild-type cards, adding one Shuffle/Swap Hands card and three customizable blank Wilds.

What happens if the first card is a Wild Draw Four?

If a Wild Draw Four is flipped to start the discard pile, it is returned to the deck and a new card is drawn instead, so no player is forced to draw four cards on the opening turn.