Which skill games have the simplest rules? Which are easiest to learn? Here’s our list of the 5 easiest skill games — games that require no more than 5 minutes to learn.

Keep in mind that “easy to learn” does not necessarily mean “easy to master”. Some games, such as Othello, have simple rules but complex strategy.

Also, not all of the games on this list are traditional skill games. We’ve included card and puzzle games. The only criteria is that the game must require some level of developed mental skill to win consistently.

Now on to the list.

#1 Sudoku

If you aren’t a numbers person, this game may seem intimidating. But part of the game’s broad appeal is the simplicity of its rules, which can be summed up in a sentence or two. Sudoku is easy to learn but playing and completing the game is a constant challenge. Although Sudoku is more of a single-person puzzle game than a traditional skill game, there is no doubt that developed skill (and brain power) is required to win.

#2 Tic-Tac-Toe

Even a child can learn to play this game with a simple demonstration. Unfortunately, games this simple tend to get boring awfully fast.

#3 Blackjack

As long as you aren’t the dealer, you can learn to play blackjack in minutes. Basic strategy can be memorized in an hour. Advanced strategies (that is, card counting) take much longer to master. Blackjack is generally considered more of a casino game than a skill game. PartyCasino.com is one place you can test your blackjack skills with live play.

#4 Othello (aka Reversi)

The concept of this game is pure genius. The rules are succinct and clear. Instead of arguing or debating technicalities, players dedicate themselves to out-thinking their opponents. Fantastic game.

#5 Rock Paper Scissors

Is this a game of skill or pure luck? If the game is pure luck, why do some players win more regularly than others? Clearly, on some level you need to out-think your opponent to win. Perhaps we can call it a game of psychological skill?

This website is all about skill games. But what exactly are skill games? How do you decide which game is a game of skill and which is not? Who decides? We’ll try to answer these questions in this article and help you learn how to win playing online cash games.

First, “skill games” is a broad category of games that can include board games, card games and other types of games that require some level of mental strategy to win. Games that immediately come to mind are card games like rummy or bridge or blackjack, board games like checkers or reversi, word games like scrabble, or number games like sudoku. The thing all these games have in common is that they require brain-power, mental skill and strategy to win.

Not all skill games rely 100% on strategy. For example, let’s compare chess to backgammon. Chess is a pure skill game. There are no dice, no cards, no element of luck. But backgammon is not a pure skill game since the outcome of the game also depends on the roll of the dice. But even though luck plays a role in the outcome of backgammon, it is still a game of skill and the player who plays the better strategy will win more often than not.

A game doesn’t have to be as complicated as chess or reversi to be considered a skill game. Tic-tac-toe is a skill game. You need to know the proper strategy to win, even though that strategy is simple enough to be mastered by a nine-year-old child.

What about video games? Almost all video games require skill to win, although the skill of video games is often the skill of hand-eye coordination rather than mental skill, or strategy and logic. Take for example driving games like Need for Speed or Project Gotham. These games require tremendous skill and ability with the game controller but less skill as far as planning out a mental strategy.

In any case, video games are generally not included in the traditional category of skill games simply because the video game category is so big and so broad that it is a separate category all by itself.

In some countries the definition of skill games has legal implications since different laws may apply to games of skill than games of chance.

To sum up, one definition of skill games — the one we use at this site — is any game that requires mental skill and strategy to gain an advantage over your opponent or, in the case of one-player games, to increase your chance of winning.