UNO Scoring: Complete Guide

Scoring in UNO is an essential aspect of the game that determines the winner. In UNO, each player starts with 7 cards, and the objective is to get rid of all your cards by matching them with the card in the center pile.

Each card in UNO has a specific point value, and the game ends when a player has no more cards. The Player that reaches 500 points wins the game.

Understanding how scoring works in UNO can greatly improve your chances of winning. In this article, we will break down the UNO scoring system and provide some helpful tips to keep track of your points and emerge as the champion.

Let’s get started!

How Many Points are Uno Cards Worth?

The official rules for the Uno game come with instructions with a scoring section. This section is dedicated to letting the players know about the UNO scoring system. The worth of the cards is as follows:

1. Numbered cards ( 0-9) – Face value of the cards – the card numbers are the score they are worth.
2. Draw 2 – 20 points
3. Skip – 20 points
4. Reverse – 20 points
5. Wild Draw 4 – 50 points
6. Blank Wild Card -? (No specific points declared.)

[Source]

The scoring section of Uno describes that the player to score 500 before any other becomes the winner of the game. This scoring section also explains how to determine the game’s winner correctly. 

However, you need to do the UNO score calculation correctly to make the game fair for all the players.

How are points scored in UNO?

Uno uses a different scoring system for determining the winner. Uno is played in rounds. The winner of each round is awarded points in addition to what they score through their cards.

Depending on the number of remaining cards in their opponent’s hand at the end of each game round, the players score points at the end of a round.

The point for winning the round is awarded only to the winning player and not any other player.

In addition to the winning extra points for the victory in a round, the winning player is awarded the remaining cards of all the players in the round after every game. 

The remaining cards of all the players at the end of a round are collected to form a deck, which is awarded to the winning player.

Based on the remaining cards, the winning player will get additional points that are associated with the remaining cards. So, once a player wins a round, it is a great victory.

The general law of scoring is that – the numbered cards hold face value, the wild cards hold 50 points, and the action cards stand for 20 points. 

What is the highest score in UNO?

When we refer to the highest score in Uno, figure 500 strikes the mind. This is because the official rules state that the first player to reach 500 points wins the game.

There is nothing called the highest score in Uno. But any player, as soon as they strike 500 points, wins the game, and the game does not continue after that because we have a clear winner.

So, 500 is ideally considered the highest score in Uno. Like most other card games, the player with the highest score wins. 

Basic Gameplay With Scoring

The basic gameplay of Uno is pretty simple. There are a total of 108 cards in the Uno pack. The first step is to shuffle all the cards and distribute the cards to each player, where each player will get seven cards.

Each player will be awarded a score based on the cards they play. At the end of each round, the winner of the game round gets some additional scores and also gets awarded respective points based on the remaining cards in the hands of other players.

The players can play with the numbered cards where color matching becomes vital. They can also play other cation cards and wild cards. 

How to keep track of the score in the UNO game?

UNO Score management is an important aspect of the game as scoring defines the Winner in the game. Often, UNO score tracking becomes intimidating, especially if the number of players is relatively high.

In this case, the best way out is to use a UNO score sheet. Write down the names of each player in the scorecard and start to jot down their points scored beside each name.  The first person to score 500 points becomes the winner. 

To make the scoring fair, transparent and error-free, here are some UNO scoring tips:

• It is better to tally the scores at the end of each round.
• The game ends, irrespective of the players’ score, when one of the players eliminates all their cards.
• After each round, do not forget to add the total of all cards left with the players.

Advanced UNO Winning Strategy

Tips for maximizing points

Following the official house rules are the best way to win the game, maximize the score, and win the game faster. Apart from sticking to the official house rules, here are some fantastic tips for winning Uno:

• Don’t keep too many cards at hand because it reduces the chances of winning
• Keep the score low at all feasible points 
• Use the action cards wisely. Many players rush to use action cards, but it should be the opposite.
• Whenever possible, keep changing the card colors. 

The importance of paying attention to opponents’ moves

Paying close attention to the opponent’s moves can fetch you a great score in the game of Uno. It is often not just observing your moves but also reviewing how your opponent plays.

Since it is a group game, collaboration and cooperation play a significant role in winning Uno. 

Common and Uncommon UNO Cards for Different Versions and Its Worth

Here is the list of common and uncommon UNO cards with their worth in the game. There are several cards here that are specific to the version of the game as mentioned here.

UNO Card Name	UNO card points	Available in Version
Numbered Cards(0-9)	Face Value	Most UNO versions
Draw 2	20 Points	Most UNO versions
Reverse	20 Points	Most UNO versions
Skip	20 Points	Most UNO versions
Wild	50 Points	Most UNO versions
Wild Draw 4	50 Points	Most UNO versions
Blank	?	Most UNO versions
Hit 2	20 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Attack, UNO Extreme
Discard All	30 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Attack, UNO Extreme
Trade Hands	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Attack
Wild All Hit	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Attack
Wild Hit-Fire	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Attack
Extreme Hit	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Extreme
Anniversary	100 Points	Not Common, Found in Anniversary Edition
Dare	20 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Dare
Wild Dare	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Dare
Wild Showdown	40 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Showdown
Wild Customizable	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Super Mario Edition. Generally, in other versions, you find a Blank wild card which is common.
Super Star	50 Points	Not Common, UNO Super Mario Edition
Villain Draw 4	75 Points	Not Common, Found in Disney UNO
Wild Discard 1 Color	50 Points	Not Common, Found in Disney UNO
Creeper	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Minecraft
Wild Emoji	50 Points	Not Common, Found in UNO Emoji
Howler Card	50 Points	Not Common, Found in Harry Potter UNO
Invisibility Card	50 Points	Not Common, Found in Harry Potter UNO
Save the Day	50 Points	Not Common, Found in DC Superhero Girl UNO.

Now, the list can go as per the specific version of the UNO game. It’s ever-evolving with newer versions coming in. I created this list to give you an idea of how unique UNO cards can be.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it helpful.