UNO Reverse Card: Rules & Complete Guide (2023)

There are several UNO Wild cards that have special abilities, unlike normal cards.

Do, you know any card that can reverse the order of how the game is proceeding? It’s the Reverse Card.

In this post, I will discuss in detail about the UNO reverse card rules and all you need to know about them.

Let’s get started!

What does the reverse card mean in Uno?

Reverse cards are one of the most used cards in Uno. If you have ever played Uno, you must know how crucial the reverse card is and how it can change the course of the game. Let us briefly introduce what a reverse card means according to the Official UNO Rules.

The Uno reverse card is a game card that will change the game’s direction. That means the order of the game and the order in which the players play the cards will be reversed.

The Uno reverse card looks different in various versions, with the function and basic structure of the card remaining constant across the versions.

The unique imagery to confirm that it is nothing but an Uno reverse card is the two arrows in opposite direction motive on the card. 

UNO Reverse Card Rules

When playing Uno and when you have encountered a reverse wild card, here are the rules that should be followed next in the game:

• The Uno reverse card reverses the direction of gameplay. In simple words, if the game was proceeding from left to right, now it shall proceed from right to left and vice versa. This is, in fact, the significant rule concerning reverse cards.

• Suppose the Uno reverse card turns up at the beginning of the gameplay; the game starts from the right instead of the usual course of getting started from the left. And the game continues in the right direction. Each player to the right of the previous player will play the card in order.

• If someone wants to play an Uno reverse card, it is only possible through a matching color card or another Uno reverse card. 

These are the core rules concerned with the Uno reverse card. Several other insignificant rules hardly cause any difference in the gameplay.

The Uno reverse card is quite powerful and can change the fate of players in no time. 

How powerful is the Uno reverse card?

The Uno reverse card is often considered the “Ultimate Come Back Card.” It reverses the order of the gameplay and can prove to be the ultimate comeback strategy for many players with bad luck. It is used as a metaphor for “Karmic Events.”

This alone explains how robust this card is for a game of Uno. On April 18th, 2018, the Uno reverse cards gained an excellent definition in the Urban Dictionary that goes something like this: 

Me: Insults, my friend

My Friend: Pulls out the Uno reverse cards

Me: Dies

This is a friendly way to describe how powerful the Uno reverse card is and how it can change the course of game events. This card will pay you back just as Karma does.

The definition received immense appreciation. Since then, the Uno reverse cards have been used in several memes and social media posts where it is portrayed as karma. 

UNO Reverse Card Strategies

The reverse card is a karmic card in the game of UNO. it is a game changer. The best strategy for using the reverse card in Uno is timing. Always use a reverse card when the player next to you has few cards left.

If you can do this, you diminish the player’s chances with few cards left to win. This also gives the others a fair chance to play their cards because you are practically buying time. With the proper usage time, Reverse cards can often make the probable winners lose the game. 

Can you reverse the Uno reverse card?

If the game proceeds to the left, dropping the reverse cards will reverse the gameplay direction so the next player to the right, if they can drop two switches, will again switch it back to the left.

However, if it is a 2 players game, one or two, or all of the reverse cards will give the card owner another go. 

So, in a nutshell, it is something as: The game was proceeding towards the left, now you play a reverse card, so the game starts to go to the right to the person who just played the card before you.

Now that same player plays a reverse card, the game direction changes to the left, and it is your turn again. It all depends on which player owns the reverse card and at which game point they use it. 

Can you lay a reverse on a +2 in Uno?

No. You cannot. The official Unorules does not permit players to lay a reverse on a +2 in Uno.

If a player before you plays a Wild +2 card, you have to draw two cards, and the next turn will pass to the next player in the same direction as the game was proceeding. This specific rule varies a little in the case of either single-player or multi-player games. 

How does reverse in Uno work with 2 players?

The reverse card acts as a skip card in any Uno game with only 2 players. The player who draws the reverse card automatically passes the chance to the other player.

Since it is just two players, even if there is a direction reversal, the other person will play next. The player playing a skip card may immediately play another card in Uno. The reverse card works best if it is a multi-player Uno game.

Within two players, the reverse card and skip card have exactly similar roles. 

Can you cancel a reverse card in Uno?

No. There is no cancellation of any card in Uno. The same rule applies to the reverse cards as well. Nothing as canceling works in Uno. If the play order is towards the right and someone plays a reverse card, the gameplay order instantly reverses.

The player who played the reverse card will get the next chance to play. So, once the reverse card has been drawn, there is practically no way to cancel the card.

You can end the game with an action card, but that would not mean you can cancel or nullify the effects of a reverse card.

When you reverse in Uno, is it your turn again?

No. If the game proceeds in the left direction and a player draws the reverse card, it will change the direction, but you will not be the next player in turn. This is one of the ultimate confusions with the UNO reverse card.

Many players think that when the player next to them pulls the drawcard, the game will return to them. This is, however, not true. 

Suppose the game is proceeding towards the left, and the player just to your left, immediately next to you, pulls out the reverse card. According to game rules, the game should proceed in the opposite direction, that is, towards the right.

But, the player to the right of the player who just pulled out the reverse card is you, so is it that you will be the person to play next?

Well, the answer is No.

The person to your right will now play the next card. A reverse card draw in Uno does not mean the game will return to the same player.

The game direction will be changed, but the person who pulled the cards just before the reverse cards were drawn will not be considered in the new direction. 

How does reverse work in 1v1 Uno?

In a 1V1 Uno game, if a player places two reverse cards down, you will change the game direction.

If only you players are in the game, the reverse card will act as the skip card. If the plate puts down one card, it will come back.

Let’s conclude the post on UNO Reverse Card Rules!

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