The GILTEDGE Guide to Classic Card Games

The Story Behind the Cards

Every journey begins with a story, one crafted with care, imagination, and a touch of wonder.
This deck of cards was born from the same spirit that guides every journey we create at Giltedge: a dedication to designing experiences as unique as the people who embark on them.

Crafted with Intention

Each illustration has been imagined and designed by our in-house creative team, a celebration of our commitment to customization, creativity, and care.
Just as every itinerary we design is thoughtfully tailored, every penstroke in these cards reflects the detail and heart that go into creating one-of-a-kind adventures.
It’s our way of saying that your journey with us is never “off the shelf.” It’s crafted, like art, with you at its center.

Inspired by Africa

Africa is more than a destination; it’s a living canvas of color, rhythm, and connection.
These cards pay tribute to the continent we love, its wild beauty, diverse cultures, majestic wildlife, and soul-stirring landscapes. From golden sunsets to the call of distant lions, every card whispers of the magic that makes Africa unforgettable.
It’s a love letter to the land that moves us, and the people and places that give it life.

Connecting People & Moments

Like a game of cards shared around a fire, travel has a way of bringing people together to laugh, to connect, to create memories that last a lifetime.
In this deck, we celebrate that spirit of togetherness. The joy of play mirrors the joy of exploration, both draw us closer to one another and to the stories that shape us.

The Giltedge Deck

is more than a set of illustrations.
It’s a symbol of who we are: passionate creators, devoted storytellers, and believers in the power of travel to change lives.

Every shuffle, every hand dealt, every journey begins with meaning.
And that meaning, for us, will always come back to Africa.

Rummy

Players: 2–6
Goal: Form sets or runs of three or more cards.

How to Play:

Each player is dealt 7–10 cards (depending on group size).
On your turn, draw one card (from the deck or discard pile), then discard one.
Create “melds” (sets of the same rank or runs in sequence of the same suit).
First player to lay down all their cards wins the round.

Crazy Eights

Players: 2–6
Goal: Be the first to get rid of all your cards.

How to Play:

Deal 5–7 cards to each player.
Play a card that matches the suit or rank of the top discard pile card.
Eights are wild and can change the suit.
First player out of cards wins.

Go Fish

Players: 2–5
Goal: Collect sets of four cards of the same rank.

How to Play:

Each player is dealt 5 cards (7 for 2 players).
Ask another player for a specific rank (e.g., “Do you have any sevens?”).
If they do, they give them to you; if not, you “Go Fish” (draw from the deck).
When you collect all four of a rank, lay it down.
The player with the most sets wins.

War

Players: 2
Goal: Win all the cards.

How to Play:

Deal the whole deck evenly.
Each player flips their top card; the higher card wins both.
If tied, each lays three cards face-down and one face-up, highest face-up card wins all.
The game ends when one player has all the cards.

Snap

Players: 2–6
Goal: Be the fastest to call “Snap!” when matching cards appear.

How to Play:

Deal the deck evenly, face down.
Players take turns flipping cards into a center pile.
When two consecutive cards match in rank, the first to shout “Snap!” wins the pile.
Continue until one player has all the cards.

Cheat (Bluff or I Doubt It)

Players: 3–8
Goal: Get rid of all your cards — by telling the truth or bluffing.

How to Play:

Players take turns placing cards face down and announcing their rank (e.g., “Two sevens”).
Others may challenge by saying “Cheat!”
If the player lied, they take the whole pile; if not, the challenger does.
First to empty their hand wins.

Hearts

Players: 4
Goal: Score the fewest points.

How to Play: