Rules in card games keep changing with time and with the number of players. Players who are taking part in the game can agree to change the rules of the game. The agreed rules are accepted as house rules and are followed by everyone who plays in that establishment.

However, once a game becomes highly popular, rules are drafted with the accepted set of rules. An example of the a game becoming popular and rule being drafted is in the case of the game Whist, where Portland Rules are followed. However, in many cases ever the set rules are broken. A few games have passed official sets of rules. These rules are passed when a card game has an official governing body that organizes competitions and tournaments.

An example of such rules can be seen in the case of Bridge, where the World Bridge Federation maintains and updates the rules. The rules of poker are enforced by the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. The rules of French Tarot are enhanced by the Federation Francaise de Tarot. Most of the rules published describe rules specifying the penalties for various infractions that may occur due to rule infractions in a card game.

These rules are very important and assure that players who cheat deliberately need to have strict rules that keep the game fair for others. However rules for other accidental infractions such as inattention, clumsiness and ignorance also need to be written down.