Who goes first in UNO?
Mattel English 112-card edition, 2017
The dealer’s left neighbor normally starts. An opening action card can change this.
Rule details
Everyone draws a card; the highest number deals (symbols count as zero). Tied draws are not resolved in the cited setup.
Opening Reverse: dealer starts, play moves right. Opening Skip: skip the dealer’s left neighbor; the next person starts. Opening Draw Two: that neighbor draws two and loses their turn.
Opening Wild, Wild Shuffle Hands or Wild Customizable: the dealer’s left neighbor chooses the color. Return an opening Wild Draw Four to the deck and draw another card.
Rules vary by edition. Match the cited 112-card set to yours.
Source & edition
- UNO: Mattel multilingual instructions, English panelMattel · English panel: Setup, Let’s Play, Functions of Action Cards; copyright 2017 · Checked 2026-09-23
Image: © Mattel · Mattel 10020-SN70 English 112-card UNO instructions
If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.
More starting rules
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- SnapThe player on the dealer’s left turns over the first card.
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- SlapjackThe player on the dealer’s left turns up the first card, then play continues to the left.
- Go BoomThe player to the left of the dealer leads first and may play any card.
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