Card night usually comes with a scrap of paper, a pen that stops working in round four and an argument about whether Dad really had 35 in round two. Your iPhone can keep the totals for you and still give you a sheet to look back on. This guide walks through what a good score sheet needs, then how to keep one with Tally Cat, our counter and scorekeeper for iPhone and iPad.
What a card game score sheet needs
Whatever you're playing, the paper version always comes down to the same few things:
- A column for each player (or each team, if you play in pairs).
- A row for each round (or hand), with what everyone scored in it. Some games take points off, so a round can be negative.
- A running total for each player, so nobody has to add up a column at the end.
- Which way wins. In most games the highest total wins. In games like hearts, the lowest total is the one you want.
- A way to fix mistakes without crossing out half the page.
Start a game
- Open Tally Cat. On What are you counting?, tap Game scores. The app remembers your choice and opens straight into it next time. The grid button at the top left brings you back.
- Tap the game's name at the top (it says Game at first) and call it something like "Card night". This is the name on your score sheet.
- You start with Player 1 and Player 2. Tap a player's name to rename them, and tap Add a player under the cards for everyone else. There's no limit on players or rounds.
- If the lowest total wins, open the ⋯ menu at the top and choose Lowest total wins. Highest total wins is the setting to begin with.
Each player gets a card in their own colour, with their running total in big numbers and this round's points underneath.
Score each round
At the end of a hand, put in everyone's points:
- Type them. Tap the round's points on a player's card (it shows 0 before anyone scores), type the number and tap Save. A minus sign takes points off, so "-5" works for a penalty.
- Or tap + and −. Each tap adds or takes off one point, which is handy for games scored a point at a time.
When everyone has their points, tap Start round 2 at the bottom. The line under it says Round 1 is added to the totals. The button stays grey until someone has scored in the round, so a stray tap never leaves an empty round behind.
Under the game's name, Tally Cat says who's ahead and by how much, like "Round 3 · Ann leads by 4", or who's tied. The leader's card wears a Leads crown.
Fixing a mistake
- Just tapped the wrong thing? Tap Undo at the top. It takes back the last change of any kind: a point, a typed score, a new round, a rename.
- Spotted a wrong score from an earlier round? Open the score sheet (the table button at the top), tap that score, and type the right number. The totals and the leader change to match.
The score sheet
The score sheet shows the whole game the way you'd write it on paper: player names across the top, a row for each round, and the totals at the foot, with the leader's column shaded and a line saying who leads or won.
Pick Letter or A4, then:
- Print sends it to your printer.
- Share PDF sends the page to any app.
- Share image sends a picture of the page, handy for the family group chat.
The printed sheet has the game's name and date, a band with the result, every round, the totals and ruled lines for notes. Up to 8 players fit across a page; with more players or rounds, it carries on to more pages.
End the game and keep it
When someone wins, open the ⋯ menu and choose New game. The game moves to Past games with its scores and winner, and the same players start again at zero, with the same way to win. Nothing is deleted.
Tap the clock button at the top for Past games. Each one shows who won, its name and its date. Tap one to open its score sheet, print it again or fix a score.
Not a card game? Use the scoreboard
For ping-pong, cornhole or a quiz with two teams, the two-team scoreboard (the split-screen button at the top) fills the screen with two big halves, Us and Them. Tap a side to add a point; its minus takes one off. Tap a name to rename the side. It has its own Undo, so it never touches your card game, and Reset puts both sides back to zero after asking first. The screen stays awake while it's open.
Counting people instead of points? See how to count people at an event, also with Tally Cat.
What it costs
Game scores is free: any number of players and rounds, typed scores, + and −, running totals, highest or lowest wins, Undo, the two-team scoreboard, Past games, and the score sheet to print or share as a PDF or image. There's no account and no ads. The printed sheet carries a small "Tally Cat" line at the foot.
Tally Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase, one purchase for counting and game scores. For games it adds game templates (rummy, hearts, darts 501, dice to 10,000 or golf, set up the way they're played), player stats across past games, a colour of your choice for each player, and the score sheet as a CSV. Losing Pro never deletes a game. More on the Tally Cat page.
Your players and scores are kept on your iPhone or iPad. They leave only when you print or share them yourself.
Quick answers
How do I keep score when the lowest score wins?
Open the ⋯ menu and choose Lowest total wins. The crown and the "leads by" line follow the lowest total.
I entered the wrong score three rounds ago. Can I fix it?
Yes. Open the score sheet, tap the score and type the right one. The totals and the leader update.
Can I play the next game with the same people?
Yes. New game keeps the same players and starts them at zero. The last game stays in Past games.
Try Tally Cat
Try Tally Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/tally-cat