In some games involving two or more players, for the sake of making the game more challenging, adding new dynamics to various rules or compensating for a missing player; other players act as though there is one more player or an extra hand is dealt to "ghost player".

In Rummoli

Rummoli

Rummoli is a family card game for 2 to 8 people. This Canadian board game, first marketed in 1940 by the Copp Clark Publishing Company of Toronto requires a Rummoli board, a deck of playing cards , and chips or coins to play. The game is usually played for fun, or for small stakes Rummoli is a...

, this is known as the widdow. It is designed to keep some cards out of the game, making it more difficult to win.

In some versions of three player mahjong

Three player mahjong

Three player mahjong is as different from four player mahjong as Texas hold 'em is from draw poker or as Bridge is from Euchre. While the materials and mechanisms are the same, the rule changes, dynamics and scoring systems as well as the social atmosphere and challenges to playing create two...

, thirteen tiles are not used in the wall to represent the missing fourth player and the wind position that this player would take.

A ghost player in Bunko, or other games with multiplayers formed in partnerships, represents the unfilled seat or position in a game, in which one person will play for him/herself as well as the ghost position.

In tournaments, especially in draw tournaments such as tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, of single elimination, a ghost player may be added in certain rounds if there are not enough players to fill out a binary tournament table.