This game can move as fast or as slow as you want. There are many variations on the rules of the game. The most common are listed below. A deck of cards is spread out faced down around a full, unopened can of beer, and the participants position themselves in a circle around the table.
Each turn, every player picks up one of the face down cards, and either drinks or gives drinks based on the action associated with said card.
At the end of the turn, the player puts the card underneath the beer can's tab surrounded by face up cards, making sure not to open the can (which can be heard by air leaking out should it happen). If the can is opened, that players drinks the beer, and a new one replaces it with no cards under the tab to start. The game continues clockwise until all cards are drawn.
Rules to remember:
Cards must be placed under the tab FACE UP.
Cards must be placed under the tab before the mini game is started. (Exceptions to this rule are 4 "floor" and 7 "heaven" because those rely on speed and attention.
(Optional) Ring of fire: If you cause the face down cards around the can to become disconnected, or "break the circle", you must finish your drink.
All players are allowed one challenge per game. A challenger is allowed to touch the can out of turn once only after making it known to the table that they are taking their challenge. However, if the can pops while they are taking their challenge, they lose the game and must drink the beer. The challenger choose to physically move the can, but if any cards fall out, they are responsible for placing all of those cards back under the tab before the game continues.
Common cards
2: You - Whoever drew the card assigns a drink
3: Me - Whoever drew the card drinks
4: Floor - Everyone races to touch the floor, last person to do so drinks
5: Guys - All guys drink
6: Chicks - All girls drink
7: Heaven - All players point towards the sky, last player to do so drinks
8: Mate - Pick a person to drink with
9: Rhyme - Say a word/phrase, and everyone else must say words/phrases that rhyme. Going clockwise, everyone says a rhyme until someone repeats a rhyme or someone fails. The loser drinks. The original word/phrase MUST be rhymable (i.e., "orange" does not count).
10: Categories - Pick a category, and say something from that category (i.e. if "drinking games" was the category, "kings" would be a viable answer.) Going clockwise, everyone says something from that category until someone repeats a thing or someone fails. The loser drinks.
Jack: Never have I ever - Each player puts up 3 fingers, then starting with the person who drew the card, each player says "never have I ever «something»". If you've done it, you put a finger down, until someone loses. The loser drinks.
Queen: Question Master - The person who drew the card can ask anyone a question, and whoever is asked must respond with a question. If they fail they must take a drink. The Question Master title is kept until the next Queen is pulled.
King: Ruler - Make a rule that everyone must follow until the next King is drawn (i.e. force everyone to drink after each turn). These rules get suspended the moment a mini-game is drawn, and get reinstated immediately after the mini-game finishes.
Ace: Waterfall - The player who picks this card asks the players on either side of them a general trivia question. Whichever player answers first determines the direction/flow of the waterfall. If you answer too slow, you are the last person in the waterfall. Every player begins drinking, and no one can stop until the player before them does.
Optional rules
(Optional) 2: Smoker/Toilet Card - In this version, a player needs to possess a Smoker Card to leave the table to smoke or use the toilet. If a player chooses a 2, they keep the card for later use. A player can have multiple copies of the card and they can be traded, typically under conditions such as; the recipient must refill drinks on demand, crawl for the rest of the game, talk in a funny voice, etc.
(Optional) 5: Drive - All players put up their hands as if driving a car. The player who drew the card begins. They say "vroom" while tilting their hands to the right or left. The "driver" is passed to the player next to them in that direction. Players now have three options as the "driver" position is passed to them. They can choose to turn to same direction as the person before them and say "vroom", passing it one more person. They can turn their hands in the opposite direction and say "skert" (as in the screeching of car wheels) and pass the "driver" position back to the person who just sent it to them. Now that is the new direction and all "drivers" who turn that way must say "Vroom" until a "driver" decides to "skert" it back again. The last option is to say "beep" while mimicking hitting the car horn. This passes the game's position to the player opposite the current driver. The first "driver" who speaks or turns the wrong way has to drink. [If this is used, "4: Floor" becomes "4: Whores - All girls drink", and "6: Chicks" becomes "6: Dicks - All Guys drink."]
(Optional) 9: Time to Shine - You have to do 20 push ups, if you can't do it you have to drink the amount of sips you were short of 20.
(Optional) King: King's Cup - This is a variation where an empty cup is placed in the center and in some versions no beer can is used. When each of the first 3 Kings are drawn, the person who drew the card puts some of their drink into the King's Cup at the center of the table. When the 4th King is drawn, the person who drew the 4th King must drink the contents of the King's Cup. If agreed upon by all players, the first 3 kings can make a rule.
(Optional) Ace: Moose Game - Everyone begins by tapping the table like a drum roll. The person who chose the Ace starts by making Moose antlers on their head and saying "Moose." They then point to a random player. The new player makes their own animal sign while saying what animal it is, repeats the Moose sign (while saying moose), and then points to a new player. The new player makes their own sign, repeats the previous signs in order, and chooses the next player. The cycle repeats until someone screws up, forgets an animal sign, or all players have made a sign. If no player fails and it makes it all the way around, the last person chosen loses and must drink.
Everyone sits in a circle. The oldest player is the first dealer. Gameplay moves in a clockwise direction.
Game Play
The dealer looks at the top card. The player to his left guesses the value of the card. If the guesser is correct, the dealer takes four drinks. If the guesser is wrong, the dealer gives a hint of "higher" or "lower." THE DEALER CANNOT LIE. The player guesses again, and if the new guess is correct the dealer takes two drinks and it counts as a loss for the dealer. If the new guess is wrong, the player must drink the difference between the guess and the actual card's value and it counts as a win for the dealer. Example: If the actual value of the card is 9 and the player guesses 4, the player must take 5 drinks. J, Q, K, & A all have a value of 10.
The dealer puts the card face up on the table.
Game play repeats with the next player. The dealer will continue to be the dealer until he gets three wins in a row. The dealer then passes the cards to the player to his left. The game ends when there are no more cards.
As the game is played, the exposed cards are put on the table, face up, in order. If all four cards of a certain value are exposed, the dealer will flip the cards and declare them to be "closed out." This is normally accompanied by a "social" in which everyone playing drinks. If a player guesses one of the "closed out" cards during their turn, they must take four drinks (or finish their drink) and that counts as their guess
As the game goes on, it becomes harder for the dealer to get a win and they wind up having to drink more often than not.
(Optional) Even though the dealer cannot lie, cheating is not necessarily discouraged. If no one is paying attention and the dealer passes the cards to the next player, AND that player accepts the cards, the exchange can't be contested and he is now the new dealer. Additionally, if the dealer is not paying atention and the other guessers are helping each other to cheat, there is no rule breaking happening.
Phase One: Dealing the Cards
Round One:
One player is assigned as the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and begins to the left, asking the first player “red or black?” The player guesses whether the card is red or black; if they’re right, nothing happens, but if they’re wrong, they take a sip of their drink. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their first card.
Round Two:
The dealer now asks player one, “higher or lower?” The player has to answer whether they think the card that’s about to be dealt is higher or lower than the first card they received, with Ace being the highest. Wrong guess? Drink. If the two cards are the same, it counts as a wrong guess and the player drinks. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their second card.
Round Three:
With the same format as the previous two rounds, the dealer asks “in-between or outside?” meaning, will the card that’s about to be dealt fall in-between the two previous cards’ values, or outside of the gap? For example, if your first two cards are four and nine, five would be “inside” while a Queen would be “outside.” If the card is the same as either boundary card, it counts as a wrong guess and the player drinks.
Round Four:
For the final dealing round, the dealer simply asks each player to pick a suit, giving them a one in four chance of avoiding a drink. If the player guesses wrong, as they likely will, they drink. If they happen to guess correctly, they are rewarded with five drinks to distribute amongst the other players.
Phase Two: Building the Pyramid
Players collect their four distributed cards and hold them privately. The dealer then builds a pyramid of face-down cards, with five cards at the base, four in the next row and so on until there is one card at the top. Drink values increase as you go up the pyramid, with cards on the bottom row counting for one drink each, and the single top card counting for five drinks—or one shot of liquor, if you want to up the ante.
Starting at the bottom row, one card is flipped at a time. Anyone who has a matching card in their hand can lay their card on top, gaining them the right to punish another player with the quantity of drinks associated with that row. Multiple cards can be laid down per row and on the same card, and the drinks earned can be distributed however the player pleases. Play continues up the pyramid.
Example: The dealer turns over a four on the second row of the pyramid, and a player has a four in their hand. They lay down the four, earning two drinks to distribute to multiple people in the group or to one person.
Players have the option of saving their cards in the hopes they’ll be able to match them to a higher pyramid value. But it’s a risky move, as having the most cards in your hand by the end of Phase Two means you have to ride the bus.
Phase Three: Riding the Bus
Once the pyramid cards are completely turned over and the final drinks have been distributed, players compare how many cards they have left in their hands. Ideally, they will have gotten rid of them all. More likely, they will still have cards left. The person with the highest number of cards has to ride the bus. Note: In the event that two people have the same quantity of cards, the person with the highest value card in their hand has to ride the bus. If both players have matching highest cards, the loser is whoever has the next highest card.
The dealer lays 10 cards face down. One by one, the dealer flips a card over. If it’s a number card, nothing happens and the dealer continues to the next card. If it’s a face card or an Ace, the player riding the bus has to drink: One drink for a Jack, two for a Queen, three for a King and four for an Ace.
Common variation:
Instead of "10 cards" ending, the player who is riding the bus must complete ALL four questions posed in Phase One of the game IN A ROW.
Red or black
Higher or lower
In between or outside
Suit
Any failure at any stage requires that player to start BACK at question one and they have to take the number of drinks assigned to each question.
For example if you guess black, and the first card dealt is black, you may proceed to the second question. If you guess higher, and the next card is actually lower, you must restart at the first question and take two drinks. If you fail on the fourth question, you must take four drinks.
Play continues until:
The entire deck is used or
The player answers the four questions correctly in a row
If the deck runs out of cards, play ends.
Phase One
Each player is dealt five cards. A pyramid of face down cards is laid out, the first row has four cards, the next has three, two, then one.
Starting at the first row, one card is flipped at a time. Anyone who has a matching card in their hand can lay their card on top, gaining them the right to punish another player with the quantity of drinks associated with that row. Multiple cards can be laid down per row and on the same card, and the drinks earned can be distributed however the player pleases. Play continues up the pyramid.
Players have the option of saving their cards in the hopes they’ll be able to match them to a higher pyramid value. But it’s a risky move, as having the most cards in your hand by the end of Phase One means you have to ride the bus.
The drink values of the rows can be changed depending on who is playing, but normally the first row is 1 drink, second is row 2 drinks, third row is 3 drinks, fourth is 4 drinks or a shot.
Example: The dealer turns over a four on the second row of the pyramid, and a player has a four in their hand. They lay down the four, earning two drinks to distribute to multiple people in the group or to one person.
Phase Two
Once the pyramid cards are completely turned over and the final drinks have been distributed, players compare how many cards they have left in their hands. Ideally, they will have gotten rid of them all. More likely, they will still have cards left. The person with the highest number of cards has to ride the bus. Note: In the event that two people have the same quantity of cards, the person with the highest value card in their hand has to ride the bus. If both players have matching highest cards, the loser is whoever has the next highest card.
The player who is riding the bus must guess correctly all four questions below IN A ROW.
Red or black
Higher or lower
In between or outside
Suit
Any failure at any stage requires that player to start back at question one and they have to take the number of drinks assigned to each question.
For example if you guess black, and the first card dealt is black, you may proceed to the second question. If you guess higher, and the next card is actually lower, you must restart at the first question and take two drinks. If you fail on the fourth question, you must take four drinks.
Play continues until:
The entire deck is used or
The player answers the four questions correctly in a row
If the deck runs out of cards, play ends.
Minimum 2 players; Maximum 13 Players
One full deck of cards
A casual drink (usually beer)
Round One:
One player is assigned as the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and begins to the left, asking the first player “red or black?” The player guesses whether the card is red or black; if they’re right, the player assigns one drink to another player, but if they’re wrong, they take a sip of their drink. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their first card.
Round Two:
The dealer now asks player one, “higher or lower?” The player has to answer whether they think the card that’s about to be dealt is higher or lower than the first card they received, with Ace being the highest. If the player guesses correctly, the player assigns two drinks to another player. Wrong guess? Drink twice. If the two cards are the same, it counts as a wrong guess and the player drinks. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their second card.
Round Three:
With the same format as the previous two rounds, the dealer asks “in-between or outside?” meaning, will the card that’s about to be dealt fall in-between the two previous cards’ values, or outside of the gap? For example, if your first two cards are four and nine, five would be “inside” while a Queen would be “outside.” If the card is the same as either boundary card, it counts as a wrong guess. If the player guesses correctly, the player assigns three drinks to another player. Wrong guess? Drink three.
Round Four:
For the final dealing round, the dealer simply asks each player to pick a suit, giving them a one in four chance of avoiding a drink. If the player guesses wrong, as they likely will, they drink. If they happen to guess correctly, they are rewarded with four drinks to distribute amongst the other players. If they are wrong, they must drink four.
Minimum 3 players; Maximum 6 Players
One full deck of cards
A casual drink (usually beer)
Deal out the entire deck of cards evenly, or thereabouts, to each player. The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards by lying your ass off. In this game, Aces are high.
Starting with Twos, the first player lays FACE DOWN the number of Twos s/he has, stating the number of cards (ex. "2 Twos"). Even if the player doesn't have any of the card, they should lie and make it as convincing as possible. The next player (moving clockwise) then does the same with Threes (eg. "1 Three"). Repeat play all the way up to Aces and then start over with Twos.
Eventually someone will either make a bold claim, be a horrible liar, or bluff that they are playing a card that you know is impossible (eg. someone plays the "5th" Ten of a deck of cards with only 4; Or 3 Tens when you currently have 2 Tens in your hand). If a player thinks someone is lying, they call "Bullshit" and they can flip over the last played cards. If the Bullshit call was correct and the player was bluffing, the bluffer must drink, pick up all of the cards in the pile, and add them to their hand. However, if the Bullshit call was incorrect and the player was being honest, the player that called Bullshit must drink, pick up all of the cards in the pile, and add them to their hand.
Play continues around the table beginning with the next player and the next card (eg. if Tens was the last card, Jacks would be next). Play continues until someone runs out of cards.
(Optional) Play could continue down to the last two players.
Minimum 4 players
One deck of cards
A casual drink (usually beer)
Each player is dealt one card face down. Do not look at the card. One by one, the players pick up their card WITHOUT LOOKING AT IT and place the card on their forehead so that everyone else can see it. That means you can see everyones card but your own.
Based on the cards that are visible, the dealer begins the round by wagering a number of drinks that s/he has the highest card. (eg. If the other players are displaying low number cards, the player can believe that they have a higher card and will wager 3 drinks.) The next person, moving clockwise, then makes their own bet based on what they can see. At any time, players who don't think they can win, "fold" and take as many drinks from their beer that the current bet is at. (eg. A Player raises the bet to 4 drinks. Another player decides that's too high for him and he folds, but must take 4 drinks). If you plan on folding... do it early.
Just like regular poker, play goes around the table until everyone has either called, raised or folded. Once everyone remaining has called the bet, players are allowed to look at their cards. Whoever hs the lowest cards of those remaining is the loser and must take the number of drinks that were wagered.
Minimum 4 players
One full deck of cards
Beer
The object of the game is to play cards onto a pile and have the value of the pile equal 99. Number cards are taken at face value, Jack/Queen/King are worth 10. Ace is worth 1.
Four cards are dealt face down to each player. One card is placed face up in the center as a discard pile, and the remaining cards are placed face down in a draw pile. Play begins on the dealer’s left. Players take turns putting one of their cards face up on the discard pile and picking a card off the top of the draw pile. (After you play a card, draw another from the stack.) When out of cards in the draw pile, re-shuffle those already played. Play continues around the table until the discard pile adds up to 99. The person to the left of the player who got the pile to 99 must finish their beer. Gameplay can continue with the next player, but the total of the discard pile begins at 0.
Along the way, there are special cards and socials
Special Cards:
Four - Used as a “skip me” or “buffer” card when a player doesn’t have one to play.
Ten - Normally has a value of 10, however, when the value of the pile is in the 90’s, a ten changes to a subtraction card. (eg. the pile equals 91, a player lays a 10, the pile now equals 81.)
King - Can be kept in a player’s hand and may be used to avoid drinking or place the drinking responsibilities on another player. If a player chooses to pass the responsibility, they must discard the King and draw another card. This one is usually used near the end of the game. If a king is played on the discard pile it counts as 10.
Socials
Everyone drinks once when the pile equals a number ending in a 9 (eg. 9, 19, 39, 59)
Everyone drinks twice when the pile equals 69 and 71.