Card Drinking Games You Can Play With a Standard Deck

<p>Forget those expensive specialty decks. Your grandma regular 52 card deck has fueled more college parties than any fancy game box ever could.</p> <p>These are the classics. The ones that get passed down from upperclassmen to freshmen like some kind of boozy oral tradition.</p> <h2>The Heavy Hitters</h2> <h3>Kings Cup (Circle of Death)</h3> <p>If you only learn one card drinking game, make it this one. Each card has a rule, and you go around drawing until someone draws the fourth King and has to chug the cup in the middle. Check out our complete <a href="/games/kings-cup">Kings Cup rules</a>.</p> <p>Quick rundown of standard rules:</p> <ul> <li>Ace: Waterfall (everyone drinks until the person before them stops)</li> <li>2: You (pick someone to drink)</li> <li>3: Me (you drink)</li> <li>4: Floor (everyone touches the floor, last one drinks)</li> <li>5: Guys drink</li> <li>6: Chicks drink</li> <li>7: Heaven (point up, last one drinks)</li> <li>8: Mate (pick a drinking buddy)</li> <li>9: Rhyme (say a word, go around rhyming)</li> <li>10: Categories (pick a category, go around naming things)</li> <li>Jack: Rule (make a rule everyone follows)</li> <li>Queen: Questions (ask questions until someone messes up)</li> <li>King: Pour into the center cup</li> </ul> <h3>Ride the Bus</h3> <p>Four rounds of guessing. Red or black. Higher or lower. Between or outside. Guess the suit. Miss any and you drink that many.</p> <p>The real pain is the bus ride at the end. Loser flips through a pyramid of cards, drinking for every face card. We have seen people stuck there for ages.</p> <h3>Pyramid</h3> <p>Build a pyramid of cards face down. Flip them one by one, and if you have a matching card in your hand, you can give out drinks. The kicker? You can bluff. Claim you have a card you do not and hope nobody calls you on it. See our <a href="/games/pyramid">Pyramid rules</a>.</p> <h2>The Quick Ones</h2> <h3>Higher or Lower</h3> <p>Flip a card. Guess if the next one is higher or lower. Wrong means you drink. Right means you keep your streak going. See how far you can get before probability catches up. Full rules at <a href="/games/higher-or-lower">Higher or Lower</a>.</p> <h3>Across the Bridge</h3> <p>Lay out ten cards face down. Flip them one at a time trying to cross. Hit a face card and start over with more drinks. Simple concept, surprisingly brutal. Try <a href="/games/across-the-bridge">Across the Bridge</a>.</p> <h2>The Strategic Ones</h2> <h3>Screw Your Neighbor</h3> <p>Everyone gets one card. Goal is to not have the lowest. You can trade with your neighbor to try and ditch a bad card. Kings block trades. Lowest card at the end drinks. Full rules at <a href="/games/screw-your-neighbor">Screw Your Neighbor</a>.</p> <h2>Tips for Card Game Nights</h2> <ul> <li>Use plastic coated cards. They survive spills better.</li> <li>Have at least two decks ready. Cards get sticky.</li> <li>Clear table space. Nothing kills the vibe like constantly picking up spilled drinks.</li> <li>Keep the rules simple or written down somewhere. Drunk rule debates are not fun for anyone.</li> </ul> <p>According to the <a href="https://www.bicyclecards.com/article/history-of-playing-cards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bicycle Cards history</a>, playing cards have been used for games since the 9th century.</p> <p>That one deck of cards has infinite replay value. Learn these games and you will never show up to a party without something to contribute. For more ideas, check out <a href="/blog/drinking-games-no-equipment-needed">games that need no equipment at all</a>.</p>