Match is a very straightforward card drinking game that will require one die and two sets of playing cards. Shuffle each deck well and give each player a deck of cards. Take turns rolling the die. Whatever number shows up on the die is the number that the players have to race to find in their decks. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about drinking card game? Well you're in luck, because here they come. There are 3067 drinking card game for sale on Etsy, and they cost $17.85 on average. The most common drinking card game material is porcelain & ceramic. The most popular color? You guessed it: white.
Sometimes your hangout can reach a standstill while everyone fiddles with their phones wondering what to do next. That’s why knowing the best drinking card games can be a great way to kick-start a party and get people talking.
But with so many different drinking games with cards it can be hard to decide exactly which game to play. That’s why we decided to list some of our favorites.
In this game players alternate between being the bus driver and the bus rider. The driver deals out the cards, and the rider does all the drinking.
Once the cards are dealt, the rider must guess if the next card in line will be higher or lower. If they are correct they continue to flip. However if they get it wrong they must drink and add 4 new face down cards to the line. This continues until the rider makes it to the end of the line and then roles switch.
Wasted war is a simple drinking twist on the classic game of War. In this game every turn both players flip a card and the higher card gets to take both and put them on the bottom of their deck. Whenever players tie they add 3 face down cards to the pot each and then flip to see who wins them all.
Whenever a player has the lower card, they must drink. If a tie happens then the loser of the next flip drinks 5 times.
This game goes until one player is completely out of cards. They must finish their drink.
Accross the River is another drinking game where someone tries to make it from one end of the board to the other without messing up.
Players take turns crossing the river. On a players turn they flip the card on the left side of the diamond hoping not to get a face card or an ace. If it’s not then they flip a card from the second row, then the third, then fourth and then finally the fifth.
If a player can successfully cross the river without flipping any face cards or aces then they get to take a break while the other player attempts to do the same.
However if any face cards are flipped the river crosser must drink accordingly and restart. Jack is drink once, Queen is drink twice, King is drink three times and Ace is drink four times. This continues until a player makes it all the way across in one go.
Drink It Dinkus is a simple guessing game of our own creation. The goal of this game is to guess what you’re card is by asking the right questions.
The deck is shuffled and one player is chosen as the guesser. They place a card on their forehead facing outwards without knowing what it is. They must now try to figure out the exact value and suit of the card by asking yes or no questions.
Questions can be anything such as “is it higher than a 3?” or “is it a black card?”. Every time the guesser asks a question they must drink. When the guesser thinks they have it they can guess the exact card. Once they get it they pass the deck to the next player. If ever a player asks 7 questions without getting the correct card they must finish their drink.
Naked Greased Up Monkey is one of the more creative games on this list. The objective of the game is to push the center card off the table, by using cards in your hand to move it in certain directions. When it falls off the table whoever it fell closest to must drink the number on the card.
Once the “monkey” is placed face down in the center of the table and each player receives a hand of three cards someone can start the game. Players take turns playing cards, doing the required action and then replenishing their hand to 3 cards.
Ace to 5: Move the monkey a number of card lengths equal to the number played. The direction depends on the suit.
6-10: These cards do nothing.
Jack: Drink once
Queen: Player to the left drinks
King: Player to the right drinks
One of the easiest drinking games out there. The objective of Smoke or Fire is simply to guess if the next card will be smoke (black card) or fire (red card).
On a players turn they guess Smoke or Fire. If they’re wrong they drink and then their turn is over. If they’re correct they choose to either give out one sip or “double down”. If they double down they double the drink value for the next card and go again. A player can double down as many times as they want during their turn. But be careful, it might backfire!
Egyptian Rat Screw is sort of a combination of War and Slaps. The aim of the game is to collect all the cards from the other players and hopefully not lose any of your own.
Players take turn flipping the top card of their deck into the center, until certain cards come up.
This one is a simply adds some fun drinking rules to Crazy Eights. Crazy eights is a game where players take turns playing a card into the center that must match the number or suit of the previous card. If they don’t have a matching one they must pick up a new card. First player to run out of cards wins the game.
This 3 player drinking card game is one of precision and speed. In addition to the deck of cards you’re also going to need something to slap in the center of the table to act as the buzzer.
Each turn the acting player flips a single card from the deck and places it in front of them (replacing any card that was there).
Whenever a card is flipped, if anyone has a card that matches that card in suit or number they must yell “buzz!” and quickly slap the buzzer. Last player to slap who was supposed to drinks and earns 1 point.
At the end of the game, when the deck runs out of cards, whoever has the most points must down a full drink.
In this game the goal is to get rid of the effigy as quickly as possible. The effigy can be any object in the room as long as it’s something you can pass around the table.
Each person is dealt 3 cards and the effigy is given to the starting player. On a players turn they simply play a card then draw a new one to replace it. The cards have different effects based on the suit.
There’s also some special cards
When the deck runs out shuffle the discarded cards and keep playing. Whenever a player runs out of cards they are eliminated from the game. Last player with cards remaining wins the game!
In this game the goal is to get the value of the center pile to exactly 99. Whoever accomplishes that task wins the game.
Players take turns playing cards from their hand and adding that value to the total in the middle. Ace is worth 1 and King is worth 13.
Special cards
Whenever the total value of the pile ends in 9, everyone drinks.
When someone reaches 99, every other player finishes their drink.
If you’re looking to deal out some cards and do some drinking than this is your game. The aim of the game is to not have the lowest card at the table.
Each player is dealt one card, then play starts to the left of the dealer and goes clockwise. On a players turn their can choose to either keep their card, or swap it with the next players card clockwise. Ace is low and King is high.
If a player is dealt a King they may immediately flip it over. This card cannot be swapped with.
The last turn is the dealers. They may only swap with a random card from the deck.
Once everyone has played each player flips their card, and the player with the lowest card finishes their drink.
This fun betting game will have you feeling like you’re right at the tracks. In Horse Race everyone picks a horse (represented by card suits) and hopes that their steed crosses the line first.
After the game is set up, each player picks one suit and bets a number of drinks on it. Then the dealer starts flipping cards. Whenever a card is flipped move the horse of the corresponding suit forward 1 card length. Continue until one horse crosses the finish line.
Whoever bet on that horse may give out drinks equal to their bet. Everyone who bet incorrectly must drink equal to their bet.
Bet your liver is exactly as intense as it sounds, especially if you’re overconfident.
Each turn one player pours any amount of their drink into the center mug, and then guesses “red” or “black”. Then the card is flipped. If they were right then the next player goes, if they were wrong they must drink everything in the cup. This game works best if everyone is drinking the same beverage.
Much like Black Jack, the aim of 31 is to get as close to that number without going over. Each player has a hand of 3 cards that they must try to swap out with the top card or a random card of the deck until they are close to 31.
On a players turn they draw a single card. They can do this randomly from the deck, or draw the top card of the discard pile. At the end of their turn they must then discard 1 card to the top of the discard pile. Aces are worth 11. 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are all worth 10.
When someone thinks they have the closest to 31, they knock on the table. Everyone now gets 1 more turn and then the game ends and everyone reveals their cards. Whoever is closest wins, and anyone who was under drinks.
If ever anyone gets exactly 31 they can flip their cards. They automatically win and everyone drinks.
If a player busts (goes over 31), they must reveal their cards and drink 5 times.
This game is purely about luck and hoping that your cards don’t match anyone else’s. This is one of the heaviest card drinking games on this list so be careful.
What happens is each turn a player is dealt a new card face-up to replace their last one. If that card happens to match someone else’s face up card then both player must drink for a number of seconds equal to the value of the card. (ace is 1, kind is 13).
The game ends when the deck is run out. Or players agree that enough is enough.
This is a guessing game for 4 or more players where the objective is simply to guess whether the next card will be black or red, and if it will be higher or lower than the previous card.
On a players turn they are given 1 card face up. They then have to guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than that card, and if it will be red or black.
If they’re correct they guess again. If they’re incorrect they drink and their turn is over.
If a player manages to guess 3 times in a row correctly, they end their turn but the next player must drink an additional 3 times if they get it wrong. This can keep on accumulating until someone is left drinking a hefty amount.
Flip the cards, do the actions, drink some drinks. That’s Kings in a nutshell. Each card does something different which usually results in one or more people drinking.
Each turn one player draws a card and then does the following action depending on what they drew.
The game ends when the fourth king is drawn.
This is a guessing game that typically ends up screwing over one player in particular. Players take turns guessing which card the dealer is holding, and the dealer attempts to get 3 people to guess incorrectly in a row.
One player is chosen to start as the dealer. The dealer takes a secret look at the top card and then asks the player to their left what they think it is.
If the guesser is correct on their first guess, the dealer must take 5 sips. If the guesser is incorrect the dealer must say if the card they’re holding is higher or lower. Then the guesser takes their second and final guess. If they’re correct on the second guess the dealer drinks 5 times, if they’re incorrect they must drink equal to the difference of their guess and the actual card.
The dealer continues dealing to each player in turn. The only way they can pass the deck to the next player is to get 3 people to guess incorrectly in a row.
After each turn the card that was being guessed is placed face up on the table. So as the game goes on the guessers can clearly see which cards are not in the deck, making it easier to screw over the dealer.
Pyramid is a great game for spiteful people. In this game cards are gradually flipped and anyone with matching cards can make the other players drink.
Once the pyramid is laid out on the table and players have their hand of cards the game can begin. Starting with the bottom row cards are flipped one by one.
If anyone has a card with the matching number in their hand they can play it in front of another player and that player must drink.
Each row of cards causes more drinking than the last. So 1 on the first row, all the way to 5 on the 5th row. Be careful who you target, because they just might be saving up for a counter attack at the end.
This is definitely a game you want to play with people who know each other well. Or at least people who want to know each other well.
The objective is to suction a playing card to your lips and pass it along to another players lips without anyone dropping it. It’s about as intimate as a card game can get.
To start one player grabs a card, reveals it to the group, then suctions it to their mouth. They must then attempt to pass it to the next players mouth clockwise. This continue until someone messes up and drops the card. Whoever messed up must must drink for a number of seconds equal to the value of the card.
This is a great drinking game for larger groups. In this game you need to draw cards and then balance them delicately on top of a glass.
Fill a cup with beer and then use the cards to form a circle around the cup. Players then take turns drawing cards. Red cards mean they take sips equal to the number, Black cards they give out that many.
Whenever someone draws a card they must then place it on top of the glass in the middle. At least 2 corners of the card must be hanging off the side. If any cards fall off then that player must drink for each card that fell.
Additionally anyone who breaks the ring by drawing a card that leaves a gap in the circle must drink.
Like a twisted game of drunken roulette. This game involves as many types of drinks as you can muster. Beer, wine, whiskey, orange juice, milk, whatever you can get.
To start each drink is placed around the edges of the table. Then a card is placed in front of each beverage. Make sure that each card placed in front of something is a different number.
Now to play the game each player takes turns drawing a card from the remaining deck. If it matches the number of a beverage, they must drink it. If it doesn’t they get to set up a new one for that number. This continues until the deck has run out.
This game is exactly as simple as it sounds. Everyone draws a card and prays that their card isn’t the highest at the table.
Each turn each player flips the top card of their deck. Whoever has the highest card loses. (ace is low). They must drink for a number of seconds equal to what the lowest card at the table was. If it’s a tie both players must drink. If the lowest card is tied, then the highest card must drink double.
This game takes place in two unique phases. The guessing phase and the drinking phase. First each player is dealt 4 cards which they aren’t allowed to look at.
In turn the dealer asks each player what color their first card will be. Reveal the cards, and everyone who was wrong drinks. Next each player guesses whether their next card will be higher or lower than the first, anyone who is wrong drinks. For the third card players will be guessing if the card is “in between” the values of their first cards or “outside”. For the final cards players guess which suit the card will be.
One all players have revealed their cards then the real drinking game can start.
One by one the dealer flips over the 4 cards in the top row of cards. Anyone with the first card drinks once, second card drinks twice, third drinks three times, and fourth drinks 4 times.
Then the bottom row is flipped, and it plays the same as the top row except players will be assigning their drinks to other players instead.
This is a great drinking card game that works best with a large crowd. All players have to do is flip cards and do the required action. Until one player becomes Captain Dickhead and can make or break any rule they want.
This game requires some kind of hat to signify who the almighty Dickhead is. Players take turns in a clockwise order flipping cards and doing different tasks.
In this game the only goal is to not have the lowest card at the table. Players swap cards hoping to end up with a higher one until one player is eliminated and must chug a drink.
The dealer dishes out one card face down to each player. Play starts to the left of the dealer then goes clockwise.
On a players turn they must simply choose to keep their card or swap it with the next player clockwise.
The dealer is the last to act every round. They choose to either keep the card or swap it with a randomly drawn card from the deck.
Once everyone is player everyone flips their card. Whoever had the lowest card (ace is low), must chug a full drink. They are also eliminated from the game for the next round.
Rounds are played until only one player remains. The dealer should rotate each round if possible.
This one is as close to just flipping cards and getting drunk as you can get. The game of Potluck simply involves drawing cards, taking sips, giving out sips, filling out a glass or necking the whole thing.
Each turn one person flips a card. If the card is black they take a sip of their drink. If it’s red they pour one sip into the central glass. There’s a few special rule cards too.
Did we miss your favorite drinking card games? We’ll chances are we have it in our drinking game list. If not feel free to contact us and let us know.
With so many drinking games with cards out there it can be hard to decide which one to try out. It’s always best to read the room and see what people are in the mood for. Whichever one you decide to play please always remember to drink responsibly and take a break if you need one.
Drinking card games have been popular since early civilization. It makes sense; humans love two things, games and alcohol and it should surprise no one that they love them together. Though, it can be hard to find good drinking card games, as sometimes there’s too much drinking to game ratio or vice versa. The best drinking card games are the ones where there’s just enough game to keep you entertained while not being so complicated that drunk you can’t keep up.
One of the best things about card games for drinking is that they usually do follow along with similar guidelines and rules so after learning a few many will build off similar ideas. Playing card drinking games, again can be a hassle the first few times and you may realize half-way through you’ve been playing all wrong, but cut yourself a break, you are actively trying to get drunk after all.
For the drinking card games, I’m listing below you’ll need alcohol, at least one friend (or more), and no plans for tomorrow.
Toepen is a 3-person drinking card game that can be played with up to 8 people. It is a trick-taking card game. Each player is dealt a hand of cards and the person left of the dealer starts the first trick. All following players must follow suit if possible and the person who plays the highest-ranking card wins the trick. All players who didn’t win, lose a life. The game is played till a player loses 10 lives. This person buys a round for all other players and a new game starts.
This 3-player drinking card game is also be played with gambling, but instead of money, you gamble lives. During a trick, a player may knock and increase the bid by one life. Other players may then fold, continue playing or increase the bid.
King’s Cup is a two-person drinking card game. It can be played with more players. It is the only two-player drinking game on this list and one of the only card drinking games for 2 I’ve ever played.
King’s cup is unusual from other 2 player drinking card games because each card has a different rule associated with it. Some examples being: Ace typically means waterfall. This means all players drink and don’t stop till the person who drew the card does, then the person to their left may stop and so on. Another example is Jack which involves the players playing a quick round of Never Have I Ever.
Ride the Bus is one of the drinking card games for 4 on my list and can be played with up to eight players. It is also a pyramid card drinking game, but that describes better the second half of the game.
In Ride the Bus, players play a series of four rounds to get dealt a hand of four cards. Players guess certain parameters their card may fall under and if they are wrong the drink. Parameters may include things like: red or black, higher or lower and so on and so forth.
The second half of the game is building a pyramid. The pyramid is built face down and while being flipped players may place cards matching flipped values to give other player drinks. Once the pyramid is built the player with the most cards in hand is the loser and must ride the bus, meaning answering the questions used in the first half of the game until they get all questions correct. If they get one wrong, they must drink and start over.
Horserace is a drinking card game with no limitations on players. A standard deck of cards is used to set up a horse race. The Aces are the horses in this drinking card game and the remaining cards are used to determine the winner of the race. The players bet on which ace they think will win using numbers of drinks they want to give out. Winners give out double that number while losers drink half their wager plus any additional drinks were given to them by the winner.
Up and Down the River is one of my favorite fun drinking card games. This drinking card game is playable with 6 or more players, and even the dealer gets to participate in this game. Each player is dealt 4 cards face up and then cards are flipped this is called going up the river. You drink an increasing number of drinks for each flip. For example, on the first flip players will drink one drink if they have a card that matches rank with the revealed one.
President is a drinking card game for 4 to 7 players. The goal of the game is to not be the last person with cards in hand. Players take turns starting with the current President who plays a pair of matching cards. Players then try to beat this with a higher-ranking pair of cards or pass their turn. Once all players pass, cards are removed from the table ad the next round is started by the person to play the last pair in the previous round. The scum is the last person who has cards in their hand. They buy a round for the table and must give up their best card to the new president.
Blind Squirrel is a drinking game which uses both cards and dice. Drinks are distributed based upon a players ability to guess what card will be drawn and how the dice will roll. To play Blind Squirrel one needs beer, hard liquor, 54 card deck (52 cards + jokers), dice, and the ability to hold your liquor as well as shotgun a beer alone without shame. Have all active players gather around a table with the cards and dice. The alcohol should be within arm’s length.
Drinking card games are some of the best games to play with a group of friends. They’re easy-going and lighthearted and can lead to some seriously fun or really embarrassing memories. A drinking card game can take a boring night of drinks to an exciting new level and usually ends with everyone having a good time. As with any fun activity though, please partake in it with responsibility. Know your limits, and if you find yourself needing to cool down for an hour or two try out some of our other great games on our website.