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Drinking card games

A standard deck runs every game on this page, from sit-down classics like Kings Cup to two-minute fillers like Higher or Lower. If you have never played any of them, start with the three below; if you have a specific number of people, use the filters.

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Kings Cup illustration

Kings Cup

3 to 12 players 30 min

The classic. Rules stack as the deck runs down, so the second half is chaos.

Bus Driver illustration

Bus Driver

2 to 10 players 30 min

Guess wrong, drink, start over. The one people remember in the morning.

Beeramid illustration

Beeramid

2 to 8 players 30 min

A pyramid of cards and a lot of lying. Works with a quiet group.

All 14 games newest updates first

  1. Kings Cup illustration Kings Cup Players take turns drawing cards from a ring around a central cup, and every card carries a rule for who drinks or what happens next. The first three Kings pour into the cup; whoever draws the fourth King drinks it. 3 to 12 · 30 min
  2. Bus Driver illustration Bus Driver Players guess red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, and the suit of their cards, giving drinks when right and taking them when wrong, then match cards against a pyramid. Whoever is left holding the most cards is the bus driver and has to ride the bus. 2 to 10 · 30 min
  3. Beeramid illustration Beeramid A pyramid of face-down cards is flipped one at a time, and any player who claims a matching card in their memorized hand can hand out drinks worth the row. The victim either drinks or calls bullshit, and whoever is wrong drinks double. 2 to 8 · 30 min
  4. Asshole illustration Asshole Players race to shed their cards by beating the last play with a higher card or set, and the finishing order gives everyone a rank for the next hand. The President hands out drinks, the Asshole deals, clears the pile, and cannot make anyone drink. 4 to 8 · 45 min
  5. Brain Damage illustration Brain Damage A blackjack-style card game played to 7.5 instead of 21, with a stripped deck and bets made in beer instead of chips. Each player faces the dealer one at a time, and the lower hand, or the one that busts, drinks the bet. 2 to 8 · 30 min
  6. Dictator illustration Dictator One player is the dictator, announces which cards count this round, and deals a hand to everyone; players drink once for each card they hold that meets a condition. The dictator's own matches are drinks to give away, and then the title passes to the left. 3 to 10 · 20 min
  7. Drug Dealer illustration Drug Dealer Everyone gets one card; the Ace is the dealer, the King is the cop, and the numbers are buyers. The dealer winks at buyers in secret until someone announces a deal has been made. The cop then accuses players one at a time, drinking the value of every wrong card until the dealer is caught. 4 to 12 · 30 min
  8. Go Fish illustration Go Fish Regular Go Fish with a drinking layer: you drink when you are sent fishing, you drink when you hand a card over, and everyone else drinks when you lay down a pair. Most pairs at the end wins, and the losers drink the difference. 2 to 6 · 20 min
  9. Horse Race The four Aces line up as horses, every player bets a number of drinks on a suit, and the dealer flips cards one at a time to move the matching horse up the track. Back the winning horse and you hand out double your bet; back a loser and you drink it. 3 to 12 · 15 min
  10. Mau Mau illustration Mau Mau Mau Mau is the German cousin of Crazy Eights and Uno: match the top card by suit or rank, empty your hand first, and say "Mau" when you are down to one card. The drinking version adds a sip to every draw, a drink to every special card, and a penalty for anyone who forgets to call Mau. 2 to 8 · 20 min
  11. Spoons Cards move around the table one at a time until somebody collects four of a kind and takes a spoon, which is the signal for everyone else to grab one too. There is one spoon fewer than there are players, and the person left without one drinks. 3 to 12 · 20 min
  12. Top Card illustration Top Card Each player matches the value of the top card with one card or a set of cards that adds up to it, then decides which of those cards stays on top for the next player. Fail to match and you drink and draw 2; empty your hand first and you hand out 3 drinks. 3 to 8 · 20 min
  13. Drunk Uno illustration Drunk Uno Standard Uno with a sip attached to every draw and a drink attached to every action card: Draw Two is 2 sips, Skip and Reverse cost the player they hit, and Wild Draw Four is 4. Forget to say Uno and you drink; lose the round and you drink once per card left in your hand. 3 to 10 · 20 min
  14. Up and Down the River illustration Up and Down the River Every player gets 4 cards face up and the dealer flips 8 cards from the deck: on the first 4 you drink 1, 2, 3, then 4 sips for every card of yours that matches, and on the last 4 you give out 4, 3, 2, then 1 for every match. Luck decides everything, which is why it works with 14 people. 3 to 14 · 15 min

Picking a card game for the group you have

The games on this page split three ways. Rule-per-card games (Kings Cup, Ring of Fire) need no strategy and scale to a big table; everyone learns them in one round. Guessing games (Higher or Lower, Bus Driver) are fast, work with two people, and produce a loser, which is what a pregame wants. Real card games with drinking attached (Asshole, Mau Mau, Go Fish) reward people who already like cards and give a quieter group something to do with their hands.

If the group is mixed, start with a guessing game, move to Kings Cup once everyone has a drink, and keep the real card games for the four people still standing at the end.

Card games, answered

What is the best drinking game with a deck of cards?

Kings Cup, if the group is four or more and nobody wants to learn anything. Bus Driver, if you want something with a loser. Beeramid, if the group enjoys bluffing. All three need nothing but the deck and drinks.

Which drinking card games work with only 2 people?

Higher or Lower and Bus Driver both work with two. Kings Cup technically works, but most of its cards assume a crowd; there is a two-player variation on its page.

Can you play these card games with non-alcoholic drinks?

Yes. Nothing in any of these rules depends on what is in the cup. Mixed soft drinks in a Kings Cup are their own punishment.

Do I need jokers?

No game on this page uses jokers by default. A few house rules turn them into wild cards or "everyone drinks"; the variation sections say when.

What if someone cannot remember the card meanings?

Write them on a napkin and leave it in the middle. Every table does this eventually, and it saves the argument at card 40.

How many people can play a drinking card game?

Most of these run from 3 to about 10 with one deck. Past 10, add a second deck (Up and Down the River says when) or split into two tables.

Please drink responsibly. Pace yourself, drink water between rounds, look after each other, and never drive after playing.