Seven Drinking Game

Seven is the counting game where you go around the circle saying numbers, and any number that has a 7 in it, divides by 7, or has digits that add up to 7 cannot be said. You say “buzz” (or clap) instead. It is the drinking game without cards that works anywhere, from a kitchen to a train, because it needs nothing but people who can count. By 70 it turns out that is fewer people than you thought.

What you need

• Nothing physical. No cards, no dice, no phone.
• A drink each. Beer or a mixed drink; the original version of this page called for schnapps as the penalty drink, and that still works if the bottle is already open.
• 2 or more players. 4 to 8 is the sweet spot. With 2 you land on every other number and the game gets brutal around 70.

Setup

1. Sit in a circle and agree on the direction. Clockwise is normal. If you play the reverse variation below, agree on that now too.
2. Decide what replaces the number. “Buzz” is the common call. Clapping is the silent version. “Schnapps” is the old-school version this page started with. Pick one and stick to it.
3. Decide which rules are live. The full game uses all three sets of forbidden numbers: contains a 7, multiple of 7, and digits add up to 7. Beginners drop the third one. Say which you are playing before anyone says “1”.
4. Decide what a mistake does to the count. The standard is that the next player carries on from where it broke. The house rule is that every mistake sends the count back to 1, which makes reaching 100 a real event.

Seven rules, step by step

1. The first player says “1” and play goes around the circle. One number per person, no pauses.
2. Any number that contains a 7 is replaced. 7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 87, and 97, and every number from 70 to 79. You say “buzz” (or clap) instead of the number.
3. Any multiple of 7 is replaced too. 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 84, 91, and 98, as well as 7, 70, and 77, which are covered already.
4. Any number whose digits add up to 7 is also replaced. 16, 25, 34, 43, 52, and 61. This is the rule that separates the full game from the easy one, and it is the one that catches people who thought they had it.
5. Get it wrong or hesitate, and you drink. Saying a forbidden number, buzzing on a safe one, or saying the wrong number all count. One drink, or a shot of whatever the penalty bottle is. The table decides what counts as hesitating; three seconds is a fair line.
6. The count continues from where it broke. The next player takes the number the failed player should have handled. If you chose the restart house rule, it goes back to 1 instead.
7. Reach 100 and the round is over. Going past 100 is allowed but rarely worth it. The hundreds are no harder than the tens, and by then everyone has had the penalty drink a few times.

Which numbers are buzz

Every replaced number from 1 to 100 under the full rules. Numbers in bold trigger more than one rule.

Rule	Numbers
Contains a 7	7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 87, 97
Multiple of 7	7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98
Digits add up to 7	7, 16, 25, 34, 43, 52, 61, 70

That is 36 forbidden numbers out of 100, or 30 if you drop the digit-sum rule. Between 70 and 79 nobody says a number at all, and 77 trips every rule in houses that play tiered penalties.

Variations and house rules

• Buzz (UK). Same game with one extra set: any double number (11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 88, 99) is also buzz. Under this version almost half the numbers between 1 and 100 are replaced.
• Reverse on seven. Every buzz flips the direction of play. The person who just said 6 has to deal with 8 and is never ready for it. This is the most common extra rule in the US version.
• Beginner and expert modes. Beginner: multiples of 7 only. Standard: multiples and anything containing a 7. Expert: add the digit-sum rule. Move up a level each time the group reaches 100.
• Fizz Buzz. Multiples of 5 are “fizz”, multiples of 7 are “buzz”, and 35 and 70 are “fizz buzz”. The programming interview question, with drinks.
• Tiered penalties. A slip on a number that contains a 7 is a sip, a slip on a multiple is a long drink, and a slip on 77 is a shot. Popular at tables that want the seventies to matter.
• Clap codes. Clap once when the 7 is in the ones place, twice when it is in the tens, and stomp for a multiple. This is the version closest to the Korean game Sam Yuk Gu, which does the same thing with 3, 6, and 9.
• Restart at 1. Every mistake resets the count. Reaching 100 becomes a group project that can take half an hour, which is the point.
• Schnapps version. The way this page first described it: say “schnapps” instead of the number, and drink schnapps when you get it wrong. Slower than buzz to say, which is part of the difficulty.

Tips

• Write the forbidden numbers on a napkin before you start and keep it face down. It settles arguments about whether 56 counts (it does, 7 times 8) without stopping the game.
• Count ahead. While the person before you is speaking, work out your number and check it against the three rules; that is the whole skill.
• Use beer for the penalty drink, or cap shots at three per person. The seventies are ten forbidden numbers in a row, and a group that keeps restarting can rack up a lot of penalties in 15 minutes.
• Play it before Sam Yuk Gu, not after. Swapping number sets late in the night is how people end up clapping on 14.