5 Card Drinking Games That You'll Definitily Love

Card drinking games are not without reason among the most popular games at parties or in a cozy round. We have nominated the drinking games we love most in our top 5 Card drinking games!

Why Playing Card Drinking Games?

Card drinking games are very popular. Why? You only need a simple deck of cards for it and there are a lot of different variations! In this respect, probably only dice drinking games can keep up with them.

The great thing: Card drinking games are available with every common card hand, so for example a skat hand (32 cards), a poker hand (52 cards) or a rummy or bridge hand (110 cards) In addition, there are  Card drinking games for every taste, because the different drinking game variants demand very different skills. Sometimes you also just need pure luck.

For some card drinking games, like blowing cards it is about skill, for others like Hep Hep Hep about speed and concentration and again for others you also have to think and play tactically. However, the card drinking games all have one thing in common: as the alcohol level increases, it’s easier to make a mistake and then have to drink even more. But that’s the point… 😉

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Our 5 Most Loved Card Drinking Games

1. Asshole – The Card Drinking Game for Social Critics

Asshole, Durak or Duran

• Players: 4 – 6.
• Accessories: Skat hand (32 cards).
• Recommended drink: Since you, if you are unlucky and for several rounds the “asshole”are, in this drinking game with cards may get quite a lot, so you have to drink, we recommend as a drink beer or wine in shot glasses as drinking unit. But of course you are left to play with liquor as well…. 😉
• Required skills: tactics, diplomacy, luck.

At the beginning of each round, all cards are distributed equally to the teammates: so with 4 players each gets 8 cards, with 5 players each gets 6 and with 6 each gets 5, leaving 2 cards. Remaining cards are put aside face down during this round..
In turn, cards are now played with the goal of making the trick: that is, to outbid all other cards with the highest card. Only a higher card of the same suit (i.e. clubs, spades, hearts, diamonds) counts as higher, cards of a different suit than the first played count nothing, i.e. like 0. The only exception is if you play with a trump suit. But more about that later! If you can not or do not want to put a card to it, you may also pass!.

Example 1

Anika plays a 10 of clubs, Basti puts a jack of spades on it. A jack is higher than a ten, but since it has a different suit (in the sense of card symbol!), it counts for nothing. Clara passes, Daniel lays the Ace of Clubs. Daniel has won the trick. Each won trick is put aside and the player who made it may play next, so in this case Daniel..

Playing Multiple Cards

If the player whose turn it is holds several cards of the same value in his hand (i.e. two 9s or three kings, for example), he may also play them together. The following players must then each put down the same number of cards, and thus overbid all played cards to make the trick! Since this may not be so easy, it happens here more often that all other players pass and the player is immediately again on the turn.

Example 2

Bastian plays out spades-9 and hearts-9. Clara and Daniel both pass, but Anika lays a 10 of spades and a queen of hearts. So she outbids both played cards in the right suit and the trick is hers. As you can see, the outbidding cards don’t have to be of the same value, though!

Outbidding and Drinking

The basic idea behind this game is to create a hierarchical society in each round. In that sense, Asshole is the most political of all drinking games with cards.

Whoever is the first to run out of cards is named President the second is Vice President, if there are more than 4 players the one or two players who finish next form the foot race. The second to last player gets the dubious honor of being the Vice Asshole, and then whoever is left is the titular Asshole..

And now comes the really nasty side of the game, because as in real life, in hierarchies is always kicked down or in this case asked to drink. However, each player may only order another player below him in the hierarchy to drink per round. So, theoretically, the president may ask anyone, the vice-president anyone except the president, etc.

It’s really nasty when you’re the asshole and all the higher offices ask you to drink, so you get everything. And since there is just no one below the asshole, this can unfortunately do nothing at all to return the favor, except to hope for a advancement in the next round, because the offices are reassigned in each round..
However, the further down you are, the harder it is to get up. The player who is currently asshole deals the cards in the next round. Then he MUST give his two highest cards to the president, and gets two other cards from him in return, which the president can choose. Likewise, MUST the Vice Asshole cedes his highest card to the Vice President, and gets one of his cards back from him. The president opens the new round and plays first..

Additional Rule – Set Trump: You can also additionally set a trump suit that trumps all other suits. To do this, draw a card each round before dealing and show it to everyone. This color is for the coming round trump..

A very similar game is the Russian Durak, also known in Poland as Duren. The rules are still a bit more complex, but you still understand the game very quickly, and if you already know Asshole, it’s all the easier..

2. King’s Cup – The Drinking Game for Imaginative Players

Who finishs the King’s cup?

• Number of players: 2 – any.
• Accessories: rummy hand (110 cards), stein or other large glass.
• Drink: beer, wine, schnapps, cocktails…. it’s entirely up to you!
• Skills required: Luck, attention, imagination.

King’s Cup is one of the drinking games with cards, which currently enjoys great popularity. The reason: it is very easy to play, but extremely varied and fun and requires the imagination of the players. So just the right drinking game for all who like it imaginative and not only because of the associations to the king’s cup like fantasy, King Arthur and the Holy Grail..

First you make sure that in front of each player is a glass with an alcoholic beverage of your choice. In the middle you place the largest glass or vessel that you have available. As a former resident of Bavaria, I recommend quite clearly a Maßkrug, or a jug for half a Maß! 😉.

This vessel is then – yes right: your king cup! However, it remains empty at the beginning and fills up only in the course of the game. The course of the game is very simple: The players draw cards in turn from a large pile, whereby each card has a certain action or game rule as a consequence. Or you can play this drinking game so that always the one who has to drink last draws the next card..

The Cards Have the Following Valences:

2 = category / genre

The player who drew a 2 picks a category or genre of terms (e.g., mammals, pop stars, clothing, cities in Asia) and names the first term for it himself. For example: mammals – elephant, pop stars – Beyonce, clothes – blouse, cities in Asia – Beijing. Now the players must each take turns to name a term from this category. If you can’t think of any more, or if you name a term that has already been mentioned again or otherwise make a mistake, you have to take a sip. Then the next draws a card..

3 = What rhymes is good

Whoever draws a 3 gets to pick any word (e.g. pants) and now the others must each take turns to name a word that rhymes with it (e.g. can, rose, mimosa). Who nothing more comes to mind or repeats a term, must drink!

4 = sphinx, master of questions, questionmaster

The player who draws a 4 becomes the “Sphinx” or Master of Questions. As soon as he asks a question and someone answers him, the latter must drink! At first it goes on thus simply with the fact that the fellow players draw cards in turn and the associated rules are executed. The Sphinx can and should now repeatedly try to ask the other players questions. Whoever answers by mistake has to drink! As soon as another player draws another 4, this gets the title of the Sphinx..

5 = Ticking Time Bomb

Whoever draws a 5 gets to pick a number between 3 and 9 and any word. Now is counted in turn and in a constant rhythm like the ticking of a clock or a time bomb! However with each number, which is divisible by the selected number, or in which this number occurs, not the number but the word must be called. Example: Alex has drawn a 5 and chooses the number 4 and the word porno. Now we count in turn: 1, 2, 3, porno, 5, 6, 7, porno, 9, 10, 11, porno, 13, porno, 15, porno, 17, etc. If one of the players makes a mistake, or does not say the right number or word in time, the time bomb goes off: the person must drink!.

6 = permission to go to the bathroom

Whether drinking games with cards or without cards, sooner or later they cause pressure on the bladder for every player. Mean one may not at any time on’s Klo, but only who draws a 6, may then give in to his urge to urinate.

Absolute emergencies are of course excluded from this rule 😉

7 = Drink yourself

8 = Thumb, Thumbmaster, Thumbmaster

Whoever draws this card becomes a Thumb, a role comparable to the Sphinx or the Master of Questions. The Thumb may place his thumb on the edge of the table as often as he likes. Then all the others must also put their thumb on the edge of the table. The last one to check must drink.

9 = Make up your own rule

The 9 is the most popular card in this game for good reason! Because whoever draws it gets to make up a rule of their own choosing, which then applies for the rest of the game.

Some suggestions for rules:

• You are not allowed to call anyone by name or you have to call everyone Horst
• You are not allowed to point at anyone anymore. (This is especially funny if you want to make it clear to someone that they have broken a rule and now have to drink. Because then you have to drink too!
• Before drinking you have to stand up and turn in a circle
• Before picking up each card you have to say something stupid
• You have to stop saying the word “drink”
• You have to drink with your left hand etc.
• There are no limits to your creativity! If you break one of the rules, you have to drink. It is especially funny if several 9s have already been drawn, because then the probability increases that someone forgets one or the other and has to drink.

10 = distribute 10 sips

The player may distribute ten sips to the other players. As always, any rules apply here.

Jack = All men must drink

Queen = All women must drink

King = The king’s cup is filled

The player fills the big glass in the middle with any drink of his choice, so that it is filled to a quarter. The player who draws the second king fills the glass to half, the third to three quarters. The fourth king must add his own glass contents and drink the big glass (the king’s cup) empty! Cheers!

Ace = All must drink

Joker = Joker 🙂

Jokers may be used for any other card, as in other card games.

3. Hep Hep – The Card Drinking Game for Skillful Players

How quick and alert are you?

• Number of players: 3 – any.
• Accessories: deck of cards (any hand, ideally rummy hand), beer cover (1 less than there are players)
• Recommended drink: Schnapps.
• Skills required: speed, attention.

Many drinking games with cards require tactics and deliberation from the players, but in Hep Hep Hep you need an attentive eye and speed. All players are dealt 3 cards and one player is dealt 4 cards. In the middle of the table is a pile of coasters..

The players call together in the same rhythm “hep hep hep – hep hep hep – hep hep hep” At each “hep hep hep”, the one who just has 4 cards must pass the card to the player to his left. Who is too slow in doing so, drops cards or promises himself, must drink..

The goal here is to collect 3 cards of the same value, so 3 aces, 3 nines or 3 jacks. As soon as someone has 3 of a kind, he calls Stop loudly and reveals his cards. Then he may take a coaster and is done for this round..

A round lasts until all coasters are distributed. The player who did not get a coaster in this round must now drink 2 shots. The player who has laid out the lowest value of equal cards, must drink after all 1 schnapps..

Tip: The faster you Hep Hep plays, the more fun the game!.

4. River Trip – The Drinking Game for Those Who Love Sweet Revenge

Dizzy river trip

• Number of players: 2 – any.
• Accessories: Rummy sheet (110 cards)
• Recommended Drink: Schnapps.
• Skills required: Luck, diplomacy.

River Cruise, also known as Up and Down the River is one of the simplest yet most effective drinking games with cards. Each round consists of 2 phases in which you, as a player, go up and then down the river. 

You shuffle all the cards and deal out 4 cards to each player, which you place face up on the table in front of you. The dealer puts the remaining cards in a pile and then the river ride begins! The dealer turns over a card from the deck, and places it face up on the table as well. Every player, including the dealer, who has a card with the same value (color does not matter) in front of him, must now drink. Who even has several cards, must drink accordingly often..

Example

Anika is giver and reveals a 7. Basti has no 7s and is spared. Clara has two 7s, accordingly, it is called for them equal to 2 times cheers!

A total of 4 cards from the deck are revealed by the dealer. After that, you drive the river down again, that is, it is again revealed in succession 4 cards. This time however downstream and that means: with changed rules. Who has a card with the same value in front of him, as the card drawn by the dealer, may determine per card a fellow player who must drink. Since it usually get off the players who had leased upstream the luck..

This game is one of the most spiteful drinking games with cards, because you can live out your revenge while playing. Because if you’re lucky on the river trip downstream, you can give your fellow players a good beating.

5. Brain Damage – The Card Drinking Game for Mad Geniuses

How close to 7.5 are you?

• Number of players: 3 to 8.
• Accessories: Poker hand (52 cards) minus 10 cards (see instructions below).
• Drink: Schnapps.
• Skills required: tactics, luck.

To prepare, you must first remove some cards from a poker hand (52 cards): all 8s, 9s and the two red 10s.

The remaining cards remain in the game.

Values of the cards in case of brain damage

Jack, Queen, King: 0.5 points each

Ace: 1 point

2-7: the respective card value

10: any value (joker)

The cards are shuffled and a giver is determined. The object of the game is to achieve a value as close as possible to the number 7.5. The dealer deals each player a card. Each player looks at his card and may ask for as many cards as he likes. However, the cards must not exceed 7.5 in total. If the value is higher, the player must immediately reveal his cards and has lost. He must 1 schnapps drink..

If he fails to communicate this, he must drink 2 schnapps immediately at the end when the cards are turned over. If a player doesn’t want any more cards, the dealer himself starts to turn up as many cards as he wants from the deck. If his value exceeds 7.5, he has lost and must drink. If he is closer to 7.5 than the player, the player must drink. If both have reached the same value, both must drink..

The round is over when the dealer has played with each player. A new dealer is determined. We play drinking games with cards where there is a dealer usually in such a way that someone who has not yet had to drink or has only had to drink a little is the next dealer. This person must drink statistically much more often in a round than the other players. But of course you can also go in order.

Important: Card drinking games can make damn a lot of fun and exactly that should be the point. If a teammate has drunk enough, or no longer has fun with it, he should be allowed to quit.

At Abenteuer Freundschaft you will find many more home party ideas, as well as lots of leisure tips for activities with friends, family and with your partner.

And if you like our ideas, we’d love a Like us on Facebook and Instagram! 😉

Also, of course, there are some very funny drinking games available for purchase on amazon*:

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Bambelaa! Trinkspiel Partyspiel Wackelturm Drunken Tower inklusive Vier Trinkgläser ca. 4cl (Deutsche Version)

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Relaxdays 10010182 Roulette Trinkspiel, Partyspiel mit Drehrad, Schnapsgläsern & Kugeln, Roulettespiel für Partys, 18 Jahre to 99 Jahre, rot/schwarz, 7 x 30 x 30 cm

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Lost Boy Entertainment King’s Cup Extreme - Trinkspiel auf Englisch - Kartenspiele für Erwachsene, Paare - Partyspiele - Spieleabend - Saufspiele - Trinkspiele für Erwachsene - Partyspiele ab 18

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