Card Drinking Games: Kings Cup, Ring of Fire & More

A single deck of cards for around €2.50 is the best party investment there is: it keeps a whole night going without anyone having to set anything up. These card drinking games range from the world-famous Kings Cup to the fast-paced 52-Card Race — each with full rules, complete instructions and ready-made card assignments so you can start straight away.

💡 By the way: that's exactly what we built the SwigSki3000® for — four people, one ski, one shot in sync. More on that further down ↓

What is a card drinking game? A card drinking game is a drinking game played with a standard deck of cards. Every card or combination triggers a drinking rule or action. The big advantage: a single deck is enough, it fits in any bag, and you can extend it with your own house rules whenever you like.

The Best Card Drinking Games (Classics)

Almost everyone knows these three — and for good reason: they're quick to explain and can carry a whole night.

Kings (King's Cup)

The best-known of them all. The cards are laid face-down in a circle around a large cup, the King's Cup. Going round the circle, everyone draws a card, and each value triggers a fixed action:

Ring of Fire

Kings' sister game with a slightly different setup: the cards form a closed ring around a can in the middle. If you break the ring while drawing a card, leaving a gap, you have to drink. The card rules are similar to Kings, but the game moves faster and has fewer rules — ideal if you want to jump straight in.

Asshole (Drinking Variant)

The shedding game with a hierarchy: the aim is to get rid of your cards first. Whoever finishes first becomes "President", the last one becomes the "Asshole" — and has to hand over their best cards next round and keep everyone's drinks topped up for that round. The loser of every round drinks. A dangerously addictive game, because the ranking keeps shifting.

Handy side effect: because the SwigSki3000® is made of four individually removable modules, it goes straight into the dishwasher after the round instead of into a corner.

Guessing and Racing Card Games

These games don't need long rules — flip a card, guess, drink.

Ride the Bus

The classic finisher: in the guessing phase, the dealer flips cards and you call each one (red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, which suit). After that, the loser has to "ride the bus" — a pyramid of cards where every number card flipped means a sip, and a wrong guess on a face card sends you back to the start. If you're unlucky, you'll be stuck on the bus for a while.

Higher or Lower

The fastest variant: the dealer places a card face-up, and you call whether the next one will be higher or lower. Guess wrong and you take a sip, then it's the next person's turn. Perfect as a warm-up or a nightcap round, because it's explained in seconds.

Jack, Queen, King, Down It

A pure drinking game with a fixed card order: everyone draws a card in turn. Draw a Jack and the person to your left drinks; draw a Queen and the person to your right drinks; draw a King and everyone drinks; draw an Ace and you drink yourself ("down it" the rest). Number cards give you that many sips to hand out. Simple, but surprisingly ruthless.

52-Card Race

An action game with cards: all 52 cards are shuffled face-down and laid out in one long row. Going in turn, everyone flips the next card — every red card means Team A drinks, every black card means Team B drinks. The goal is for your team to flip as few of "your own" colour as possible. A fast, loud game where luck is in complete control.

Card Classics as a Drinking Variant

Many well-known card games turn into drinking games with just one small extra rule.

31 (Schwimmen)

Everyone holds three cards and tries to collect cards of one suit with the highest possible total (target: 31). Whoever has the lowest total loses a "life" and drinks. Once you've lost all your lives, you're "swimming" and drop out with one last big sip. A tactical game for small to medium-sized groups.

Mau-Mau (Drinking Variant)

The familiar shedding game with a drinking twist: the special cards get drinking rules. Play a seven and the next player doesn't just draw two cards, they drink too; play a Jack to change the suit and the person choosing takes a sip; and if you forget to say "Mau", you drink as a penalty. Ideal for spicing up a game everyone already knows, with nothing new to learn.

Blackjack-Style (21)

The drinking variant of the card classic: everyone tries to get as close to 21 points as possible with their cards, without going over. Cards are drawn one at a time, face cards count as ten, and the Ace counts as eleven or one. Whoever "busts" (goes over 21) drinks a sip immediately. At the end of every round, whoever is furthest from 21 also drinks. A tactical game where nerve and risk decide the next round — the closer you push towards the limit, the further you have to fall.

Playing Card Drinking Games the Right Way

• Allow house rules: The "Jack = new rule" mechanic from Kings makes every deck unique. Write down the wildest rules so no one forgets them.
• Small sips for long rounds: A 52-card deck goes by faster than you'd think.
• Always have an alcohol-free option: Every game here works just as well with soft drinks.

If you don't have a deck of cards to hand, you'll find alternatives with cups, dice and guessing games in Drinking Games Without Cards. The tried-and-tested basics are in Good Drinking Games, and a full overview of every category is in the big Drinking Games Guide.

Drinking Responsibly Through Card Night

Card games move fast, and the sips add up before you notice. Keep an eye on the pace, have water and alcohol-free alternatives ready, and never pressure anyone to join in. That way the whole group stays together right through to the last card.

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Related articles:
Drinking Games Without Cards · Good Drinking Games · Drinking Games for Groups · All Drinking Games at a Glance