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Egyptian Ratscrew

Everyone gets a face-down stack and takes turns flipping cards onto a pile in the middle. When certain patterns show up, like two of the same card in a row, the first person to slap the pile wins it. Face cards start little challenges too. Collect the whole deck to win.

first round is practice. stop and ask anytime.

Set up · 1 of 2

Deal the whole deck face down, as evenly as you can. Nobody looks at their cards.

Set up · 2 of 2

Everyone keeps their cards in a neat face-down stack.

How to play · 1 of 6

Flip

Going clockwise, players flip their top card face up onto the middle pile. Flip it away from yourself so you don't see it first.

How to play · 2 of 6

Slap a double

If a card matches the rank of the card right below it, like two 8s, anyone can slap the pile. The first hand down takes the whole pile and puts it under their stack.

How to play · 3 of 6

Slap a sandwich

If a card matches the rank of the card two below it, with one different card in between (7, 2, 7), that's a sandwich. Slap it.

How to play · 4 of 6

Face card challenges

When someone plays a Jack, Queen, King or Ace, the next player gets a set number of tries to play a face card of their own: 1 for a Jack, 2 for a Queen, 3 for a King, 4 for an Ace. If they do, the challenge passes on. If they don't, whoever played the last face card wins the pile.

How to play · 5 of 6

Bad slaps

Slap when there's nothing to slap and you put one card face down under the pile as a penalty.

How to play · 6 of 6

Out, but not done

Ran out of cards? You can still slap your way back in on the next double or sandwich.

How to win

Collect every card in the deck.