Get the party started! A roundup of perfect playing card games for drinking parties
A fun drinking party with everyone together!
If we’re going to make the most of it, it’d be great to have games we can all play together, right?
When you think about that, the first thing that probably comes to mind is a deck of cards.
This time, I’m going to introduce lots of card games—from ones that get big groups pumped up to ones that make a two-person drink really exciting!
I’ve put together a wide range, from classics to lesser-known games.
If you bookmark this article, it might come in handy not just for drinking parties, but in all kinds of situations!
Get the Party Started! A Roundup of Perfect Playing Card Games for Drinking Parties (1–10)
Blackjack
Blackjack is a game where you aim to get a total of exactly 21 with the cards you’re dealt.
You often play it in casinos that show up in games and movies.
If your total reaches 22 or more, you bust no matter what, so deciding whether to draw one more card when you’re thinking “I’m just a bit short…” is crucial.
In head-to-head play you can’t see your opponent’s hand, of course, so while it seems simple, the mind games are intense.
Another plus is how quickly each round ends.
It’s a card game you can enjoy casually even in short spare moments.
bank
Here’s a game that could never happen in real life, where depositors gamble using the bank’s money.
The red number cards 2–10 are worth 1,000 yen each, and the black number cards 2–10 are worth 2,000 yen each.
All the face cards and Aces are used as trump cards for the showdown.
The order of strength is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, from weakest to strongest.
Choose one person to be the banker (the dealer), who holds 27,000 yen worth of number cards and the showdown (face/Ace) cards.
The other players become depositors and divide the remaining number cards among themselves so that everyone has an equal total value.
Now you’re ready! From here, the number of cards will increase or decrease based on the bank’s showdown card and the amount wagered on it.
If all of the depositors’ cards run out, the banker’s bank wins; if all of the bank’s cards run out, the depositors win.
Indian poker
Indian poker is a game where you entrust yourself to luck while betting on whether the card you hold is strong or weak.
Each player is dealt one playing card face down.
Without looking at your own card, you place it on your forehead so that others can see it, effectively revealing it to everyone else.
Look at everyone’s cards and, while talking, try to infer what your own card is.
Card strength ranks with A as the weakest, increasing with higher numbers, and the Joker as the strongest.
If you think your card is weak, you may swap it once with someone who has a stronger card.
Finally, everyone reveals their cards at the same time, and the player with the weakest card loses.
poker
How about trying a slightly more grown-up card game—poker? The player who makes the highest-ranking hand with their cards wins.
It’s a fun battle of wits where you predict what your opponent is holding, bluff, and read each other.
Even with a weak hand, you can pull off a bold bluff and force your opponent to fold.
Since it’s a game with world championships televised across the United States, it might be enjoyable even at tables with international guests.
Come to think of it, poker often appears in movies, doesn’t it?
Seven Bridge
Seven Bridge is a game that originated in Japan, with rules very similar to mahjong.
Players draw cards from the deck, and when they form a valid hand, they call and lay it down.
The calls being “chi” and “pon” also make it feel like mahjong, don’t they? Many of you might think it’s almost the same as mahjong.
That’s true, but Seven Bridge has the advantage of being much more portable than mahjong since it requires fewer components.
Start by looking up the detailed rules, including how the scoring works.
tycoon
Let’s try playing Daifugō, a classic that’s fun even without a drinking party! Play your dealt hand by laying down cards in descending order, and the first person to run out of cards wins.
One of the best parts of Daifugō is the abundance of local rules.
You probably know some like ‘8-kiri’ (8-cut) or ‘7-watashi’ (pass a 7), but sometimes you’ll discover rules you’d never heard of—like, “Wait, that was only in my hometown?!”—when someone at the table explains them.
It’s actually great to actively adopt those local rules; they make perfect conversation starters and help keep the game lively.
Reverse Old Maid
In the usual game of Old Maid, you lose if you’re left holding the Joker at the end, but in this reverse Old Maid, the player who keeps the Joker to the very end wins.
The gameplay is the same as regular Old Maid: you take turns drawing one card from your opponent and discarding pairs of matching ranks as you form them.
However, if you immediately discard every pair as soon as you get it, your hand will quickly run out, making it hard to hold onto the Joker.
So you have to time when you discard your cards.
It’s a more strategic game than regular Old Maid, which makes it extra exciting!
Doubt
If you want to enjoy psychological mind games, Doubt (a.k.a.
Cheat/BS) is recommended.
In this game, you try to determine whether the card your opponent plays actually matches the number they claim.
If you think they’re lying, you call “Doubt.” It’s similar to the popular Werewolf game, isn’t it? However, compared to Werewolf, Doubt is fun because you get more chances to catch your opponent’s lies.
By the way, in standard Doubt anyone can make the call, but there’s a variant called Cheat where you can only challenge the cards played by the player next to you.
Napoleon
It’s a competitive game where players split into the Napoleonic army and the coalition.
To put the rules super simply: each card has an assigned strength.
You play cards from your hand to the table and compare strengths, deciding a win or loss each round.
When a face card is on the table, there’s a rule that lets you take it.
After a set number of rounds, the final outcome is: if you’re on Napoleon’s side, you win if the number of face cards you hold exceeds the number you declared before the match began; otherwise, you lose.
You can look up the details, but the fun of this game is kind of like a “Werewolf” social deduction vibe.
Definitely give it a try!
Ikkyu-san
Introducing a playing card game called “Ikkyu-san” that you can enjoy right away even without knowing the rules! Shuffle the deck well and lay the cards face down in a ring (donut shape).
Then, players take turns flipping one card at a time, placing it face up in the center, while saying “Ikkyu-san.” Whenever a number that matches the wordplay for “Ikkyu-san”—that is, 1, 3, or 9—appears, quickly place your hand on the pile of cards.
The player who is the slowest to place their hand takes all the cards in the center.
If you make a false touch (place your hand when you shouldn’t), you must also take the cards there.
Continue until all the cards laid out in the ring are gone.
In the end, the player with the most cards in hand loses.