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!
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- Punishment games that liven up drinking parties and banquets
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- Games for two people to enjoy. A roundup of party games that liven up drinking gatherings.
- Types of playing cards and how to play
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- Party games that liven up group dating events
- Drinking party crowd-pleasers: party and banquet games
- A fun penalty game recommended for men
- Simple but intense! A quick-and-easy penalty game that hypes everyone up
- Recommended for college students! Punishment game ideas that will make everyone laugh and hype things up
- Ideas for team-based games to enliven a party
Get the party going! A roundup of perfect playing card games for drinking parties (21–30)
Sevens (card game)
When explaining the rules feels like a hassle, why not try Sevens? It’s a simple game where you line up cards in order by placing numbers before or after the 7s, and if you can’t play a card, you lose.
That means you can start right away.
Despite its simplicity, there’s plenty of strategy, so it’s sure to get exciting.
By the way, in Japan’s official tournaments, you’re allowed to pass up to three times.
Adjust the number of passes to suit the number of players and the desired difficulty.
nervous breakdown
There aren’t any difficult rules at all! It’s Concentration—the game where you flip over face-down playing cards and try to find two with the same number.
I bet many of you got hooked on it as kids.
It’s a deceptively intense card game that really tests your memory.
Part of the fun is how easy it is to chime in from the sidelines.
While you’re tossing around comments like “Was it really there?” or “Try flipping that one,” before you know it, everyone’s getting totally into it!
Trump Tower
When you’re worn out from all those brainy games, why not take a breather with a house of cards? You’ve probably seen it at least once—the one where you stack playing cards into a pyramid.
You can quietly build one on your own, or take turns with friends and make it a rule that whoever knocks it down loses.
Competing to see who can build the tallest one also sounds fun.
By the way, the world record is said to be 7.6 meters.
A single deck might not be enough, so it’s a good idea to have multiple decks ready.
51
This is a game where you exchange your five dealt cards with the cards on the table, aiming to match suits while reaching a total of 51.
On each turn, you can choose to exchange one card, exchange all your cards, change the table cards, or pass—select actions that help you swap for the cards you want.
When you change the table cards, you must exchange a card from them, even if it’s not a card you want, which makes this rule a tricky point.
The round stops as soon as someone reaches 51, and the rankings are determined by the scores at that moment, so keep a sense of speed in mind as you play.
golf
It’s a game inspired by golf scoring, where you progress through turns aiming to have the lowest total when all cards are face up.
Each player is dealt six cards, laid out in a 2-by-3 grid; two cards are turned face up, and the game starts with one card from the deck placed face up as the discard pile.
On each turn, one possible action is to draw a card from the deck and swap it with one of your grid cards; if you don’t want to swap, you place the drawn card onto the discard pile.
The other possible action is to swap the top card of the discard pile with one of your grid cards.
Players repeat these two types of actions in turn.
When any player has all their cards face up, the round stops.
Scoring includes a rule where matching pairs of the same number score zero, so the strategy of when and what to exchange is crucial.
Fun with cards! Pig’s Tail
Pig’s Tail is a game where you arrange a stack of playing cards in a ring and play.
The name may come from the fact that the ring of cards resembles a pig’s tail.
Pig’s Tail can be enjoyed by three or more players, and since the rules aren’t complicated, it’s easy to play casually.
Players draw one card at a time from the ring and place it in the center.
If you draw a card with the same suit as the top card in the center, you take all the cards from the center.
There are also local rules, such as being allowed to return cards from your hand when a Joker appears.
slowpoke
It’s a physical, reflex-testing card game! For example, if you’re playing with four people, prepare four sets of four cards with the same number and three coins.
Sit in a circle and place the coins in the center.
Deal the shuffled cards to everyone as their hands, and the game begins.
Everyone simultaneously passes one card from their hand to the person next to them.
As this repeats, at some point someone will end up with a hand where all the cards are the same number.
As soon as that happens, that player grabs a coin from the center, and the others try to grab a coin as well.
Since there are fewer coins than players by one, one person won’t get a coin.
That person loses.
It’s a tense, exciting showdown!