Beat the Deck rules
Can you beat all 52 cards?
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How do you play the Beat the Deck drinking game?
The Beat the Deck rules are simple, as it is one of the easiest and fastest drinking games you can play. After you have shuffled all the cards, you place the first nine cards face up on the table. Use these to create a 3 by 3 square, consisting of three rows of three cards each.
You place the remaining pile of cards face down next to the square of 9 cards. This is the ‘deck’. Now it is the first player’s turn to choose one of the 9 face-up cards and say out loud whether the next card in the deck is higher or lower. The player takes the top card from the deck and places it face up on the chosen card. If the player guessed correctly, the card stays and the turn passes to the next player.
1. Choose your card
The player chooses one of the face-up cards on the table and says out loud: “Higher” or “Lower”.
2. Draw a card
Take the top card from the deck and place it face up on top of the chosen card.
3. Check
Correct? Next player. Wrong? Turn the pile over and drink 1 sip per card.
- Guessed correctly? Great, the turn goes to the next player.
- Guessed wrong? Too bad. Then you have to drink 1 sip per card. It is now your turn again.
If a player is playing alone, they get another turn. If the player guessed correctly, the card stays and the turn passes to the next player. If the player guessed wrong, they must drink. Take one sip for each card on that pile, including the card you just placed. Then all cards from that pile are turned face down so they are out of the game. This pile is no longer in play.
The game ends when all cards from the deck have been played or all 9 piles have been turned over. It is a game of luck and a good memory. Try to remember which cards have already been played to make better choices. In the beginning, it is best to avoid cards like 7, 8, and 9. After all, you don’t want to eliminate options right away.
Important rules
Note that there are a number of important Beat the Deck rules. The card values range from 2 (lowest) to Ace (highest): 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. If you draw a card that has the same value as the card you chose, you also guessed wrong and have to drink.
After a wrong guess, it is your turn again. The game immediately becomes more challenging because there are now fewer cards to choose from. As the game progresses and more piles are turned over, your choices become limited but also more tactical.
Frequently asked questions about Beat the Deck
How many players can play Beat the Deck?
According to the official Beat the Deck rules, you can play alone, but also with a group of up to 12 players.
What is the card order in Beat the Deck?
The order is: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. The 2 is the lowest and the Ace the highest.
How long does a game of Beat the Deck take?
A game usually takes just a few minutes, but can take longer if you play with a large group.
What happens with matching cards?
In the standard rules of Beat the Deck, a matching card is always wrong. But you can choose to treat this as a “post” (paaltje), which means everyone takes a sip and therefore it doesn’t count as a wrong guess.
Beat the Deck drinking game variants
You can add fun rules and other variants to Beat the Deck to make the game just a bit more challenging or, conversely, easier. For example, you can make the game larger so that it becomes simpler but also lasts longer, or turn it into a drinking game that lasts all evening.
4×4
Want to make the game longer and more challenging? Expand the playing field with a second deck of cards and lay out a square of 16 cards (4×4) on the table.
Again!
For a real drinking game that you can play all evening, you don’t turn the pile face down when a guess is wrong; instead, you replace it with a new card.
The ‘Lucky Seven’
This simple rule adds an element of surprise. If you draw a 7, you get to make another player take a sip, regardless of whether your guess was right or wrong.
Three is too many!
Should a player guess a card wrong three times in a row, that’s simply too much. As a result, the player gets a shot to make up for it.
Pole (Tie)
Want to make the game a little bit easier? Then choose to count a ‘post’ (drawing a card of the exact same value) as a correct guess.