Screw Your Neighbor, Drinking Game Rules

Category: Card Games · Players: 3+ · You’ll need: 52-card deck; tokens for lives (optional); drinks

A pass-the-bad-card game. Each round, whoever ends up with the lowest card loses a life.

Setup: Everyone gets 3 "lives" (use coins or just count). One dealer. Deal each player one card face-down. Aces are the lowest card; Kings are the highest. Look at your own card only.

How to play (each round):

1. Starting left of the dealer, each player either keeps their card or says "swap" and trades it with the player on their left (that player must trade, no refusing).
2. Exception: If the player on your left has a King, they flip it face-up, the swap is blocked, and you're stuck with your card.
3. The dealer goes last and may swap with the top card of the deck instead of a neighbor.
4. Everyone reveals. Whoever has the lowest card drinks a sip and loses a life (ties: all lowest players lose one).

When you lose your last life you're out, finish a good gulp on the way. Last player alive wins. The deal rotates left each round.

Screw Your Neighbor, Variations

• Chase the Ace: The classic parent game, identical play, but only the single lowest player loses a life each round, and ties among lowest re-deal.
• Cash-free lives: Play with 5 lives and a sip per life for a longer, gentler game.
• Dealer's risk: If the dealer draws a King from the deck on their swap, everyone else drinks.

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