Up and Down the River, Drinking Game Rules

Category: Card Games · Players: 3+ · You’ll need: 52-card deck; drinks

A pure-luck dealing game in two halves: first you take drinks, then you give them.

Setup: One dealer. Deal every player 4 cards face-up in a row in front of them. Keep the rest of the deck.

Up the river (taking):

1. The dealer flips one card from the deck and announces it. Anyone with a card of the same rank in their row drinks 1 sip per matching card.
2. The dealer flips a second card: matches drink 2 sips each. Third card: 3 sips. Fourth card: 4 sips.

Down the river (giving):

1. The dealer flips a fifth card: anyone with a matching rank gives 4 sips (split among players however they like).
2. Sixth card: give 3. Seventh: give 2. Eighth: give 1.

That's one full round, reshuffle and redeal to play again.

Up and Down the River, Variations

• Longer river: Deal 5 or 6 cards per player and flip 5–6 up and 5–6 down for a bigger swing game.
• Wild Kings: A flipped King doubles the sips on that flip for everyone matching.
• Truth or dare river: On the final “down” flip, matches can hand out a truth-or-dare instead of sips.

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