Egyptian Ratscrew: rules and a game to play here
Egyptian Ratscrew (also Egyptian Rat Screw or Slap) is the loud one: flip cards into the middle, beat face-card challenges and slap the pile when the cards line up. Play it below against one to three computer players with the slap rules your table uses, at the computer speed you pick, or in a calm mode with no race at all.
Play Egyptian Ratscrew
Pile: 0
Game log
Settings: speed, calm mode, slap rules
Egyptian Ratscrew in 30 seconds
- Deal the whole deck face down. Do not look at your cards.
- Take turns flipping your top card onto the center pile, face up, away from you so you do not see it first.
- Face card or Ace? The next player gets 4 chances after an Ace, 3 after a King, 2 after a Queen, 1 after a Jack to flip another one. If they fail, the face-card player takes the pile.
- Slap the pile on a double or a sandwich (and any other slaps you agreed): first hand down takes the pile.
- Wrong slap? A penalty card goes under the pile.
- Win by collecting all 52 cards.
Slap rules
| Slap | Example (top card last) | Who lists it |
|---|---|---|
| Double | 7, 5, 5 | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
| Sandwich | 5, 9, 5 | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
| Top and bottom | bottom 8 ... top 8 | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
| Tens | 3, 7 or Ace, 9 | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
| Marriage | King, Queen in either order | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
| Four in a row | 5, 6, 7, 8 or 8, 7, 6, 5 | Bicycle, Wikipedia |
Wikipedia also lists a 6 next to a 9, a hoagie (a double with two cards between), and three or more cards of one suit in a row (a flush); both sources mention jokers as an agreed slap, and Bicycle also counts tens with a face card between. Those are rarer, and our game leaves them out. In our game Aces count 1 for tens and sit below the 2 in four in a row.
You may slap the pile even in the middle of a face-card challenge, and a good slap beats the challenge: the slapper takes the pile.
How to play
Deal
Two or more players (Bicycle suggests 2 to 5 or more), one deck, no jokers unless you agreed on a joker slap. Deal every card face down, one at a time; some players may get one more card than others. Each player squares their cards into a face-down pile without looking.
Flipping
Starting left of the dealer, each player turns the top card of their pile face up onto the middle. Turn it away from you, so you do not see it before everyone else does.
Face-card challenges
When a Jack, Queen, King or Ace lands, the next player must answer with another face card or Ace within their chances: 4 for an Ace, 3 for a King, 2 for a Queen, 1 for a Jack. If they turn one up, the challenge moves on to the player after them. If not, the player who put down the last face card or Ace takes the whole pile, puts it under their own and starts the next pile.
Slapping
Anyone, including a player with no cards left, may slap the pile when it shows a slap. The first hand on the pile wins it; the slapper starts the next pile. Slap when nothing matches, and you pay the penalty.
Winning
Players who run out of cards may still slap to get back in. The game ends when one player holds the whole deck.
Where sources differ
- Which slaps count. Bicycle lists double, sandwich, top-bottom, tens, joker, four in a row and marriage. Wikipedia lists doubles, sandwiches, hoagies, tens, four in a row, top-bottom, marriage, jokers, a 6 and 9 together, and a flush (three or more of one suit). Agree first.
- The penalty. Bicycle: one or two cards under the pile. Wikipedia: one or more cards, and a player with no cards gets strikes and loses the right to slap after three. Our game puts a no-card player out after one wrong slap.
- Chances after a face card. Wikipedia gives 4, 3, 2 and 1. Bicycle only says the next player must answer with a face card or Ace.
- Slapping back in. Bicycle allows it; Wikipedia says it only works while at least two players still have cards.
Tips
- Watch the second card, not just the top one. A sandwich is easy to miss when you only look for doubles.
- Keep your slapping hand still and close. A hand that starts close to the pile gets there first.
- Do not slap on hope. A wrong slap feeds your card to whoever wins the pile.
- Agree on hand-stacking rules. When two hands land together, Wikipedia gives the pile to the bottom hand (or the one touching the cards most) and Bicycle to the player with the most fingers on top. In our game the first slap to land wins. Rings off is a kind house rule at a family table.
Play online or at home
Online: the game at the top of this page against one to three computer players. Reflex mode is a real race; calm mode suits younger players and anyone who prefers to play by keyboard or switch at their own pace.
At home: one standard deck, two or more players and a sturdy table. Trim nails and take rings off; slaps get enthusiastic.
Egyptian Ratscrew questions
How do you play Egyptian Ratscrew?
Deal the whole deck face down. Take turns flipping your top card onto a pile in the middle. When someone flips a face card or Ace, the next player has a few chances to flip one too, or the face-card player wins the pile. At any moment, anyone can slap the pile when the top cards make a slap, such as a double, and take it. Whoever ends up with every card wins.
What are the slap rules in Egyptian Ratscrew?
Doubles (two of a rank in a row) and sandwiches (same rank with one card between) are the ones nearly everyone plays. Many tables add top and bottom, tens (two cards adding to 10), marriage (King and Queen together) and four in a row. Agree on the list before you start; our game lets you switch each one on or off.
How many chances do you get after a face card?
Four after an Ace, three after a King, two after a Queen and one after a Jack (Wikipedia). If you turn up a face card or Ace within your chances, the challenge passes to the next player.
What happens if you slap at the wrong time?
You pay a penalty: one card (some tables say two) goes face down under the pile, so whoever wins the pile gets it. Our game lets you choose one or two.
Can you get back in after you run out of cards?
Yes, under Bicycle's rules: keep watching and slap the next good pile to get back in. In our game, a wrong slap when you have no cards left puts you out for good, so you cannot just slap at everything.
Is there a version without the speed?
Yes, on this page: calm mode. The game stops after every card and waits for you to slap or carry on. The computer only takes a slap you let pass, so you never lose a race.