Objective
Win cards two ways: by winning face-card challenges, and by being first to slap the pile at the right moment. Every pile you win goes to the bottom of your stack. The game ends when one player holds every card in the deck.
Setup
Deal the whole deck face down, one card at a time, as evenly as it goes. It is fine if some players get a card more than others. Do not look at your cards. Square them into a face-down stack in front of you.
Sit close enough that everyone can reach the middle of the table. Agree on the slap rules before you start, because they vary more than anything else in this game.
How to play
The player to the dealer’s left turns the top card of their stack face up onto the middle pile. Play moves left, one card at a time, as quickly as the table likes.
When someone plays a face card or an ace, the next player gets a set number of chances to answer with a face card or ace of their own. If they turn one up in time, the challenge passes to the player after them. If they run out of chances, the player who laid the last face card or ace takes the whole pile and starts the next one.
At any moment, anyone may slap the pile when the top cards form a slap pattern. The first hand down wins the pile, even in the middle of a challenge. The two standard slaps are the double (two cards of the same rank in a row, like 7-7) and the sandwich (two of the same rank with one card between, like 7-K-7).
Slap at the wrong time and you pay a penalty: put one card from your stack face down under the pile. Some tables make it two.
- 1Turn your top card face up onto the pile
- 2After a face card or ace, the next player must answer
- 3Slap doubles and sandwiches before anyone else
- 4Add any pile you win to the bottom of your stack
| Card played | Next player’s chances |
|---|---|
| Ace | 4 cards |
| King | 3 cards |
| Queen | 2 cards |
| Jack | 1 card |
Winning
There are no points. When you run out of cards, most tables let you stay in and keep slapping. A correct slap wins you the pile and puts you back in the game. If you cannot win a slap before the next pile is taken, you are out.
The last player holding cards, which means the player holding all 52, wins. Long games happen; some groups agree on a time limit and give the win to whoever holds the most cards when it runs out.
Variations
Extra slaps: many tables add more patterns. Top and bottom (the top card matches the bottom card of the pile), marriage (a king and queen together), tens (two cards in a row that add up to ten, with an ace counting as one) and four in a row (four cards in sequence, up or down).
Jokers: shuffle in two jokers. Slapping a joker wins the pile.
No way back: some groups rule that once your cards are gone, you are out for good. Games end much sooner.
Tips from the table
Keep your slapping hand free and close to the pile. Flip with the other hand.
Watch the second card down as well as the top card. Sandwiches are the easiest slap to miss when the pile is moving fast.
Do not slap on a hunch. One penalty card is cheap, but several in a row feed whoever wins the next pile.
When you are on the last chance of a challenge, do not rush. A clean flip is better than a fumbled card that lets someone else slap first.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
What beats a face card?
Nothing beats it directly. The next player only needs to turn up any face card or ace within their chances, and the challenge moves on.
Can I slap when I have no cards left?
At most tables, yes. A good slap puts you back in the game. Some groups play that once your cards are gone, you are out.
What if two people slap at once?
The hand on the bottom, touching the pile first, wins it.
Does a slap beat a face-card challenge?
Yes. A legal slap takes the pile right away, even in the middle of a challenge.
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