King's Cup is a popular drinking game suitable for any party or small gathering. There are many different versions of this game, there are also other names for this game such as "Circle of Death", "Circle of Fire", or "Kings". The rules for the classic version of the King's Cup are outlined below, along with some well-known variations and additional rules.
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Method 1 of 3: Classical Rules
Step 1. Setting up the game
Prepare for your game of King's Cup by placing an empty glass or plastic cup in the center of the table. Spread the entire deck of cards (no jokers) in a circle around the glass, face down. Each player must have their own drink in front of them, which can be any drink they choose – the more varieties the more fun!
Step 2. Learn the rules
The King's cup has a specific set of rules that all players must understand. Basically, each card is associated with a corresponding action that must be completed by one or all of the players. If a player fails to complete an action correctly, or if they take too long, they can be forced to take a penalty drink. Time to drink the penalty drink is usually around 5 seconds, although players are free to set their own time. There are many different variations on the King's Cup rules, but the most commonly used are described below.
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Ace is for waterfalls.
If a player draws an ace, everyone at the table must drink their drink, starting with the player who drew the card. Each player may only start drinking when the person on their right has started drinking and may only stop when the person on their right has stopped drinking. So if you're sitting to the left of the player who drew his cards, you can't stop drinking until everyone else at the table has stopped.
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2 is for you.
If a player draws a card 2 (of any color or shape) they may choose another player, who must then drink. The selected person must drink his or her drink for the time agreed upon at the start of the game, usually around five seconds.
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3 is for me.
If a player draws a 3 card, they must drink their own drink.
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4 is for floors.
If a player draws a 4, everyone at the table must duck and touch the floor, as quickly as possible. The last to touch the floor must drink.
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5 is for guys.
If a player draws a 5 card, all the men at the table must drink.
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6 is for chicks.
If a player draws a 6, all the women at the table must drink.
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7 is for heaven.
If a player draws a 7, everyone at the table must raise both hands in the air, as quickly as possible. The last one to raise his hand must drink.
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8 is for mate.
If a player draws an 8, they must choose someone else at the table who must drink every time that person drinks, and vice versa. This continues until someone else draws an 8 card. If one of the players forgets to drink when their “partner” drinks, they must take the penalty drink.
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9 is for rhythm.
If a player draws a 9, They must choose a word and say it out loud. Moving around the table clockwise, each player must say a word that matches the initial word, for example: cat, hat, bat, and so on, and they must do it in under 5 seconds. This continues around the table until a player cannot think of a matching word. Then the player must take the penalty drink.
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10 is for never have I ever.
If a player draws a 10, everyone at the table must raise three fingers. Starting with the person who drew the card, the person must start a sentence with “never have I ever…” and finish the sentence with something they have never done. If the other players at the table have done the stated thing, they must lower one finger. This continues around the table. The first player or the players who run out of fingers must drink.
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Jack is make a rule.
If a player draws a Jack, they have the ability to make rules that must be followed throughout the game. For example, they can make rules where no one can use harsh words, no use of the toilet or no one can call each other by their first name. Players who break the rules must take a penalty drink. The only way to clear a rule is when another player draws a Jack and uses it to make a rule that the old rules no longer apply.
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Queen is for questionnaire.
If a player draws a Queen card, they become the questioner. This means every time the questioner asks a question and it is answered, the player who answered the question has to drink. The questioner can use this ability to try to trap people by asking simple questions like “what time is it?” This continues until another player draws a Queen card which means they become the next questioner.
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King is for King's Cup.
When a player draws a King card, they must pour whatever drink they drink into the cup in the center of the table. When the fourth King is drawn, the person must drink the potion that is in the cup, which means the end of the game.
Step 3. Start the game
Choose someone to come first. They have to take a card from the circle and open it so that everyone at the table can see it at the same time. According to the card, the player or everyone at the table must perform one of the actions described above. After they perform the action, the game continues in a clockwise direction.
The game ends when the last King is drawn and the contents of the cup in the center of the table are drunk, no matter how disgusting the contents of the cup are.
Method 2 of 3: Variations
Play using alternative rules. There are many variations of the rules associated with each card when playing King's Cup. You can change each rule according to the players and choose whatever looks the most fun. Some of the well-known variations are:
Step 1.
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Ace is for race.
If a player draws an ace, they must choose another player and compete to drink the contents of their cup. Both players must finish their respective drinks.
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Ace slap your face.
If a player draws an ace, everyone at the table must slap themselves in the face. The last one to do so must drink.
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2 means shuffle.
If a player draws a card 2, everyone at the table must swap seats with someone else. The last person to sit down must drink.
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3 is for switching directions.
If a player draws a 3 card, the direction of the game changes from clockwise to counterclockwise.
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4 is for dinosaurs.
If a player draws a 4 card, they have permission to use a permanent marker to draw a dinosaur on the other player's face.
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5 is for diving.
If a player draws a 5 card, everyone must duck under the table. The last one to do so must drink.
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6 is for thumb master.
If a player draws a 6, they become the thumb master. Every time they put their thumb on the table, all the players at the table must do the same. The last person to do this must drink.
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7 is for snake-eyes.
If a player draws a 7, they become snake eyes and every time they manage to make eye contact with another player, the player must drink.
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8 is for straights.
There are two options for this rule. The player sitting opposite the card holder must drink or the player holding the 8 card must drink directly any alcoholic drink on the table.
Step 2. Playing the color rules
In addition to using the classic rules, this version of the King's Cup replaces all actions related to cards 2-10 with a color rule. The game is structured in the same way as the classic rules and runs clockwise, each player must draw a card. If a player draws a card between the numbers 2 and 10, they must complete the action that matches the color and number of the card. Actions for Ace, Jack, Queen, and King are unchanged. The two color rules are:
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Red to the heads:
If a player draws a red card, they must drink for a few seconds according to the number listed on the card.
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Black you give back:
If a player draws a black card, they must choose another player to drink for a few seconds according to the number listed on the card.
Step 3. Replace the King's Cup rules by using the category rules
If players don't want to use the rule that requires them to drink the contents of the cup in the middle after drawing the last King, they can choose a category, such as “dog breed” or “car type”. Then each player at the table must name something that fits into the specified category, such as “poodle” or “Toyota”. When a player can't think of something that fits a predefined category within 5 seconds, they have to drink.
Step 4. Play the “Circle of Fire” variation
To play this version of the game, players must spread the cards evenly around the cup, with no space between the cards, at the start of the game. The game is played normally, except that the contents of the cup in the middle of the table must be drunk by the person who decides the circle of cards, not by the player who drew the last king.
Method 3 of 3: Additional Rules
Step 1. Play the “little green man” rule
With this rule, players are required to imagine that they have a little green person sitting on top of their cup. During the game, they had to imitate the movement of moving the little green person from the top of the cup each time they drank, and putting it back down after they drank. If they fail to do so, they get an additional penalty drink.
Step 2. Play the “three D” rule
In this rule, players are prohibited from saying “drink”, “drank”, “drunk” throughout the game. If a player says any of the three D's, they must drink the penalty drink.
Step 3. Play the “against the hand” rule
In this rule, right-handed players can only lift their cups using their left hands and left-handed players can only use their right hands. If a player is caught lifting the cup using their dominant hand, they must drink.
Step 4. Play the “no pointing” rule
This rule is already explained by its name. Players are prohibited from pointing to anyone or anything during the game. If they were caught breaking the rules, they had to drink.
Step 5. Play the “no touching” rule In this rule, players must choose the parts of their body (lips, hair, ears, etc.) that should not be touched throughout the game
If a player is caught touching a prohibited body part, they must drink.
Step 6. Play the "no use of the word SARA" rule
Again, already explained from the title. The word SARA is not allowed throughout the game. If a player uses the word SARA, they must drink. Deciphering the words that are not allowed before the game starts will help.
Step 7. Play the “nickname” rule
All players are given nicknames at the start of the game. If at any time a player fails to address someone using their nickname, that player must drink.
Warning
- Drinking and driving are prohibited.
- Always drink responsibly.
- Only playable if you are over the legal age in your country (18 in most countries, 21 in the United States).
