How to Play the Drinking Game King's Cup

King's Cup is a popular drinking game that is perfect for any party or small gathering. There are many different versions of the game, and it goes by alternate names such as "Circle of Death," "Ring of Fire," or simply "Kings". The rules of the classic version of King's Cup are outlined below, along with some notable variations and additional rules.

Playing Quickly (Basic Rules & Cheat Sheet)

King's Cup Cheat Sheet

1
Play the basic, classic King's cup with this cheat sheet. To play, fan out a deck of cards, face down, around an empty cup (the "King's Cup"). Make sure everyone has a full drink of some sort. Players take turns drawing a card, then acting out the action described in the cheat sheet. For example, if someone draws a 3, that player must take a drink. If they draw a 5, all the guys playing must drink, etc. Continue until the final King is drawn or there are no more cards to turn over, whichever you prefer.

Method 1

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Playing Classic King's Cup

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Place a cup in the center of a table and surround it with a deck of cards. Set up your game by placing an empty glass or plastic cup (the titular "King's Cup") in the center of the table. Spread an entire deck of cards, jokers removed, in a circle around the cup, face down. You'll have a full ring of cards around your chalice when you're ready to play.^{[1]
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- Everyone playing should be in a circle around the cup and should be able to easily pick a card on their turn.
- If you are drinking out of cans, you can place an unopened can in the center instead of a cup. This variation is also a bit more sanitary since only one person will need to drink from the can instead of a communal cup.
2
Pour everyone an individual drink. Each player needs their own beverage in front of them, and they will drink from it or contribute to the King's Cup as the game goes on. Each card in King's Cup, when drawn, means that someone has to take a sip of their drink, so if someone's drink runs out they should refill it or get a new one.
- You do not have to all have the same type of drink, though it does make the King's Cup, a mixture of everyone's drinks, much easier to swallow.
3
Determine the "punishment" length. Each action forces someone to drink. Usually, this is a casual, single sip. However, some people like to make rules for each drink, something along the lines of "3 seconds per drink," or some other amount of time.
4
Decide on the rules for each card. King's Cup has a very specific set of rules which all of the players need to be familiar with before playing. Each turn, one person will draw a card from the deck, and each card is associated with a simple action for someone at the table. You should feel free to adapt or edit the rules for your game, since there are countless variations and rules, but a common set includes:^{[2]
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- 2 is for you. If a player draws a 2 (of any color or suit) they may choose another player who then has to drink. The chosen person must drink for the duration of time agreed on at the start of the game.
- 3 is for me. If a player draws a 3, they must take a drink themselves.
- 4 is for floor. If a player draws a 4, everybody at the table has to reach down and touch the floor as quickly as possible. Last one to touch the floor drinks.
- 5 is for guys. If a player draws a 5, all the guys at the table must drink.
- 6 is for chicks. If a player draws a 6, all the girls at the table must drink.
- 7 is for heaven. If a player draws a 7, everyone at the table has to put both hands in the air as quickly as possible. Last one to do so must drink.
- 8 is for mate. If a player draws an 8, they have to pick another person at the table who must drink every time they do, and vice versa. This continues until someone else draws an 8. If either of the players forgets to drink when their "mate" is drinking, they must take an additional penalty drink.
- 9 is for rhyme. If a player draws a 9, they must pick a word and say it out loud, such as "rat." Moving clockwise, each player must say a word that rhymes with the original word, e.g. cat, hat, bat and so on, and they must do so in under 5 seconds. This keeps going round the table until a player can no longer think of a rhyming word. That player drinks.
- 10 is for "Never Have I Ever." If a player draws a 10, everyone at the table must hold up three fingers. Starting with the person who drew the card, that player must begin a sentence with "never have I ever..." and complete the sentence with something they have never done. If other players at the table have done that particular thing, they must lower a finger. This continues around the table. The first player or players with no remaining fingers must drink.
- Jack is "Make a Rule." If a player draws a Jack, they have the ability to make a rule that must be followed for the entire duration of the game. They could rule that nobody is allowed to swear, that it's forbidden to use the bathroom, or that nobody can call anyone by their first name. Any player who breaks the rule must take a penalty drink. Read popular rules ideas below.
- Queen is for Question Master. If a player draws a Queen, they become the Question Master. Until another player draws a Queen, everyone can only respond to the Question Master's questions with another question. For example, if Terry is Question Master, and asks Steve "what time is it?" Steve would have to respond "Is it 2 o'clock?" If Steve doesn't answer with a question, he must take a drink.
- King is for King's Cup. When a player draws a King, they must pour whatever they are drinking into the cup in the center of the table. When the fourth King is drawn, that player must drink the concoction in the cup, signaling the end of the game. If you're playing with a can, Kings could mean "finish your current drink," or you could make an alternate rule.
- Aces are for waterfalls. If a player draws an Ace, everyone at the table must chug their drink, starting with the player who drew the card. Each player may only start drinking when the person to their right has started drinking and may only stop when the person to their right has stopped drinking. So if you're sitting to the left of the player who drew the card, you cannot stop drinking until everyone at the table has stopped.
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Pick up the first card. Choose a player to begin, then draw a card at random. Turn it over quickly and then act out the card according to your rules. Once you're done, discard the card and move on to the next player, who draws.^{[3]
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- If playing with a can, slide the card underneath the tab of the unopened drink. As cards build up, eventually the can will crack open. The player who "cracks the King's Cup," then needs to drink the entire can.
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Up the stakes with new rules. There are hundreds of variations for each card, but there are also a few other rules that you can make that will spice up the game. Most of the rules are made to get people drinking more frequently:
- Ring of Fire: The game is played as normal. Fan the cards out so all of them overlap. Any player who breaks the circle has to finish their current drink.
- Color Kings: For all the numbered cards (not Jacks, Queens, or Kings), someone drinks for the number of seconds on the card. "Red is to the Head," meaning you drink for the number of seconds. "Black gives Back," meaning you pick who has to drink.

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Card Variations

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Know that you can adapt, bend, and adjust the rules however you want. A lot of the fun of King's cup comes from the "house rules" that have grown around it. Every game is different, and comparing games or playing with new people often leads to new and exciting rule changes. The following steps give 1-2 variations on each card, but you can mix and match them however you want.
2
Change the Ace rules. Aces are generally big rules, and often require the most drinking.^{[4]
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- Ace is for race. If a player draws an ace, they must pick another player and race them to the end of their cup. Both players must finish their entire drink.
- Ace slap your face. If a player draws an ace, everyone at the table has to slap their face. Last one to do so takes a drink.
3
Change the 2 rules. Two is almost always "you," meaning you point someone out and they must take a drink. But there are some variations.
- 2 means shuffle. If a player draws a 2, everyone at the table has to switch seats with someone else. Last one seated drinks.
4
Change the 3 rules so that it reverses the game direction. In nearly every variation, 3 is me. But you can also use it as a "direction shifter." If a player draws a 3, the direction of play is switched from clockwise to counter-clockwise.
5
Change the 4 rules. Four is sometimes used for "women must drink," thanks to a rhyme with a certain nightly profession.
- 4 is for dinosaur. If a player draws a 4, they have permission to use a permanent marker to draw a dinosaur on the face of another player.
6
Change the 5 rules. There are a lot of variations on 5, including:
- 5 is for jive. As soon as someone pulls a 5, everyone must start dancing. The last person to bust a move drinks.
- 5 is for dive. If a player draws a 5, everyone must dive under the table. Last one to do so must take a drink.
7
Change the 6 rules. Six is often used to mean, "guys must drink," thanks to a rhyming similarity between "six" and some common male slang.
- 6 is for thumb master. If a player draws a 6, they become thumb master. Every time they put their thumb on the table, all the other players must do so too. The last one drinks. This can happen at any point in the game until someone else draws a 6.
8
Change the 7 rules. Seven is another card with a lot of variety, depending on who you're playing with. Some people make it "thumb master," or "never have I ever," depending on the other rules.
- 7 is for snake-eyes. If a player draws a 7, they become snake-eyes and anytime they successfully make eye contact with another player, that player must drink.
- 7 is buzzing. This is a group rule. Moving clockwise, the each player counts up, so the first player says "1," the second says "2." etc. However, you must replace each multiple of seven (14, 21, etc.), or each mention of seven (27, 37) with the word "BUZZ!" Mess up and you drink, and the next card is drawn.
9
Change the 8 rules. Since 8 is so easy to rhyme with other words, this card has a lot of variations.
- 8 is for the hate. Choose a player, who must start drinking until you say stop. However, if they finish their drink before you say stop, you must play the same game-- but with them in control.
- 8 is for straight. There are two options for this rule. Either the player sitting directly across from the cardholder must drink or the person holding the 8 must drink a straight shot of any alcoholic beverage that the table deems fit. It must go down "straight," without a mixer or glass of water.
10
Change the 9 and 10 rules. These cards usually fill up whatever rules you didn't use with the other cards. Some idea include:
- Draw again.
- Minister of Foreign Affairs. This makes you the only person able to talk to people who are not playing King's Cup at the moment.
11
Replace the King's Cup rule to avoid drinking the pot. Sometimes, if things are casual or the drinks varied, you might just skip the King's cup. There is a variety of ways to do this:
- King's are table-slave."' If you draw a King, you must now do the bidding of the table, within reason. Usually, this means you refill the drinks and get new ones every time someone runs out, or someone else draws a King. Never treat the table-slave poorly -- you never know if you're next.
- "'Kings are Categories:'" If a player draws a King they can choose a category, such as "dog breeds" or "types of car". Then each player at the table must name something that fits into that category, such as "poodle" or "Toyota". When a player cannot think of something that fits into the chosen category within 5 seconds, they must take a drink. Some people play with 10 for Categories instead.

Method 3

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Thinking up Rules for Kings

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Play the "little green man" rule. With this rule, players are required to imagine that they have a little green man sitting on top of their cup. Throughout the game, they must mimic removing the little green man from the top of their cup every time they take a drink and put him back afterward. If they fail to do so, they get an additional penalty drink.^{[5]
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Play the "three D's" rule. With this rule, players are forbidden from saying the words "drink", "drank" or "drunk" for the entire duration of the game. If a player accidentally says one of the three D's, they must take a penalty drink.
3
Play the "opposite hand" rule. With this rule, right-handed players can only pick up their cup with their left hand and left-handed players can only pick up with their right. If a player is caught picking up a cup with their good hand, they must take a penalty drink.
4
Play the "no pointing" rule. This rule is fairly self-explanatory. Players are not allowed to point at anyone or anything for the entire duration of the game. If they are caught breaking the rule, they must take a penalty drink.
5
Play the "no touching" rule. With this rule, players must pick a body part (lips, hair, ears, etc.) that no one is allowed to touch for the duration of the game. If a player is caught touching the forbidden body part, they must take a penalty drink.
6
Play the "no swearing" rule. Again, pretty self-explanatory. No swearing is allowed while the game is in play. If a player swears, they must take a penalty drink. It might help to outline the list of included swear words before the game begins.
7
Play the "nickname" rule. Every player is given a nickname at the start of the game. If at any point a player fails to refer to someone by their nickname, they must take a penalty drink.

Warnings

Always drink responsibly. King's Cup is a game, not an excuse to drink dangerously. If you or someone you know is drinking because of the "rules," but should not be drinking, you should cut them off.

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Should only be played if you're over the legal drinking age in your country (18 in most of the world, 21 in the US).

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