Egyptian Rat Screw is a non-gambling fun card game based on various combinations. The game is basically a mix of the traditional British card game ‘Beggar-My-Neighbor” and Slapjack which adds the slapping variation to the game. Here’s how to play and win Egyptian Rat Screw, as per the instructions provided by Plentifun.
Strategy
It’s always beneficial to have a pile rich in face/letter cards, as they would help you gain more hands if the player next to you fails to play a letter card in the allotted chances, or if you encounter a sequence where playing a face card would allow you to slap.
A very fast-moving and fun-to-play card game, Egyptian Rat Screw is a very good means of passing time with friends and family when bored. It simply requires players to earn more and more cards while making their pile bigger; that’s the objective of the game. So a newbie won’t require much training or reading a bunch of rules to play this game. The name of the game is a bit weird, but that doesn’t really matter; the only thing that matters is entertainment, and believe me friends, you’re going to love it.
The game obviously requires a standard 52-card deck, and a minimum of 2 players to a maximum of 5 players. Though, you can play with a bigger group of people using two decks of cards. Though the game has an element of randomness, being rich in the game is completely in a player’s hands, and as a matter of fact, very easy too. The game continues till one player acquires the entire deck, becoming the richest player, or it could be ended early by counting each player’s cards and declaring the player with the most cards as the winner.
How to Play the Egyptian Rat Screw Card Game
Step 1
Shuffle the deck and deal it evenly among the players. The cards should be dealt face-down, and shouldn’t be looked at all together throughout the game. Once dealt, the players must place their cards on the floor, and only draw a single card at a time.
Step 2
The player to the left of the dealer starts by drawing a card from his pile of cards and placing it face-up in the middle. The player is not supposed to look at his/her card until he places it in the middle.
Step 3
In case the first card is a number card, consecutive players play in the same manner unless somebody draws a letter card (King, Queen, Jack, or Ace).
Step 4
Once such a card is drawn, the next player should necessarily play a letter card. He could use 4 chances if the previous player’s card is an Ace, 3 if it’s a King, 2 if it’s a Queen, and 1 if it’s a Jack. If the player fails to play the necessary card, the whole pile in the middle goes to the previous player (the player who initially played the letter card).
The suspense between using out your chances and success or failure makes the game more interesting. The only thing a player can count upon is luck, as the cards drawn are completely random.
Step 5
We are still to cover the most interesting part – ‘slapping’. Slapping requires players to be attentive and observe certain card sequences. In case a player notices such a sequence, he can slap the pile and claim it. Claiming the pile in case of a valid sequence would earn the player the whole pile. The valid slap-able sequences are:
- Double: This is in case of a pair, wherein two cards of the same rank are played consecutively.
- Sandwich: This works when a card of a different rank is played between two cards of the same rank; actually sounds like a sandwich.
- Tens: This applies when two consecutively played cards sum up to 10 (the rule can only be applied to cards from Aces to Nines, where Aces count as 1).
- Jokers: Once somebody plays a Joker, it can be slapped upon (applicable only in case Jokers are permitted).
- Four in a Row: Quite obvious from the name, this rule simply means that the pile can be slapped after any combination of 4 consecutive cards. For instance, Ace, 2, 3, 4, or 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.
- Wedding: Though this is an optional rule, it can be introduced to make the game more fun. The pile, in this case, can be slapped when a King and Queen are played consecutively in any order (Q-K or K-Q).
- Bottoms Up: According to this rule, one can slap the pile when the first card of the pile is repeated. For instance, if the pile started with a King, and a player after a few rounds plays a King again, any player can slap and claim the pile (this possibility is void when a player’s card is burned; {burning cards explained ahead}).
Step 6
In case a player slaps the pile wrongly, he has to add two of his cards to the bottom of the pile. These two cards are referred to as ‘burnt cards’, and nullifies the ‘bottoms up’ slapping rule, as the first card in the pile is changed by either of the two new cards.
Step 7
A player can continue playing even if he runs out of cards. He can earn cards by being attentive and slapping the pile at the right time. But in case such a player slaps the pile wrongly, he is out of the game (unless the rules are modified to allow lending of cards).
The player who ends up with the most cards wins the game. This is how simple it is to play and win Egyptian Rat Screw. Now get down to enjoying this fun card game with your loved ones.