Egyptian Rat Screw Card Game - How to Play, Rules & Variations

Introduction

Egyptian Rat Screw, often called ‘ERS’, is a fast-paced card game that demands quick reflexes, strategy, and a bit of luck. This game is perfect for those players who love quick-thinking challenges and fast action.

In this article, we will explore what Egyptian Rat Screw is, how to play it, and tips to win!

What is the Egyptian Ratscrew?

Combining chance and quick reflexes, Egyptian Ratscrew is a game of chaos played with at least two people using a 52-card deck. The objective involves winning tricks or slapping specific card combinations to gather all the cards from the deck.

How to Play Egyptian Ratscrew

Players: 2 or more (typically 2–6).

Deck: A standard 52-card deck, thoroughly shuffled.

Dealing:

• The entire deck is dealt evenly to all players face down. Players should not look at their cards.
• Each player keeps their stack of cards face down in front of them.

Basic Rules:

1. Turn Order: Players take turns in a clockwise fashion.
2. Playing Cards: On their turn, a player takes the top card from their stack and places it face up in the centre of the table to form a pile. Players should do this as quickly as possible.

• The cards are played individually, creating a face-up pile that all players watch.
• The value of the cards played is important, especially the face cards (Jack, Queen, King, Ace).

Special Cards and Challenges:

When a face card or an Ace is played (Jack, Queen, King, or Ace), the next player must ‘challenge’ it by playing a certain number of cards to try and counter it. The number of cards they get to play depends on the rank of the face card:

• Jack: The next player must play 1 card.
• Queen: The next player must play 2 cards.
• King: The next player must play 3 cards.
• Ace: The next player must play 4 cards.

If the player successfully plays the required number of cards without revealing another face card or Ace, the pile remains in the centre, and the turn passes to the next player.

Winning a Challenge:

If, during a challenge, the player plays another face card or Ace before completing the required number of cards, the next player must then challenge this new face card or Ace. The number of cards played to challenge depends on the new card.

• If the challenged player cannot match the face card or Ace within the required number of cards, the player who initially played the face card or Ace wins the pile and adds all the cards in the centre to the bottom of their deck.
• If the challenged player successfully counters with another face card or Ace, the challenge continues until someone wins or fails.

Slapping the Pile:

Players can ‘slap’ the pile and win it under certain conditions. These slapping rules add a reflex-based element to the game, making it more unpredictable. If a player slaps the pile under the correct condition, they win all the cards in the pile and add them to the bottom of their deck. The slapping rules are as follows:

1. Double: Two cards of the same rank are played consecutively (e.g., 5 of Hearts, 5 of Clubs).
2. Sandwich: A card is played, followed by another card, and then the same rank as the first card (e.g., 7 of Diamonds, 9 of Spades, 7 of Clubs).
3. Top-Bottom: The same rank as the first card in the face-up pile matches the top card (only at the beginning of a round).
4. Tens: The sum of two consecutive cards equals 10 (e.g., 4 of Diamonds followed by 6 of Spades).
5. Four-of-a-kind: Four cards of the same rank appear in sequence.

Slapping Penalties:

If a player slaps the pile incorrectly (there is no valid slapping condition), they must give the top card of their deck to the player who just played the last card.

Winning:

The game continues until one player collects all the cards in the deck. They are declared the winner.

Variations of Egyptian Ratscrew

Here are some common variations of the Egyptian Ratscrew:

1. Slap Variations

The game includes numerous slapping conditions, and players often tweak or add new rules for when they can slap the pile. Here are a few common slap variations:

• Marriage Slap: If a King and Queen are played consecutively, players can slap the pile and win it. This variation is based on the idea of "marrying" the King and Queen.
• Additions to Tens Slap: Some variations allow players to slap if two cards whose values add up to 10 are played consecutively (not just two consecutive cards). For example, a 3 and a 7 or a 4 and a 6 would trigger a slap.
• Reversed Sandwich: Instead of the sandwich slap rule being a card followed by another card of the same rank (e.g., 5-9-5), a reversed sandwich allows slapping if the middle card is the same as the first and last cards (e.g., 5-5-9-5).

2. No-Slap Variations

In some variations of ERS, slapping is completely removed from the game. This shifts the focus to the face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces) and the challenges. Players continue to play cards, and the game revolves solely around winning challenges rather than quick reflexes.

3. Burn Rule Variations

Incorporating a ‘burn rule’ adds penalties or complications when players slap incorrectly:

• Single Burn: When a player slaps the pile incorrectly, he must place one card from the top of his deck face-up onto the pile (this is called ‘burning’ the card).
• Double Burn: Some players increase the penalty to two cards if someone slaps incorrectly.

4. Face-Card Rank Variations

In this variation, the number of cards needed to beat a face card or Ace changes:

• Jack: 2 cards instead of 1.
• Queen: 3 cards instead of 2.
• King: 4 cards instead of 3.
• Ace: 5 cards instead of 4.

This variation increases the challenge for players trying to counter face cards, extending the game and making challenges more difficult.

5. Slapback Rule

In this variation, if a player incorrectly slaps the pile but realizes his mistake, he can slap again correctly. If he is successful the second time, he avoids the penalty and wins the pile.

6. Special Card Powers

Some variations give specific cards special powers, such as:

• Joker Power: If Jokers are included in the deck, slapping on a Joker can instantly win the pile, or the player who plays a Joker can automatically win that round.
• 7 or 10 Power: In some versions, if a 7 or 10 is played, the next player must skip their turn, allowing the current player to place another card.

7. Jailhouse Rule

In this variation, if a player runs out of cards during their turn, he is placed in ‘jail’. He can only escape jail by winning a pile during the next slapping opportunity. Until then, he must sit out. This adds stakes to players running low on cards.

8. Speed Slap

This variation emphasizes quick reflexes by enforcing a time limit for playing cards:

• Fast Play: Players must play their cards within 1-2 seconds of their turn, or they automatically forfeit the round and must place a card on the pile as a penalty. 

9. Blind Play

In blind play, players cannot look at the cards they are playing from their deck. They must flip their cards onto the pile without knowing what they will reveal. 

10. Elimination Rule

In this variation, players who lose all their cards are eliminated from the game, and the remaining players continue until only one remains. The last player with cards is declared the winner. 

11. Team Play

ERS can be played in teams, where partners work together to win the pile. Players on the same team can slap the pile to win cards for their partner.

12. Reverse Turn Slap

Players can slap the pile to reverse the turn order if a specific condition occurs (such as two Jacks being played consecutively or another unique pattern).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players can play Egyptian Ratscrew?

Egyptian Ratscrew can be played with two or more players. The game is fun with a larger group, as it increases the competition and the number of cards in play.

What happens if you slap the pile incorrectly?

If you slap the pile incorrectly, you must give one card from your own stack to the centre pile as a penalty.

Can Egyptian Rat Screw be played with multiple decks?

Yes, you can play with multiple decks to extend the game and add more variety, especially for larger groups.

Conclusion

Easy to learn but challenging to master, Egyptian Ratscrew offers endless fun for casual and competitive play.  This simplicity, paired with its fast action, makes Egyptian Rat Screw a timeless classic that can be enjoyed anywhere, from a relaxed evening at home online to a gathering with friends on live tables.