How to Play the Drinking Game King’s Cup

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Learn all card assignments and variations in the King’s Cup drinking game

Co-authored by Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: December 16, 2024 Fact Checked

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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." Read below for all the King’s Cup rules you need to know, as well as the meaning (and variations) of every card you might draw.

King’s Cup Rules

Spread a deck of cards face down around an empty cup and give every player a drink. Take turns drawing cards from the circle and following each card’s directions.
For example, 3s (“Me”) mean you have to drink, 5s (“Guys”) mean male players must drink, 7s (“Heaven”) mean that the last player to point to the sky drinks, etc.
If a player draws a King, they must pour a bit of their drink into the center cup. When a player draws the fourth (and final) King, they must drink the resulting concoction!

Section 1 of 2:

Playing Kings Cup

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Spread the cards facedown in a circle around the cup so there are no gaps between cards. Gather your players in a circle around the table and give everyone a drink.^{[1]
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Take turns picking up and completing cards. On each player’s turn, they draw a card from the circle—if they create a gap in the circle between two cards, they must drink. The player must turn their card over quickly and follow its assigned meaning:^{[2]
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- Ace = Waterfall. Every player drinks and can only stop when the person on their right does, beginning with the cardholder.
- 2 = You. The cardholder can make another player drink.
- 3 = Me. The cardholder must drink.
- 4 = Floor. The last player to touch the floor drinks.
- 5 = Guys. All male players drink.
- 6 = Chicks. All female players drink.
- 7 = Heaven. The last player to point up drinks.
- 8 = Mate. The cardholder chooses a player who has to drink every time they do.
- 9 = Rhyme. The cardholder says a word and everyone else must say a rhyming word. Whoever hesitates or fails to come up with a word must drink.
- 10 = Never Have I Ever. Everyone puts up 3 fingers. Starting with the cardholder, each player says something they’ve never done. Other players lower a finger if they’ve done it—the first person out of fingers drinks.
- Jack = Make a Rule. The cardholder must make a rule to be followed for the rest of the game.
- Queen = Question Master. The cardholder can now ask questions to other players. If they respond with anything but another question, they must drink.
- King = King’s Cup. For the first three kings, the cardholders must pour a bit of their drink into the center cup. On the fourth king, the cardholder must drink the center cup.

Section 2 of 2:

Kings Cup Card Meanings and Variations

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Ace = Waterfalls If a player draws an Ace, everyone at the table must start chugging their drink. The cardholder can stop drinking whenever they want, but the other players can only stop drinking when the person to their right has stopped.^{[3]
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- So, if you're sitting to the right of the player who drew the card, you cannot stop drinking until everyone at the table has stopped.
- In other variations, Ace represents “race.” If a player draws an ace, they pick another player and race them to the end of their cup. Both players must finish their entire drink.
- Alternatively, Ace can stand for “slap your face.” When an ace is drawn, everyone at the table has to slap their own face—the last player to do so takes a drink.
- Ace can also simply mean “clink and drink,” so every player only has to clink their drinks together and take a sip!
If a player draws a 2 (of any color or suit), they can make another player drink. In other variations, drawing a two card means that everyone at the table has to switch seats with someone else. The last player seated drinks.^{[4]
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If a player draws a 3, they must take a drink themselves. In other variations, threes are used as a “direction shifter.” If a player draws a 3, the direction of play is switched from clockwise to counter-clockwise (or vice versa).
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4 = Floor If a player draws a 4, everybody at the table has to reach down and touch the floor as quickly as possible. The last one to touch the floor drinks. In other variations, fours are used as "women must drink," thanks to a rhyme with a certain nightly profession.^{[5]
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- Alternatively, 4 can mean “dinosaur,” meaning that the player who drew the card can use a permanent marker to draw a dinosaur on the face of another player.
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5 = Guys If a player draws a 5, all the guys at the table must drink. In other variations, five represents “jive,” “dive,” or “five fingers.” For “jive,” the player who picked up the five gets to create a dance move or sequence. Everyone at the table must copy it, and the first person to mess up drinks.
- For “dive,” everyone must dive under the table when a player draws a five. The last one to do so must drink.
- For “five fingers,” players begin a playing a game of “Never Have I Ever with five fingers. They take turns stating things they’ve never done and putting down a finger if they have done it. The first person to put down all fingers must drink.
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6 = Chicks If a player draws a 6, all the girls at the table must drink. In other variations, six is used to mean “guys must drink,” thanks to a rhyming similarity between "six" and a common slang term for male anatomy.^{[6]
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- Alternatively, 6s can be used to assign a “thumb master.” If a player draws a 6, they become thumb master.
- Every time the thumb master puts their thumb on the table, all the other players must do so, too—the last one to notice and place their thumb on the table drinks.
- This can happen at any point in the game until someone else draws a 6 and becomes the new thumb master.
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7 = Heaven If a player draws a 7, everyone at the table has to point to the sky/ceiling as quickly as possible. The last one to do so must drink. In other variations, 7 is for “snake-eyes” or “buzzing.”
- In “snake-eyes,” a player who draws a 7 becomes “snake-eyes.” Anytime they successfully make eye contact with another player, that player must drink.
- In “buzzing,” the player who drew the 7 starts by saying “one.” Moving clockwise around the circle, each player says the next number in ascending order.
- However, any multiples of 7 (14, 21, etc.) must be replaced with the word “BUZZ!” Players must drink if they mess up, and play continues with a new card.
- Or, this card allows the player who drew it to pick two other players to go play 7 Minutes in Heaven—a.k.a go into a closet together for seven minutes to do whatever they choose.
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8 = Mate If a player draws an 8, they get to choose another player to be their “mate.” This person now has to drink every time they do, and vice versa. The "mateship" only ends when someone else draws an 8.^{[7]
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- If either of the players forgets to drink when their "mate" is drinking, they must take an additional penalty drink.
- In other variations, 8 = “Hate.” The player who drew the 8 must pick another player to start drinking until they tell them to stop. However, if they finish their drink before the cardholder says stop, the game is repeated but with roles reversed.
- Eight cards can also represent “straight. If a player draws an 8, the player sitting directly across from the cardholder must drink a straight shot of any alcoholic beverage—without a mixer or glass of water.
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9 = Rhyme If a player draws a 9, they must pick any simple word and say it out loud. Moving clockwise, each player must say a word that rhymes with the original word. For example, the first player may say “rat,” and subsequent players might say “cat,” “hat,” “bat,” etc.^{[8]
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- The rhyming continues around the table until a player hesitates for too long or can’t come up with a rhyming word. That player must drink.
- In other variations, 9 is used to designate a “Minister of Foreign Affairs.” The person who drew the 9 is now the only player who can talk to other people at the party who are not playing King’s Cup.
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10 = 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, each 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.
- Play continues around the table until someone has no fingers raised—that person must drink.
- In other variations, 10s kick off a game of Categories. If a player draws a 10, they choose a category, such as “dog breeds” or “types of car.”^{[9]
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- Taking turns around the circle, each player must name something that fits into that category.
- If a player can’t think of something within 5 seconds or repeats something another player has already said, they must take a drink.
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Jack = Make a Rule If a player draws a Jack, they make a rule that must be followed for the rest of the game. Any player who breaks the rule or forgets about it must take a penalty drink. Some example rules include not being allowed to swear, use the bathroom, or call anyone by their first name. Here are some other common choices for “make a rule:”^{[10]
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- Little Green Man Rule: Players must imagine that they have a little green man sitting on their cup. Every time they take a drink, they must mimic removing the man from the top of their cup to take a sip and place him back on top when they’re finished.
- Three D’s Rule: Players are forbidden from saying the words “drink,” “drank,” or “drunk.”
- Opposite Hand 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.
- No Pointing Rule: Players are not allowed to point at anyone or anything for the duration of the game.
- No Touching Rule: The rulemaster picks a body part (e.g., lips, hair, ears, etc.) that no one is allowed to touch for the duration of the game.
- Nickname Rule: The rulemaster assigns a nickname to every player, and they can only be called by that nickname for the rest of the game.
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Queen = Question Master When 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, suppose Terry is Question Master and asks Steve, "What time is it?." Steve has to respond with a question like, "Is it 2 o'clock?" If Steve doesn't answer with a question, he must take a drink.
- In other variations, people must drink if they respond to the Question Master’s questions at all.
- In this case, the Question Master may try to trick someone into answering their questions by asking something that seems natural, like “What time do we need to leave for the next party?” or “Does anyone need another drink?”
- Anyone who responds to the Question Master’s question must drink!
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King = 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.^{[11]
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- If you're playing with a can in the center, Kings could mean "finish your current drink,” or you could make an alternate rule.
- In other variations, especially if your game is more low-key and you don’t want to drink the King’s Cup, a player who draws a King becomes the “table servant.”
- The “table servant” must do the bidding of the table until another King is drawn—within reason, of course.
- Usually, their tasks include refilling drinks or grabbing snacks. Never treat the table servant poorly—you never know if you're next.

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King's Cup Cheat Sheet

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Tips

Make your own cheat sheet ahead of time, or at least talk over the rules quickly before beginning.

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If possible, use a waterproof deck of cards—drink spillage is highly likely to occur.

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If playing with a new crowd, let everyone submit a rule or suggestion to spice the game up.

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To get a game started quickly, you can download one of the "King's Cup" apps. The app explains all the rules, walks you through the game, and gives you ideas for dares, questions, etc.

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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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King’s Cup 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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