For this quintessential drinking game with cards, you’ll need a deck of cards, a cup, and plenty of beer and alcohol. A separate cup is placed in the middle of a ring of cards facedown and the. Kings - Drinking Game. A page devoted to the almighty drinking game that is Kings - Check out how to play in the discussions section! What is the game Kings? This is a drinking game called Kings that has several names such as king’s cup, jug oval, Heroes, donut, ring of fire or of fire. There is a Japanese version of the game as well. This game requires that you use playing cards. Kings Drinking Card Game is home to the world's most popular and diverse drinking card game. No longer do you have to waste time remembering and writing down the rules to the game. No longer do you have to play by the exact same rules every time. We've got a different set of cards (rules) for every crowd.
| Alternative names | King's Cup Heroes Ring of Fire Kings |
|---|---|
| Type | Drinking |
| Players | 2+ |
| Age range | Varies by legal jurisdiction |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | 1 deck of standard playing cards |
| Play | Clockwise or counterclockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | Ace (A) – two (2) |
| Playing time | 20 to 40 minutes |
Kings (also known as king's cup, donut, jug oval, circle of death and ring of fire) is a drinking game that uses playing cards. The player must drink and dispense drinks based on cards drawn. Each card has a rule that is predetermined before the game starts. Often groups establish house rules with their own variation of rules.
Equipment[edit]
- 1 Deck of Cards
- 2 or more players
- Alcoholic beverages – typically wine, beer, or mixed drinks - or non alcoholic beverages
- A large cup which will be used as the King's Cup, or (in the 'Ring of Fire' version of the game) an unopened beer can
Setup and common rules[edit]
In this game, a deck of cards is shuffled and dealt into a circle around either an empty cup or a full drink of choice. Each card value is assigned an action, which must be performed by the relevant players upon it being drawn. Players then take turns to draw cards and participate in the relevant activity.
This game is highly open ended and all of the cards can signify any mini-game, the rules and the card assignments are normally confirmed at the start of the game. Depending on house rules, the game either ends when the last rule card has been pulled or the king's cup has been consumed. In variations where cards are placed on top of the king's cup, the game is over when the cards fall off, with the player responsible for knocking them off having to consume the king's cup.
It is also common for the players to make up and agree on a set of rules every time the game is played. Some common assignments for card values include:
Kings Drinking Game Jack
| Card drawn | Title | Instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | Waterfall | To perform a waterfall, each player starts drinking their beverage at the same time as the person to their left, starting with the player who drew the card. No player can stop drinking until the player before them stops. |
| 2 | Two for you / Two is you | The player who drew the card gives out two drinks, either both to the same person or one to two different people. |
| 3 | Three for me / Three is me | The player who drew the card takes a drink.[1] |
| 4 | Hit the floor | Last person to touch the floor with their hands must take a drink. |
| Four is Whores | All women playing take a drink. (In some versions this is under the number 6) | |
| 5 | Five is Guys | All men playing take a drink. (In some versions this is under the number 6) |
| Drive | All players put up their hands as if driving a car. The player who drew the card begins. They say 'vroom' while tilting their hands to the right or left. The 'driver' is passed to the player next to them in that direction. Players now have three options as the 'driver' position is passed to them. They can choose to turn to same direction as the person before them and say 'vroom', passing it one more person. They can turn their hands in the opposite direction and say 'skert' (as in the screeching of car wheels) and pass the 'driver' position back to the person who just sent it to them. Now that is the new direction and all 'drivers' who turn that way must say 'Vroom' until a 'driver' decides to 'skert' it back again. The last option is to say 'beep' while mimicking hitting the car horn. This passes the game's position to the player opposite the current driver. The first 'driver' who speaks or turns the wrong way has to drink. | |
| 6 | Six is chicks | All women playing take a drink. (In some versions this is under the number 4) |
| Six is dicks | All men playing take a drink. (In some versions this is under the number 5) | |
| 7 | Heaven / 7th Heaven | Last person to raise their hand has to drink. |
| 8 | Mate | The player who drew the card chooses another player who must drink at the same time as them for the rest of the game. |
| 9 | Rhyme Time / Nine is Rhyme | The player who drew the card says a word, with players going clockwise each saying a word that rhyme with the original. The first person to fail to come up with a rhyming word that has not been used must drink. |
| 10 | Categories | The player who drew the card chooses a category, with players going clockwise to name things that fall within the category. The first person to fail to come up with something that has not been said must drink. |
| Jack | Social | Everyone must take a drink. |
| Never Have I Ever | Starting with the player who drew the card, everyone goes around the circle and saying 'never have I ever ___.' Whoever has done the action must drink. | |
| Queen | Questions | The player who drew the card starts by asking anyone a question. This player then asks anyone else a question. The first player who fails to ask a question must drink. |
| The player who drew the card becomes the question master. Whenever they ask a question, other players must also respond with questions or otherwise drink. This continues until another Queen is drawn, at which point that player becomes the question master. | ||
| King | King's Cup (+ Rules) | When each of the first 3 Kings are drawn, the person who drew the card puts some of their drink into the King's Cup at the center of the table. When the 4th King is drawn, the person who drew the 4th King must drink the contents of the King's Cup. In some variations, the first three people to pick a King card can also make a rule that must be followed until the next King is picked. Some common rules include Buffalo (must always use left hand), Thumbs (player puts their thumb on the table silently, last person to follow suit drinks), In bed (everyone has to say 'in bed' after every sentence), and Teeth (players can't show their teeth when they laugh). |
Ring of Fire[edit]
Virtual Drinking Games
In the 'Ring of Fire' version of the game, a beer can is placed in the center of the ring of cards.[2] Players 'discard' cards by sliding them under the beer tab. The player who pops the beer tab must drink the whole can. Unless decided that signals the end of the game, another can is placed in the middle and the game continues.
If by drawing a card a player creates a gap in the circle of cards, they must finish their own drink.[2]
Variations and other rules[edit]
Like almost all other drinking games, Kings has endless variations of rules, and individual drinking groups usually have their own set of card effects. There will be similar rules, but there will most likely always be some that some players have never encountered before. Some games specify that playing a certain card allows that player to make up a new rule which lasts for the remainder of the game.
A major variation in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or Canada is that the contents of the King's Cup are drunk by the player who breaks the circle of cards (known as the Ring of Fire in the UK).
A popular variation in Australia is the Smoko or Toilet Card replacing Give Two Take Two. In this version, a player needs to possess a Smoko Card to leave the table to smoke or use the toilet. A player can have multiple copies of the card and they can be traded, typically under conditions such as; the recipient must refill drinks on demand, crawl for the rest of the game, talk in a funny voice, etc.
Another popular variation in Australia is where the game is played with the addition of the Joker card. Upon drawing a Joker, the player must take a bong hit of pure good Cush.
In Belgium the game is known as 'Circle of Destruction' or 'Hardcore Kings'. In the beginning a pint is placed in the middle of the circle and everyone has to pour some of their drink in it, from now on this drink is referred to as 'Witch's Brew'.
| Card drawn | Title | Instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | Safe | Everyone drinks but you. |
| 2 | Who | A round of spin the bottle is played. |
| 3 | Wanna fight me? | A match of arm wrestling is played with the player sitting on the opposite side of the circle, the loser drinks. A slap contest can also be played. |
| 4 | We're whores | Everyone has to take off one piece of clothing as fast as they can, last on to do so has to drink. |
| 5 | My life | You have to take a sip from every player's drink. |
| 6 | ...tynine | The player who had sex the most recently drinks, the second time this card is drawn the player who had sex the second most recently drinks and so on... |
| 7 | Close to heaven | Do a body shot out of the belly button of your left-hand neighbour. |
| 8 | Mate | Choose a person to be your mate and they drink when you drink, and vice versa, for the rest of the game. If one of the mates draws another 8 card they chose another player and now all three have to drink. You can also merge two mated pairs this way. If all players of the game become mated, then all ties are cancelled. |
| 9 | Time to shine | You have to do 20 push ups, if you can't do it you have to drink the amount of sips you were short of 20. |
| 10 | Witch | You have to down the witch's brew. Afterwards the pint is refilled. |
| Jack | The Jack entertains | You have to do a credible and serious belly dance, for every minute you can pull this off you may choose another player who had to down their drink. |
| Queen | Mixer | Every player has to hand in his drink and you may reassign them to different players. |
| King | Rewind Time | You can use your rewind power one time to let someone do their assignment again. |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^LaBrie, JW; Ehret, PJ; Hummer, JF (2013). 'Are they all the same? An exploratory, categorical analysis of drinking game types'. Addict Behav. 38: 2133–9. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.12.002. PMC3654653. PMID23435275.
- ^ ab'Ring of Fire Rules (With A Handy Infographic to Reference)'. Let's Play A Drinking Game. April 19, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
Card Assignment
Kings Cup rules are easy to memorize or customize to your party. The following summary of different actions assigned to each card are based on the most popular version of the game. You can also download a Free Kings Cup Rules Cheat Sheet (PDF) to aid you on game day.Waterfall: Everybody drinks. No one can stop until you do.
Give 2: Assign one drink to two people or two drinks to one person.
Give & Take: Assign two drinks, and drink twice.
Rule: Set a rule to be followed. Anyone caught breaking the rule drinks.
Thumbs: Place your thumb on the table. Last person to place their thumb on the table drinks.
Hands Up: Raise your hand. Last person to raise their hand drinks.
Mate: Choose your drinking mate. They drink when you drink for the rest of the game.
Rhyme Time: Choose a word. Next person has to say a word that rhymes. First one to mess up or pause drinks.
Category: Choose a category. Next person has to name an item from that category. First one to mess up or pause drinks.
Girls Drink: All the girls must take a drink.
King’s Cup: Pour some of your drink into the King’s Cup. The person to draw the last King must drink from the King’s Cup and the game ends.
Kings Cup Rules and Variations
There are many variations of kings cup rules. Some are more difficult that others and you’re always free to come up with your own. Introducing a truth or dare component to the game is an easy way to boost the fun factor. Get as creative as you want or stick to the classic rule book. It is really up to you. Remembering all of the actions assigned to each card can be tricky, especially as you get tipsy, so the following cheat sheet may come in handy. Download Free Kings Cup Rules Cheat Sheet (PDF) in case you missed it. It may come in handy.Check out the following video for a quick summary of the Kings Cup Rules. You can also check out other drinking games and drinking games with shots for more ideas.Drink Responsibly
Drinking games are not for everyone. Know your limits and stay within them. If you’re hosting a party, that responsibility also extends to your guests as well.Written By:Lou Sylvester is your average 23-year-old male beer drinker. He likes what you like, and absolutely hates what you hate. He played his wealth of sports and enjoyed a successful 4-year college career. Majoring in Business but finding time to write has always been a passion for Lou. Enjoy the articles!