
Ride the Bus is a fun drinking game that can be played over Zoom with 4 to 8 players. The game requires a standard 52-card deck and an alcoholic beverage of choice for each player. The objective is to have the least number of cards in hand at the end of the round and, of course, to get drunk! The game is divided into several rounds, each with a different rule. The dealer flips over cards one by one, asking players to predict the kind of card. If a player guesses incorrectly, they must drink. If they guess correctly, they can choose another player to drink. Each round, the player keeps their card as the next question involves previous cards. The game ends once the entire deck is used or if a player correctly answers all four questions consecutively.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Number of players | 4-8 |
Materials | Beer, a standard 52-card deck |
Type of game | Drinking game |
Objective | Get drunk and have the least amount of cards in hand |
Dealer | Chosen randomly or by a chugging contest |
Round 1 | Red or black? |
Round 2 | Higher or lower? |
Round 3 | In between or outside? |
Final round | Guess the suit |
What You'll Learn
How to set up the game
"Ride the Bus" is a drinking game that requires a standard 52-card deck of playing cards and beer, or an alternative drink of your choice. The game is best played with 4-8 players.
To set up the game, first, choose a dealer. This can be done randomly or by having a chugging contest, with the last player to finish their drink becoming the dealer. The dealer should shuffle the deck and cut the cards.
Next, the dealer distributes a face-down card to each player, one at a time. The players must then guess if the card will be red or black when flipped over. If the player guesses correctly, nothing happens. If they guess incorrectly, they must drink.
The dealer then distributes another face-down card to each player for the second round. This time, the players must guess if the card's value will be higher or lower than the card they already have. If they are correct, nothing happens. If they are incorrect, they must drink.
For the third round, the dealer deals another face-down card to each player. The players must now guess if the value of this card will fall between the values of their first two cards or be outside that range. If they guess correctly, nothing happens. If they are incorrect, they must drink.
Finally, for the fourth round, the dealer deals one more face-down card to each player. This time, the players must guess the exact suit of the card. If they are correct, they can give out five drinks to other players. If they are incorrect, they must drink.
After these four rounds, the players should each have four cards. Now, the dealer constructs a pyramid with the remaining cards, placing them face down. The pyramid should have five rows, with the bottom row containing five cards, the next row containing four cards, and so on until the final row, which has one card. Each row is assigned a value, with the bottom row worth one drink and the top row worth five drinks.
With the pyramid set up, the players are now ready to begin the main phase of the game.
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How to play the first round: Red or Black
The first round of Ride the Bus is called "Red or Black?". To play this round, the dealer distributes a face-down card to each player one at a time. Each player must guess whether the card will be red (a diamond or heart) or black (a spade or club) when flipped over. Once a player has made their guess, the dealer flips over the card. If the player is correct, nothing happens. If they're wrong, they drink.
For a more intense version of this round, players who guess correctly can assign their drink to a different player instead of nothing happening.
This round continues until each player has received their first card. Every player's first card must remain on the table in front of them.
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How to play the second round: Higher or Lower
Now that every player has their first card, the dealer distributes another face-down card to each player. The players must guess if the second card's value will be higher or lower than the first card in their hand. If a player's guess is correct, nothing happens. If they're wrong, they drink!
The dealer can play too by dealing themselves a card when it's their turn.
The ace is the highest-ranking card in the game, and the two is the lowest.
If a player's second card is of equal rank to their first, they must drink as a penalty.
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How to play the third round: In Between or Outside
Once every player has 2 cards in their hand, the dealer distributes a third face-down card to everyone. Players now have to guess if the value of this face-down card will fall in-between the values of their 2 existing cards once it’s flipped over. If they’re right, nothing happens. However, if they’re wrong, they drink.
For example, if a player has a 3 and a 7 currently in their hand, guessing “in-between” means the player predicts the new card will be a 4, a 5, or a 6. “Outside” means the player is guessing the card will be 2 or lower, or 8 or higher, since all of those values fall outside the 3-7 range.
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How to play the final round: Guess the Suit
The final round of "Ride the Bus" is called "Guess the Suit." In this round, each player must guess the exact suit of the final card they are dealt: clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades. If they guess the suit correctly, they can give out five drinks to other players. These drinks can be split among players or forced onto a single player. If the player guesses incorrectly, they must take one sip.
If a player fails to guess the suit of the final card correctly, they must ride the bus. This means they must complete all four questions in a row: "Red or Black?", "Higher or Lower?", "In Between or Outside?", and "Guess the Suit." If they answer a question incorrectly, they must start again from the first question, taking a drink for each wrong answer.
The game ends when either the entire deck is used or a player correctly answers all four questions consecutively. If the player answers all the questions consecutively, they win; otherwise, they lose.
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