Egyptian Rat Screw Rules
A fast card game for 2 or more players: slap a match first and win all 52 cards.
Play ERS online (free)How to play Egyptian Rat Screw
face down
onto the pile
Slap the pile!
to win
Don’t look at your cards. The player to the dealer’s left goes first.
When to slap: a Double or a Sandwich
The first player to slap takes the whole pile, puts it under their stack and flips next.
Practice: slap or not?
1. The 8♣ just landed on top. Slap?
✓ Right.8, A, 8 is a Sandwich.
✗ Slap it.8, A, 8 is a Sandwich: two 8s with one card between.
2. The 7♠ just landed on top. Slap?
✗ Not here.3 + 7 = 10 is a slap only with the Tens house rule.
✓ Right.3 and 7 add up to 10, which only counts with the Tens house rule.
3. The Q♠ just landed on top. Slap?
✗ No.The same suit and ranks next to each other don’t count.
✓ Right.Only matching ranks count, not the suit or a run of two.
Face cards: answer with a face card or an Ace
| Card played | Flips to answer |
|---|---|
| Ace | 4 |
| King | 3 |
| Queen | 2 |
| Jack | 1 |
A slap still counts during a challenge. A Double or a Sandwich wins the pile before the challenge ends.
Wrong slap: put a card under the pile
Some groups burn 2 cards. This site burns 1.
Out of cards? You can still slap back in
On this site, a wrong slap with no cards puts you out, and whoever gets all 52 cards flips 3 more before winning.
Egyptian Rat Screw 2 player rules
- Same rules, with 26 cards each.
- Every face card or Ace you play challenges your opponent, so challenges go back and forth.
- Out of cards? Your opponent keeps flipping alone, and you can still slap back in.
House rules: extra slaps
Agree on these before you start.
| Jokers | Slap whenever a Joker is played |
|---|---|
| Ratscrew | A 6 and a 9 next to each other |
| Hoagie | The same rank with two cards between |
| Flush | Three cards of the same suit in a row |
On this site, Top & Bottom, Tens and Marriage can be turned on in Settings.
FAQ
- How many players can play?
- 2 or more. Big groups shuffle two decks together. This site is for 2 to 4 players.
- How many cards does each player get?
- The whole deck is dealt: 26 each with 2 players, 17 or 18 with 3, and 13 with 4.
- Can you look at your cards?
- No. Flip the top card away from you so everyone sees it at the same time.
- What beats a face card challenge?
- Another face card or Ace in time, or a correct slap.
- What if two people slap at the same time?
- Groups differ, but often the hand at the bottom wins. On this site the earlier slap wins.
- How many cards do you lose for a wrong slap?
- 1 or 2, depending on the group. On this site, 1.
- Can you slap when you have no cards?
- Yes. A correct slap brings you back into the game.
- Do you play with Jokers?
- Usually not. If you add them, any Joker can be slapped. This site has no Jokers.
- Is it the same as Slapjack?
- No. In Slapjack you slap only Jacks, and there are no face card challenges.
- What other names does it have?
- ERS, Egyptian Ratscrew, Egyptian War, Ratslap, Slap and Bloodystump.
- Where does the game come from?
- A modern American game: the British Beggar-My-Neighbour with slapping added.
