Slapjack Rules
An easy card game for 2 or more players: slap the Jack first to win the pile.
Play Slapjack online (free)How to play Slapjack
face down
onto the pile
Slap it!
to win
Don’t look at your cards. The player to the dealer’s left goes first, and play goes clockwise.
When to slap: only when a Jack is on top
The winner shuffles it under their stack. On this site, they flip next.
Practice: slap or not?
1. Max just played the J♥. Slap?
✓ Right.A Jack is on top, so slap it fast.
✗ Slap it!The J♥ is on top, and the first hand on it wins the pile.
2. Max just played the 7♠. Slap?
✗ Too late.The 7♠ covered the Jack, so you’d give Max a card.
✓ Right.The Jack is covered, so it can’t be slapped now.
3. Max just played the K♠. Slap?
✗ No.That’s a King, not a Jack, so you’d give Max a card.
✓ Right.Kings and Queens look a bit like Jacks, but only Jacks count.
Wrong slap: give a card to the player who played it
Slapped your own card? On this site, your card goes under the pile instead.
Out of cards? You get one last Jack
On this site, a wrong slap with no cards also puts you out, since you have no card to give.
Slapjack 2 player rules
- Same rules, with 26 cards each.
- Every Jack is a race between the two of you.
- Out of cards? Your opponent keeps flipping alone until the next Jack.
Variations: say “Slapjack!” or play Snap
| Say “Slapjack!” | Say it as you slap to win the pile |
|---|---|
| Wrong call | Say it on a card that isn’t a Jack, and the others split the pile |
| Snap | Instead of Jacks, call “Snap!” on two cards of the same rank in a row |
This site plays the basic rules.
FAQ
- How many players can play Slapjack?
- Most often 3 or 4, but 2 to 8 can play. On this site you can play with 2, 3 or 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. Keep them face down in a stack.
- Can you slap a Jack you played yourself?
- Yes. Anyone can slap it, but use the hand you didn’t flip with.
- What if two people slap at the same time?
- The hand right on the Jack, at the bottom, wins. On this site the earlier slap wins.
- What if nobody slaps the Jack?
- Once a card covers it, it can’t be slapped. It stays in the pile for whoever wins the next Jack.
- What happens if you slap the wrong card?
- You give one card face down to the player who played that card.
- How do you win Slapjack?
- Collect all 52 cards. A player with no cards who misses the next Jack is out.
- What age is Slapjack for?
- Bicycle lists it for ages 4 and up. Kids only need to spot the letter J.
- Is it the same as Egyptian Rat Screw?
- No. In Egyptian Rat Screw you slap Doubles and Sandwiches, and face cards start challenges.
- What other names does it have?
- Slaps and Heart Attack.
