Egyptian Ratscrew

Q: What can you slap in Egyptian Ratscrew?

In our standard rules: a double (two cards of the same rank in a row, like 7 and 7) and a sandwich (the same rank with one card between, like 5, Q, 5). In Settings you can add tens, marriage, top-bottom and four in a row.

Play your top card in turn. Slap doubles and sandwiches first. Win every card.

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Settings and keys

Tens: two cards in a row (or with one face card between) that add up to 10, ace = 1 Marriage: a king and a queen together Top-bottom: the top card matches the first card of the pile Four in a row: four cards going up or down, like 5-6-7-8 or Q-K-A-2Wrong slap costs

Keyboard: Space or F plays your card, J slaps. Two players: Player 1 A play, S slap; Player 2 L play, K slap.

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How to play Egyptian Ratscrew in one minute

Deal: all cards are dealt face down. Nobody looks at their cards.
Play: in turn, everyone plays their top card face up onto the middle pile.
Face cards: a jack, queen, king or ace means the next player must play a face card or ace within 1, 2, 3 or 4 cards. If they don’t, the player of the last face card takes the pile.
Slap! Anyone may slap a double (7, 7) or a sandwich (5, Q, 5). The first slap takes the whole pile, even in the middle of a face-card challenge.
Wrong slap: you burn a card under the pile.
Win: collect all 52 cards.

5♠Q♥5♦

A sandwich: two fives with one card between them. Slap it!

Full rules: how to play Egyptian Ratscrew.

Egyptian Ratscrew (also written Egyptian Rat Screw, or ERS) is a traditional card game played with a normal deck of cards. This site is not connected with any company that sells a boxed game under a similar name.

Questions

What can you slap in Egyptian Ratscrew?

In our standard rules: a double (two cards of the same rank in a row, like 7 and 7) and a sandwich (the same rank with one card between, like 5, Q, 5). In Settings you can add tens, marriage, top-bottom and four in a row.

How many chances do you get after a face card?

One for a jack, two for a queen, three for a king and four for an ace. If none of those cards is a face card or an ace, the player who played the face card takes the pile.

What happens if I slap wrong?

You burn a card: your top card goes face down under the pile. In Settings you can make it two cards.

Can I play when I have no cards?

Yes. You can still slap a double or sandwich to get back in. But a wrong slap when you have no cards puts you out.

More fast card games

SpeedRace to play 20 cards one up or one down.SpitClear five stock piles, then slap the smaller pile.SlapjackBe the first to slap every jack.NertzRace the computer to empty your Nertz pile.

Want slower games too? onlinecardgames.app has hearts, crazy eights, solitaire and more, all free against the computer.