The Official Ride The Bus Drinking Game Rules - Thrillist

One of the best things about card games is that all you need is a deck of cards—and a knack for strategy or just dumb luck. So, you can take your favorite games with you when you travel, no matter if that's at your buddy's house down the street, or a faraway destination. In fact, playing card games, especially the ones that involve a little booze, can be a great way to bond with fellow travelers or meet new friends on the road. And a wildly fun game that hasn't been played to death (we're looking at you, King’s Cup) is Ride the Bus. While the rules may sound complicated on paper, the game is actually very easy once you get going, so it’s also great for people to learn as they play instead of sitting on the sidelines. Here are the official Ride the Bus drinking game rules.

Phase One: Dealing the Cards

Round One:

One player is assigned as the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and begins to the left, asking the first player, “Red or black?” The player guesses whether the card is red or black; if they’re right, nothing happens, but if they’re wrong, they take a sip of their drink. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their first card.

Round Two:

The dealer now asks player one, “Higher or lower?” The player has to answer whether they think the card that’s about to be dealt is higher or lower than the first card they received, with Ace being the highest. Wrong guess? Drink. Play continues around the circle until everyone has their second card. If the two cards are the same, the dealer reshuffles the dealt card back into the deck and picks from the top again.

Round Three:

With the same format as the previous two rounds, the dealer asks “In-between or outside?” meaning, will the card that’s about to be dealt fall in-between the two previous cards’ values, or outside of the gap? For example, if your first two cards are four and nine, five would be “inside” while a queen would be “outside.” If the card is the same as either boundary card, the dealer again reshuffles the dealt card and picks from the top.

Round Four:

For the final dealing round, the dealer simply asks each player to pick a suit, giving them a one in four chance of avoiding a drink. If the player guesses wrong, as they likely will, they drink. If they happen to guess correctly, they are rewarded with five drinks to distribute amongst the other players, either assigning each drink to a different opponent or stacking five sips onto one person.