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Egyptian Ratscrew Rules

Egyptian Ratscrew (ERS) is a lightning-fast slapping game combining Slapjack with face-card challenges. The fastest slaps win piles.

👥 2–6 players ⏱ 10–20 min 🎯 Difficulty ●●○○○ 🃏 War & Compare

Setup

Deal the whole deck face-down, evenly among players.

How to Play

Players flip cards into the center in turn. Slap on doubles (two of a kind) or "sandwiches" (a pair with one card between). When a face card is played, the next player must pay cards — 4 for an ace, 3 for a king, 2 for a queen, 1 for a jack — or the pile goes to the face-card player.

Winning

The player who collects all 52 cards wins. Slap incorrectly and pay a card to the pile.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a sandwich in Egyptian Ratscrew?

Two cards of the same rank with exactly one card between them — a valid slap target.

How is ERS different from Slapjack?

ERS adds face-card pay rules, doubles, and sandwiches on top of the basic slap-on-jack mechanic.

▶ Play Egyptian Ratscrew online — free