What Is Egyptian Ratscrew?
Egyptian Ratscrew (often called ERS) is a fast-paced slapping card game where you race to win the entire deck by spotting special patterns in the pile. Players take turns flipping cards onto a center pile. Most cards mean nothing — you just keep going. But when a specific pattern appears (two of the same rank in a row, a sandwich, or a face card sequence), the first player to slap the pile wins everything in it. It’s louder and more complex than Slap Jack, with more ways to win — and more ways to lose cards.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Two to six players
- A sturdy table — this game gets physical
The Slap Patterns — Learn These Before You Start
There are several conditions that allow you to slap the pile. Make sure everyone agrees on which patterns are in play before the game starts:
- Double: The card just flipped matches the rank of the card directly below it in the pile. Example: a 9 lands on top of another 9. SLAP!
- Sandwich: The card just flipped matches the rank of the card TWO below it — with one different card in between. Example: 6, then Queen, then another 6. SLAP on the second 6!
- Top-Bottom: The card just flipped matches the very first card that started the pile (the bottom card). You need to remember or peek to check.
Setting Up the Game
- Shuffle all 52 cards.
- Deal all cards face-down to players as evenly as possible. Some players may have one extra card.
- Each player keeps their pile face-down in front of them without looking.
How to Play — Step by Step
- The player to the left of the dealer goes first.
- On your turn, take the top card of your face-down pile and flip it face-up onto the center pile. Flip it away from yourself in a single motion so everyone sees it at the same time.
- As soon as the card lands, every player instantly checks whether a slap pattern has occurred.
- If a slap pattern HAS occurred: slam your open hand down on the pile as fast as possible. First hand on the pile wins ALL the cards in it. Add them to the bottom of your own pile.
- If NO slap pattern occurred: play moves to the next player clockwise, who flips their top card.
Face Card Challenges
When a player flips a face card — a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace — something special happens. The NEXT player must flip cards trying to also flip a face card:
- Jack = the next player gets 1 flip to match it
- Queen = 2 flips
- King = 3 flips
- Ace = 4 flips
If the next player flips a face card within their attempts, the challenge TRANSFERS to the following player with the new face card’s value. If the next player goes through all their flips without hitting a face card, the player who played the original face card wins the entire pile. Watch for slap patterns even during challenges — they can still be slapped!
False Slaps
If you slap the pile when no valid pattern exists, you must give the top three cards from your pile to the player who most recently flipped a card. If you don’t have three cards, give what you have.
Running Out of Cards
If your pile runs empty, you stay at the table. You can still slap back into the game — if you successfully slap a valid pattern, you win those cards and are back in. If you can’t slap in before your turn comes around again, you’re eliminated.
Winning
Collect all 52 cards to win. Or play until one player is eliminated — whoever still has cards wins.
Tips
- Keep your hand low and hovering over the table — don’t raise it high before slapping.
- Track the last two cards played at all times — those are the ones that matter for doubles and sandwiches.
- Don’t look at your own pile when drawing — keep your eyes on the center pile.