Snap
What Is Snap?
Snap is a fast, loud, and exciting card game that tests how quickly you can spot a match. Players take turns flipping cards face-up onto a pile. The moment you see two cards of the same rank appear in a row — for example, a 6 followed by another 6 — the first player to slap the pile and shout ‘SNAP!’ wins all the cards in the pile. The player who collects all 52 cards wins the game.
What You Need
- One standard deck of 52 playing cards
- Two to eight players — the more players, the faster and louder it gets
- A flat table to flip cards onto
Setting Up the Game
- Shuffle all 52 cards very well.
- Deal all the cards out evenly to every player, face-down one at a time. Some players may end up with one extra card — that is fine.
- Each player takes their stack of cards and holds it face-down in front of them. Do not look at your cards.
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 TABLE in the center — not onto your own pile. Flip it quickly in one motion so everyone sees it at the same time.
- Everyone immediately looks at the newly flipped card and compares it to the card just below it in the center pile.
- If the newly flipped card has the SAME RANK as the card directly under it — for example, a Queen lands on top of another Queen — anyone can call Snap.
- The first player to slap the center pile with their hand AND shout ‘SNAP!’ wins the entire center pile. That player picks up all the cards and adds them to the BOTTOM of their own face-down pile.
- After a Snap is called and won, the player who won the pile takes their next turn and flips a new card to restart.
- If no Snap occurs, the next player clockwise takes their turn and flips their top card onto the pile.
What If Two Players Snap at the Same Time?
If two players slap the pile at the exact same moment and it’s genuinely impossible to tell who was first, the cards go into a separate ‘Snap pool’ in the center of the table. Leave them there. The very next time anyone successfully calls Snap, they win the center pile PLUS the Snap pool.
False Snaps — Calling Snap When Cards Don’t Match
If you call Snap and slap the pile but the two top cards do NOT actually match, you are penalized. You must give one card from the top of your pile to each other player.
Running Out of Cards
If your face-down pile runs completely empty, you have one chance to survive: if a Snap occurs before your next turn, you can still call it and win cards. If you cannot win a Snap before it’s your turn again, you are out of the game.
Winning
The player who collects all 52 cards wins. If you want a quicker game, agree before starting that the first player to reach a set number of cards — say 30 — wins.
Tips
- Keep your eyes fixed on the center pile at all times — the moment a card starts to flip, your brain needs to be ready.
- Keep one hand hovering just above the table so you can slap quickly.
- Don’t call Snap too eagerly — false snaps cost you cards and can lose you the game.