'Up and Down the River' Drinking Game Instructions

Players: 3 - No limit

This game is played with 3 or more people.

Each player is dealt 8 cards face up (if you are playing with more than 4 people you might want to add another deck of cards).

Once all players have received their hand, the game begins. The dealer will flip one card at a time off the top of the remaining deck, face up. The first four cards flipped by the dealer represents going "UP" the river. The player(s) whose hands have a matching card (numerically, not by suit!) give 1 drink away for the first flipped card, 2 drinks for the second, 3 for the third, and 4 drinks for the fourth. Not all drinks have to be "given" to the same person.

Once you have gone "UP" the river you must come back "DOWN" the river. The dealer flips the fifth card and places it on top of the 4th card and says the face value of the card. Now any player with a card matching must drink 4 drinks! The next card flipped is 3 drinks for players with matching cards, 2 drinks for the next, and finally the 8th card flipped is worth 1 drink.

If a player has two of the same card, then they can give out double the drinks when going up the river, or must drink double the drinks when coming down the river.

Once the dealer has gone through the remainder of the deck the deck is passed and there is a new dealer.

This game was submitted by one of our colossally brilliant readers, Carmella Jacobs. May she never run out of cheer.