What I love most about Snapshot is that is so easy. It can be played throughout your games night or as a pre-starter.

The object of the game

• Win all the cards
• Drink
• Keep your clothes on!

What you need

• A friend / partner or a group of friends
• good supply of your favourite alcohol
• 1+ pack of cards (depending on the number of people)
• Quick hands
• Fast reflexes

A quick reminder of how to play basic snap

• Choose the dealer
• Shuffle the cards
• Deal out all the cards equally to each other (or to the group) – face down
• The first player turns over their card and lay it face up in the centre of the table.
• The second player does the same without looking at the card before it gets laid down
• The aim is that both players (if playing with two) to see the second card at the same time.
• Both players keep going until two cards match on top of each other. For example: Two Kings, two three’s etc..
• When this happens, all players dive forward, shouting snap as loud as they can and snap their hand on the cards as fast as possible.
• Whoever gets there first wins the cards. They pick up all the cards and place them underneath their remaining cards and keep on playing.
• If a player shout snap and puts their hand on the cards and there is no matching card then that player will hand over one of their cards to the other player(s)
• The game is won when one player wins all the cards.

Extra rules | Variations

• Instead of putting the face up cards in the centre of the table on top of each other, as you turn them over, they get be placed face up next to your pile of cards. The other player(s) must try to get their hand on that if it’s a match to say Snap
• All players to have their ‘snap’ hand behind their back!

Snap Pot

• If 2 (or more) players call snap at the same time and or their snap hand is next to each other ( in other words there is a joint winner) – the cards from those players are picked up and put into pile on the table face up. This pile is called ‘Snap Pot’.
• Play continues.
• If a card is turned over and is a matching pair for the snap pot pile – then the first player to call out ‘Snap Pot’ and snap their hand on the ‘snap pot’ pile wins those cards!

So now to turn this family game into a classic adult’s version which will have you laughing all night.

• Every time someone calls snap and wins – the loser(s) to take a shot
• Every time someone calls snap and they get it wrong – take a shot
• If 2 or more people call snap at the same time and the piles goes into the ‘Snap Pot’ – each to take a shot
• At the end of the game the player(s) with no cards are the losers – drink 2 shots plus lose a piece of clothing or a truth and dare – you decide

Optional

• Instead of calling snap all players must call out snapshot

Variations (for 3 or more players)

• Choose a dealer
• The dealer holds all the cards; he/she turns one card over at a time calling out the name of the card. Example: jack of diamonds.
• The dealer continues to turn each card over, placing them on top of each other and calling out the card.
• When two cards match, all players dive to centre calling out snap and snapping their hand on top of the card.
• The player who wins the snap, gets to choose any player, who must drink as many drinks as there are cards in the pile
• The cards that are snapped discarded
• Change the dealer
• The new dealer continues to do the same with the remaining cards until all cards are gone.

A typical Irish version – aim: instead of winning all the cards; you need to lose them all! Plus you do need to think a bit with this version!

The object of the game

• Lose all the cards
• Drink
• Keep your clothes on or off!

What you need

• A friend / partner or a group of friends
• good supply of your favourite alcohol
• 1+ pack of cards (depending on the number of people)
• Strong hands!

How to play

• Dealer, deals out all the cards face down to the players
• The player to the left turns over the first card and places it in the centre face up, and at the same time calling out a card value starting with one (Ace) – not the value of the card they have turned over and are putting down
• Then next player does the same but calls out 2, and then the next player 3 and so on until the round ends in a snap

SNAP – when any of the following appear:

• Two of a kind – normal snap
• Any one jack
• The card turned over is a match to the number spoken. This bit is tricky – if player calls out two (as example) and a two turns up at the same time.

You call out SNAP and slam / snap you hand on the card as quick as possible

Irish Snap

• The loser is the last player to shout out snap and get his hand down – he/she must take all the cards, add them to their pile and 2 drinks
• If you snap at the wrong time – pick up the pile and take 1 drink
• The loser starts off the game and the numbers called out return to one

The End

• When all your cards are gone, you are out – But, you have to have won the last snap to be completely out. Just running out cards is not enough
• Even though you have no cards, you continue with the game until you win one more snap – then you are out.
• Play ends when 2 people are left and they take 2 drinks each.

Variations

• When a player loses all their cards – they are never out of the game and continue their turn (without cards) to call out a number and snap
• Numbers are not spoken out load but each player must keep the number in their head!
• Joker Reverse – Keep the jokers in and when one turns up – change direction
• Keep the Pace -Must keep the pace of the game moving – if something slows down, forgets their number – make them pick up an extra card and drink
• Invalid Snap – If a player goes to snap, flinches or hesitates they must pick up all the cards

Extreme Irish Snap Drinking Game

Played in the same way as Irish Snap but with additional and somewhat challenging variations

• Salute the King – When any king is played, all players must snap. But before they snap they must first, with their snapping hand, touch their forehead and salute the king – then snap. If a player fails to salute, they are automatically a Loser! – take the cards and 2 drinks. If there are a few of you then divide the cards between you.
• Seven stops verbal count – When any seven is played, all players stop saying their number out loud, but the counting continues silently!
• Add a Queen – Snap fast when any queen turns up
• Add your own rule – The player to win the first 2 snaps in a row gets to add their own rule
• Snap Runs – If 3 cards turn over in an ascending or descending row (example: 1, 2, 3 or 6, 5, 4) – all players to snap
• Marriage – Snap when a king follows a Queen or the other way around
• Flush – Snap when four in a row of the same suit appear.

Guidelines Just in case you can’t work out who snapped first!

• The hand underneath the pile of other hands snapped first!
• Still not sure – The player who has the most fingers on the card!
• You need more – The player with most of the cards in the pile under their hand
• Still can’t decide – call it a draw and start again – everyone take a drink

Alterative names for this game

• Egyptian Rat Slap
• Egyptian Ratkiller
• Rat Slap
• Snap
• Slapjack