Egyptian Ratscrew

Egyptian Ratscrew

Players	2+
Setup time	1 minute
Playing time	10-20 minutes, although games may last for many hours
Chance	Medium
Age range	all competent ages, normally ranging 9+
Skills	Speed, Slight memorization, Tough hands

Egyptian Ratscrew, commonly abbreviated as ERS and known by many other names, is a card game of the accumulation family, reminiscent of Slapjack and Beggar-My-Neighbour, but more complex. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck (or with multiple standard decks shuffled together with large numbers of players). As a variation, one or more jokers may be added.

Names

Some claim the actual name of the game is Egyptian Rat's Crew. It has many names among various groups of people and geographical regions. Other names include Egyptian Rummy, Arabian Rat Race, Handache, Pirate Slap War, Calypso's Cove,Egyptian Rummy, Egyptian Ratsack, Egyptian Rattlesnake, Rat Slap, Egyptian Rat Killer, Egyptian Rat Slayer (MN term), Egyptian Ratslap, Egyptian Raffle, Crazy Rat Tail Screwball Showdown of Egypt with Clint Eastwood, Egyptian Rat War, Egyptian Rascal, Egyptian Rhapsody, Egyptian Rattrap, Slap(s), Egyptian Rat Race, Egyptian Rugrat,Egyptian Rats,Egyptian War, Egyptian Slap, Extinction, Egyptian Ratfuck, Jack Seven' (a very frequent sequence during gameplay), Slippy-Slap, Listen Up Jack, Sixth Hour Slap, Dabby McDonoroo's Freestyling Fryfest, Slap Stylin', Egyptian Rats, Egyptian Rescue Squad, Egyptian Rat Tail Screw, Bloody Palms (TX term), Cairo Rescue Squad, Slap that Booty, Slap that Rat, or simply plain Egyptian or Ratscrew or Slap.

Gameplay

Players are dealt equal packs of cards (in the case of three players, the nine of diamonds can be removed from the game or both Jokers can be added) from the deck. Players are not to look at their cards at any time, including while placing them upon the center pile (players should flip cards outwards from the top of their pack).

A player begins by placing a card face-up to start a central pile. Play proceeds in a pre-defined order and each player lays down a single card on the pile until a face card or ace is played. The next player then has a certain number of chances to play another face card or ace, as follows: four chances after an ace, three after a king, two after a queen, and one after a jack. Some variants reverse this, so an ace allows only one chance, a king two, a queen three and a jack four (this is more in keeping with the traditional rank of face cards; an Ace thus becomes the most valuable card to have). The player plays their cards, one at a time, until they either flip another face card on the pile or exhaust their chances. If the player is able to play another face card, play proceeds and the next player must attempt to play another face card, with a number of chances determined by the new face card played. If a player is unable to lay down a face card in the allotted chances, the most recent player to play a face card or ace claims the pile and adds it to their pack. In addition, if a player has fewer cards than chances left and thus runs out without playing a face card, the next player finishes the play.

Slapping

In addition to the basic progression of play, the players agree beforehand on certain combinations of cards that, when played consecutively, entitle the first person to slap the pile claim of all the cards in play. The most agreed combination for this is usually double cards (two of the same numbered card, including face cards). This is called "slapping". Depending on the agreed rules, either the first to slap the pile claims the cards or the owner of the hand on the bottom of the pile of hands claims the cards. If the successful claimer had no cards before the slap, this is called 'slapping in'. Slapping in can be used to allow the player back in the game, as long as they have cards in their hand needed to play. If a player slaps an invalid combination of cards, the player must "burn" a card by putting it at the bottom of the pile. Additionally, most rules require that jewelry be removed from hands and wrists, such as rings, bracelets and watches, as a hard slap can cause injury when coupled with a metallic and/or sharp object.

Variations

Redneck Rules

This is a direct variation on slapping, which will effectively prevent stall slapping (Further down in the penalty variations page). When playing with redneck rules, whenever a slap arises the player must touch their palm to their forehead and then to the cards. This way, everyone has a fair chance to slap the pile. This often results in pain after a point, because people will begin slapping their foreheads and the cards, instead of touching the forehead and slapping the cards. This is the only variation effectively preventing cheaters slapping the cards in unfair ways.

Slapping variations

The following are commonly seen slap criteria. Any combination of these may be used in a particular game; however, the combination of Pair and Sandwich, or Pair alone, is the most common. Pair, Sandwich, marriage, and affair are other common combinations. It is highly important to use all of the rules in order to create a fun and rewarding environment for all players and observers in the act of playing or watching this exciting and rewarding game.

Methods of Slapping: Players agree beforehand on the types of slaps allowed:

• "full hand slap" (this is the most common means to slap and the least contested),
• "single finger slap" (generally accepted as long as no-one has their full hand on the cards; accuracy is key),
• "thumb-slap" (similar to a finger-slap; has the potential for injury)
• "drink slap" (when a drink is in a player's hand they may use it to slap the pile if they do so first; this can be messy and is rarely condoned).
• Sliding: Similar to ordinary slapping, this requires skill and speed. A player with the skill to recognize the slap can quickly slide the pile toward themselves before other people attempt to slap. This prevents any injury from "Bad Etiquette". This is a fully legal way to slap and should be used when possible.
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: If two people slap the card, and you cannot come to agreement on who slapped the card first, then it is a free for all to grab the cards.
  • Alternately in case of a tie, the pile is shuffled and dealt face-down to the contesting players, with any remainder placed face-up but "dead" for play purposes, simply forming part of the next pile.

Generally, the person playing a card must place the card and then slap it; they are not allowed to play a card and, by keeping their finger on it, claim to have slapped the pile.

Common Slappable Combos:

• Doubles: any two cards of the same rank played one on top of the other. The game is practically always played with this combination as slappable. The rule can be limited to pairs of face cards, and/or pairs played on top of face cards. Even if two cards of the same rank played one on top of the other was as a result of a penalty, then the deck may be slapped by anyone.
• Sandwiches: A pair separated by one or more cards of a different rank, e.g. 5-7-5. Similar to above, this rule can be limited to only sandwiches of face cards. A Sandwich as such can only have one card between the pair, but there are many variations on Sandwiches involving varying numbers of cards between, as follows:
  • Book/Sub Sandwich/Double Cheeseburger/Hoagie: A pair separated by two cards of different ranks, e.g. 5-7-Q-5.
  • BLT Sandwich: A pair separated by three cards of different ranks, e.g. 5-7-Q-8-5.
  • Club Sandwich: Any card between two clubs of any value. Often limited to face cards.
  • Whopper/Top and Bottom: The bottom card is the same number as the top card, regardless of the number of cards played that round.
• Consecutives: This slapping variation dictates that a pair of cards may be slapped if they are in consecutive order, either going up or down, such as 10-9 or 4-3 etc. This rule also holds for face cards (J-Q, A-K, K-Q etc.)
• Double Faces/Face Combos: Different from limiting Doubles to face cards only, a face card followed immediately by another face card can be slappable. If "Double Faces" is put in place, usually any combinations involving the "one-chance card" (Jack or Ace depending on rules) require that card to be played second. There are names for specific face card combinations which can be used to declare only that combination as slappable, including:
  • Marriage: King and Queen, either order
  • Gay Marriage: King and Jack, either order
  • Divorce: King and Queen in a Sandwich with any third card
  • Affair: Queen and Jack, either order
  • Interracial Marriage: King of one color and a Queen of the opposite color
  • BlackJack/Apple Jack: Ace and Jack, either order
  • Face on Ace: any face card played immediately after an Ace.
  • Threesome/Menage a Trois: Jack-Queen-King, King-Queen-Jack, Jack-Queen-Jack or King-Queen-King in order.
  • Round Table: Any three of the four face card ranks (Jack, Queen, King, Ace) played consecutively in any order.
• Twos on Faces: Any face card, followed immediately by a Two of any suit. Common specific Twos on Faces are "Jacks-Twos" and "Acey-Deucey". Sometimes order is unimportant, but most often the two must follow the face card.
• Sums: Any card, followed by another card that results in a sum or difference of a certain value. Common "sums" are Sevens, Tens, Elevens, Baker's Dozens/Fridays (13), Fifteens and Twenty-Ones. When the "sum" is a single card's value, that card can also be slappable. When the sum is over ten, face cards can be counted as having no value or a value of ten.
• Straights: Two, three, or four cards, depending on house rules, played consecutively in order; e.g., 5-4-3, 9-10-J-Q, or A-2. (Ace-high and Ace-low sequences are both valid, but round-the-corner sequences (K-A-2) usually don't count.)
• Joker: There are many variations involving Jokers:
  • Slappable immediately at all times
  • Slappable when played immediately following a face card
  • Slappable when played while trying to top a face card
  • Considered a face card equal to the last face card played, making it slappable as a Double or Sandwich.
  • Considered a "male" face card allowing five chances to top it, and can form an Affair, Gay Marriage or Threesome in place of the Jack or King.
• Three of a Kind: If slapping Doubles, a player slapping three consecutive cards of the same rank wins the game outright. This is possible only if people forget to slap the pair.
  • Pyromania: Three 6s is the only slappable Three of a Kind and wins outright.
• Singles: Certain single cards are slappable at any time. Common "singles"-type rules are Slap Jacks, Four Takes It, Crazy Eights, Lucky Sevens, Fivers, Black Lady (Queen of Spades), Flaming Tens (Ten of Hearts or Diamonds), Suicidal Kings (King of Hearts or any King depicted holding a sword behind his head), or One-Eyed Jacks (any Jack pictured in profile). Often, these variations require the players to shout the name of the slap rule before doing so.
• Sixty-Nine: A six followed by a nine or vice-versa. In some variations, the slapper must also shout "Sixty-Nine" loudly while slapping. Allowing only a six followed by a nine to be slapped is the most common implementation.
• Sixty-Nine Sandwich: A six followed by a nine or vice-versa, with one card of any rank in the middle.
• Jack/Ten: A Jack and Ten played consecutively. Some variations dictate a specific order, others do not.
• Jungle Raped: When a Black King is played by a Black K-Q-or J. This is often called jungle raped, but can be referred to as Black on Black or Shit in a Box or Black Christmas. This slappable combo is mostly just used in the South, where cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta have banished this slappable version because of the NAACP rights passed down to congress.
• Acey-Fourcey: An ace and a four, or vice-versa simply because they are easy to slap on at a glance because they look alike. Rarely used, as A-4 is a common hazard when slapping doubles.
• Luke Combo: three cards, played consecutively, where the first two cards can somehow be mathematically equated to reach the third; e.g., 2-5-7, because 2+5=7
• Chances: When a face card or an ace is played, if one of the cards played by the next player is equal in value to the number of chances, it is possible to slap, e.g. J-A, Q-6-2, K-8-4-3, A-9-7-2-4, but the number can be any of the cards played by the next player.
• Reverse Chances: If the number card is played directly before the face card or the ace, it is a possible slap, e.g. A-J, 2-Q, 3-K, or 4-A.
• Jack-Seven: A Jack followed by a seven; sometimes order is unimportant..
• The Conundrum! If the square root of (the last card played * third to last card played * your birthday day) is an integer or greater than (your birthday * birth month), you may slap and claim the pile.
• JAK: A Jack, Ace, and King played in that order, to spell 'JAK'.
• 420: A 4 followed by a 2

It may come up that someone slaps on a pile that could be slapped for two or more reasons. For example, a 69 sandwich could also be a club sandwich if they are both clubs. In these cases (in some games), all players give the winning player either one card at random or two cards from the top of the deck.

Cantonese War: An example of a "combined" variation, Cantonese War employs only four slap criteria: Blackjack: any three cards that add to 21, or A + (10 or face card); Triple Sequence: any three cards next to each other in value (e.g.: 3-4-5, 5-3-4, etc.); Triple Flush: three cards of the same suit; and Three of a Kind. Slapping on pairs is given a greater penalty, since most players are hardwired to do so from ERS.

Non-Slapping Variations:

• Ten stops: Whenever a ten is played while topping a face card, all chances are stopped, and play continues as if the face card was never played (K is played, next player lays down 2 then 10. Next player lays down a card, K player wins nothing). This rule is often used with 2s instead.
• Ten Clears: Whenever a ten is played, the center pile is cleared. The cards could be considered out of play, or they could go to whomever played the ten or to whomever played the last face card. This rule can also be used with 2s.

Penalty Variations

A penalty may be exacted for false slapping. A false slap occurs when a player slaps the center pile when a slap criterion is not met. In some games, penalties can be dealt for playing out of turn or out of order, as well as not playing quick enough. Some penalty variants for false slapping are as follows:

• One Under The player at fault must place the next card of his pack face-up underneath the center pile. Also called "burning a card" or just "burning". The card will normally have no effect on slap criteria. This is probably the most common penalty.

• Two Under This variation is identical to "One Under" except the player at fault must give up two cards instead of only one.
• Deck Under This variation is identical to "One Under" and "Two Under" except the player at fault must put his entire deck under the pile, or give it to the last player to play a card. In a sub-variation of this rule, that player may not slap back in to the game.

• Hand Slap If the person that is slapping does not have any cards, they put their hand under the pile until the next time someone slaps.
• Share the Wealth This penalty variant dictates that a player must give a card to every player in the game, sometimes including those who do not have any cards.
• Punishment In this variant a person who slaps falsely is punched in the shoulder by the next player who would lay a card. In a sub-variation of this rule, a person who slaps falsely may be slapped by any number of players. Physical punishments and slap restrictions are usually extended to "players" without cards to prevent wanton slapping by those without cards to re-enter the game simply because they do not have cards to lose.
• Three Strikes In this variation a person is only allowed three false slaps, and then they must put all their cards in the center pile. They are not allowed to "slap in" or receive cards by any method until a clear winner of the current game is found and the cards are re-dealt.
• Rookie Move In this variant, the first player/bystander to call out "rookie move" and slap the pile (should one exist) gets to take ownership of the entire pile when a false slap occurs (as well as other offenses such as playing too many or not enough cards based on the preceding face/ace, or playing out of turn). It is also possible to call "rookie move" on someone else's call of "rookie move" when the original call was incorrect. In the drinking version of this variant, the object of the "rookie move" must drink a shot.
• Three Seconds This penalty is enacted when person wins a pile but does not realize and/or gather up their winnings within three seconds. At this point, the pile is up for grabs. Variations on this include time length changes, allowances for rookies, slapping to claim new ownership, and counting within "ERS Seconds", which basically means counting as fast as possible and then sweeping in.
• Stall Slaps In this violation, a player puts a card down, but holds his/her hand over the stack. This violation means that other players cannot fully see the new card placed on top and gives the violator a chance to simply lift his/her hand an inch (or so) and slap the stack without giving the other players room to come in and slap. This rule is universal and violators automatically lose the accumulating stack and sometimes must place their non-dominant hand under the next stack. Another violation of the same type occurs when a player does not lift his hand before slapping after playing a card, making their play into a slap as well. Penalties incurred are similar to Stall Slaps.
• Mahoney Box (Extinction) Unique to the Extinction version of the game, the Mahoney box is a type of penalty box. The player at fault for a false slap must put their top card face up on a separate stack to the dealer's left of the main stack. Play then continues with the main stack. The Mahoney Box may be slapped if valid criteria are met, i.e. if one player false slaps and puts a 7 in the Mahoney box, and then another player false slaps and puts a 7 in the box, the it may be slapped if the game is played using pairs. If a player false slaps the Mahoney box, they must place their entire stack face up on it.
• Hubbard Box (Extinction) This variant is only used if the Mahoney Box is in use. If a player false slaps the Mahoney Box, they must put a card face up in the Hubbard Box, which is to the dealer's left of the Mahoney Box, instead of forfeiting their entire stack. The same rules apply to the Hubbard box as do for the Mahoney box. If a player false slaps the Hubbard box, they must forfeit their deck and place it face up on the Hubbard box.
• Taker (Extinction) Used with either the Mahoney or Hubbard Boxes, a single card rank is designated as the taker at the beginning of a game, usually a ten. The Taker may be slapped at any time, even if normal slap criteria are not met. The player that slaps the Taker may take the main stack and both boxes. Play then proceeds with the main stack.
• Side Slaps (Extinction) Used with either the Mahoney or Hubbard boxes, this variant allows the top card in either box to be considered in determining the slap criteria for the stack immediately to the dealer's right of that box (The Hubbard Box and Mahoney Box are combinable, and the Mahoney Box and Main Stack are combinable, but not the Hubbard Box and the Main Stack), i.e. in a game played with Pairs, if a 5 is on the top of the Mahoney Box and a player plays a 5 on the main stack, then any player may slap the main stack and take both it and the Mahoney Box.
• Bad-Eyes: When a player slaps the pile early, he must close his eyes until someone else slaps the pile and the player with eyes closed yells "GLASSES". The player who slapped then gets his eyes closed even if he won the pile.
• Vicious Must be declared at the start of game. When a player makes a mistake of any kind he and every other player has to put their top card face up under the center pile. This rule punishes the group for the inadequacies of the one, just like in boot camp.
• Slap Skip The player who executes the false slap, may not slap the next slapable stack.
• Slap Out Similar to a Slap Skip, someone who slaps on a false slap may sometimes not be allowed to slap the rest of the game, or sometimes in a tournament, the rest of the night/competition.

Egyptian Ratscrew Uno Version

This variation of Egyptian Rat Screw uses UNO cards in addition to a regular card deck. As with a multiple deck game, the UNO cards are mixed with the other cards before being dealt. All numbered UNO cards are played like numbered cards in a regular deck of cards. UNO decks, however, contain several special cards not found in regular decks.

The special UNO cards have the following results:

Card	Rules of Play
Skip	Skip the next player.
Reverse	Reverse the direction of play.
Draw 2	This acts like a Queen; you get two chances.
Draw 4	This acts like an Ace; you get four chances.
The number "0"*	First person to slap this card gets the pile (rules apply with Jokers).
Wild	One chosen player gives one card to the player who played the Wild Card.
Draw Four Wild*	One chosen player gives four cards to the player who played the Draw Four Wild Card.
Evil Card*	Every player gives one card to the player who played the Evil Card.
*These cards may not be in all UNO packages.

Other variations

One variation is the left-hand right-hand rule, in which you must slap black cards with your left hand and red cards with your right, or the deck is forfeited.

In some regions of the midsouth there is a special "Joker Rule." The rule dictates that whenever a joker is played (even if there are no cards under it) that the joker and all cards under it are moved to the side. This is referred to as the "Joker Pile." The player that played the joker then starts a new pile. Whomever wins the new pile, claims the Joker Pile as well. A variant on this rule is the "Paradox Victory." For a Paradox Victory to occur, there must be only two players left; if the final card played is a Joker, then that player wins the game. The logic behind this rule is that since the player is unable to play another card, the game cannot continue - it is still that player's turn. However, the opposing player is unable to attain all the cards (and thus win the game). So, the player that has prevented this victory is declared the winner.

For the adventurous, Egyptian Ratscrew can be played as a full-contact game: when a slap criterion is met, the pile is open to any competition: whatever cards are physically claimed by a player go into his stack. Restrictive variations also exist, mostly to curb the more violent or injurious aspects of slapping. The most popular is 'no rings', which requires players to remove rings and other jewelry from their hands while playing. A ring will create a pressure point when slapping on top of a prior slapper's hand, and some players may deliberately use this for psychological warfare to make people hesitate before out-slapping the ring-wearing player.

Other forms of psychological warfare include deliberately slapping hard well after ownership of the deck has been established for the sole purpose of injuring the hands of the players who made the slap on-time (therefore, the players with the best reflexes who should be theoretically doing best). Extreme players make their hands into fists for causing maximum damage.

One popular variant created for the purpose of game balance counters the power of the jack card, which allows only one chance to produce another face card, by giving the central pile to a player who plays a 10 card on top of the jack.

Another variation allows other players to force their opponents to discard (or "sluff"/"slough") cards if the player correctly calls the rank and suit of the next card to be played. For example, a player says, "slough Jack of Clubs" when it is another players turn, before the card is flipped over. If the card is correctly named, that card does not count and it is placed under the pile. If incorrectly named, the card counts as played and the player who made the incorrect call must discard the top card of his/her deck face up under the pile. When this rule is used, play sometimes becomes more frantic as players try to play faster to avoid having their good cards sloughed away.

A rather uncommonly used variant includes the use of a "cancel" card. The card (typically the 10 card, but always a non-face/ace card), when played will cancel any face/ace-card action now. So, if someone played a King on the stack, and the next person's 2nd card put on the stack was the cancel card, the King is then negated and play would continue as if the King had not been played.

A variant in Paris, Texas called Last Chance involves multiple packs of cards. Usually no more than two are used, but many more have been in play. Any slap criterion may be used. The difference between this game and "standard" Egyptian Ratscrew is that the first person to go out picks up the spare deck and continues play, after which both decks must be acquired to win. It is helpful to play with cards of different brands or colors, in order to identify the ownership of each deck.

As a method to prevent players hovering their hand over the pile, a rule can be placed where a player must first slap their forehead before they may slap the pile. A penalty may also be added for slapping the pile without first slapping your forehead, regardless if the pile is slappable or not. Furthermore, one option to discourage hovering is to allow "hover-slapping." Any play may smack the hoverer's hand onto the pile, thereby forcing the hoverer to be penalized without incurring the same penalty oneself, as the hover-slapper's hand has not actually touched the pile. Yet another option to discourage hovering is to require that the hand with which one slaps the pile be different than the one used to turn over the card in play, at risk of one's slap not counting.

A variation on the "bystanders welcome" rule holds that -- with the exception of establishing among the players, which combinations and penalties are in play -- no verbal discussion of the rules may take place before or during the game. Bystanders who are not familiar with Egyptian Ratscrew may only slap in when they feel they understand the rules, and once they are part of the game they may not be coached or instructed by any player. Bystanders are also discouraged from speculating amongst themselves during play. It is at the players' discretion whether those who are new to the game will be taught the rules after one round or after play is over for the day, or if they will simply be instructed to "look it up."

A 'bystander' rule applicable to false slapping requires players with no cards to go 'in the hole,' building a deficit of two cards to be 'burned' per false slap from whatever pile they later acquire. Another 'bystander' rule is that if a player with no cards slaps falsely, he will be unable to slap for three other slaps. That is if a player with no cards slaps the pile when it is not the right time to do so, he must then wait until one or players slap the pile three times (two or more players slapping the pile at the same time only count as one slap). These other slaps do not have to be correct slaps (though if they are incorrect they also must wait out 3 slaps themselves). This means if player B slaps a pile falsely and has no cards, they have to wait three slaps. Then a pair comes up and players A, C, and D slap the pile trying to claim it (this is one slap). A little later, player D slaps the pile falsely and 'burns' a number of cards (that is two slaps). A little later, player C slaps a pair before anyone catches it (that's three slaps and Player B is free to try to 'slap in' after that). Stricter versions eliminate players from the game entirely for false slapping with no cards in hand.

When in a good mood and in a two player game, experienced players may give the loser a second chance. This is done by the player holding all of the cards playing each card one at a time, and whatever speed they may choose. Both players can slap approved combinations. When the person going through the deck slaps first, the cards won are then placed in a separate pile. If the loser happens to slap first, the game resumes with the loser using the newly won cards and the winner using the rest.

Another variant known as "Pyromania" is typically only played by devoted players. It has only one difference: if anyone slaps three sixes played in a row, gameplay stops, the entire deck is collected and burnt before midnight, nobody wins and none of the party may play ERS again until next day. [1]

Another variant, created during a need for a good drinking game while camping, is called "ERShot" or "Egyptian Rat Shot." Usually, false slapping is punished by forcing the offender to take a shot (or double shot, depending on previously agreed upon rules) of liquor. In addition, the winner must take a shot (or double shot) so that, in theory, his reflexes will be lowered for the next round. Punishment shots are also given for not trying to slap back into the game once kicked out, or for not being able to slap back in at all or often.

Recent Developments

The most recently created variation was developed at a small liberal arts university in Virginia. It uses modular arithmetic - mod 13, of course - for determining slap-able sequences. This variation uses the basic rules for Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces, with the addition of allowing slapping on stacks where the top one, two, or three cards sum to 1 or 7 (mod 13) with the exception of a single ace (1 mod 13), which already has a rule associated with it.

Strategy

Although the game partially rests upon the luck of the draw from each player's stack of cards, the slapping aspect introduces skill, and this aspect can be played strategically. The most common strategy is memorizing doubles. If a player slaps the pile when doubles occur and claims the cards, he knows that the doubles will occur in that order once they reach the top of his pack. If he is laying down consecutive cards at that point, he has an advantage against other players because he does not have to visually recognize the set of doubles before slapping. Experienced players can take this strategy further by memorizing which cards precede jacks or other face cards in their pack, as well as sandwiches. By memorizing sandwiches a player may intentionally slap the pile with no combination, so as to put the separated, common cards together (i.e. upcoming cards- 646, slap after first six is placed, putting the four under the pile and moving the other six to the top of the hand.

Some game variants require all claimed piles to be shuffled before being added to the hand, to eliminate this element of memorization. Another variant allows the player with the most cards to force all other's to shuffle their hands whenever he/she wishes. Whenever a different player gains a larger hand, they become the new "leader calling a shuffle." However, if a player has control of a game, they could reintroduce the aspect of memorization by never forcing shuffles in the game.

Another strategy relative to the one above is to remember the placement of the joker in your or another's deck of cards. The way that you can do this is whenever you pick up the cards after a win pause and look at the card below the joker (unsuspectingly and brief of course). If you were not the one who won the hand then try to sneak a peek at the card below the joker before the other player places their cards at the bottom of their deck. Now, keep that card in your mind, so you can be ready (without alerting the other players) to slap the joker. I would advise that you show your competitors that there was indeed a joker there because you will have slapped it too fast for them to know what just happened. If this is executed well enough and fast enough, your friends will accuse you of having psychic powers (or cheating by looking at their cards).

This sort of intentional false slapping can induce further strategy. If a player is attempting to play a face card and suspects that no such cards are near the top of their deck they may intentionally false-slap the pile. They are then required to put a card under the pile, which reduces the number of cards before a face card could potentially be found. This is a risky tactic, however, because it is very hard to judge where a face card might be, unless memorized, which can result in their loss unless you can win or slap the pile. However, outright intentional slapping to "waste a card", during times at which a player wishes to burn a non-face card that comes next in his/her hand in order to play a face card, is commonly considered bad etiquette and even penalized.

Fake slapping is another case of psychological tricks in the game. When cards that could be easily confused to qualify for doubles or other combinations (a 6 and then a 9, or face cards placed on each other, or having too many cards between two similar ones), skilled players will begin to slap but will stop short of touching the deck. So long as no contact is made, there is no penalty. The goal is to cause trigger-happy players (especially those who "hover" or keep their hands directly on top of the deck) to falsely slap the deck and take their respective penalties.

"Daisy-cutting", also known as "shlinking", is also another popular strategy, where the player keeps their slapping hand at a low angle relative to the deck so that when anther player begins to slap, they can sneak their hand under the hand of the other player's, thereby claiming the cards due to sheer speed rather than to reflexes. This also may fall under the 'bad etiquette' category.

Among speed players, the strategy known as the "Travisian Drop" has become popular. This strategy comes into play when a player notices a slappable pile after he (or she) has already begun the action of playing their next card. Rather than interrupt this action, the player will drop the card face down next to the central pile and slap the pile in a single motion. Since the card is dropped face down, it is not considered to have been played. It is customary for the "dropped" card to become the beginning of a new central pile, but not always. Another popular strategy in this situation, the "Entriken Drop," is to play the card in conjunction with an opponent's slap. This will usually cause the opponent to misslap on the unexpected card.

Another very common way to play is by using only the most common types of hands -- sandwiches, three in a row, and acey duecey.

The Jack allows for a significant claim of cards, if it is laid down at a moment when several cards are already on the table. Many players for this reason are eager to claim all of the jacks in the deck. For many players, aces are considered just as significant as the jack. Although the ace allows more chances than the jack does, it allows a player to accumulate a large amount of cards with one single card (assuming the player is lucky enough to win the hand).

Another common strategy is to slap the pile automatically after an opponent plays a card on top of your own jack. If a non-facecard is played, then you get the pile and any card you would put under is just put in the back of your own deck. In addition, if it was a slappable situation, putting your jack (the most important card in the game) in jeopardy, you automatically get it because you were there so quick. While this strategy puts you at risks of a misslap, chances are that the card played on your Jack will not be one of the three cards that could cause a misslap. This strategy can be applied after your opponent's last card on any face card.

Etiquette

It is considered impolite to play the cards in a way that advantages any particular player, especially oneself. Most importantly, cards should be flipped outward, presenting the face to the opponent, rather than inward, allowing the player to see his own card. Ideally, no one should see the card until it has been placed on the pile. Hand placement relative to the pile is also important, as being too close may give you or others an unfair advantage. An easy solution for hand placement is to require all players to have their slapping hand on the playing surface at all times. Another common etiquette is to maintain a high level of speed, causing reflexes and adrenaline to be heightened which is how some players prefer to play. When you slap the pile, try not to hurt anyone. Get rid of any jewelry or anything you wear on your hand or wrist that may interfere with game play. No shuffling, although there are variants that allow the "leader", the player with the most cards in his/her hand, to call all other players to shuffle their cards. This is meant to reduce other's ability to predict card sequences. It is also considered good etiquette when playing with someone else's cards, to warn them that the deck may be burned (if playing the Pyromania variant)

History

The gameplay appears to be a combination of Beggar-My-Neighbour, a game known in Britain as early as the 1860s, and the concept of slapping for cards on certain combinations, possibly derived and expanded from the gameplay of Slapjack. The origins of the name are unknown. The game gained popularity in the mid-to-late-1990s and is now widely known throughout the United States, especially among schoolchildren. It is known to have existed at least back to the mid-1970s.

References

• Hoyle's Rules of Games, Third Revised and Updated Edition, Albert H. Morehead, Geoffrey Mott-Smith, Philip D. Morehead, 1001

External links

• Oxymoron's Egyptian Ratscrew Page
• Egyptian Ratscrew on ModernSoapbox.com