Ride the Bus Rules

Also Known As:
  • Irish poker
  • Chico high low
  • Monkey Balls
  • Chef's deal
  • Up and down the river
  • Cannonball

Game Intro

Friends playing the Ride the Bus Drinking game, learning the game rules. Looking for Ride the Bus game rules or clear instructions on how to play Ride the Bus? You’ve landed in the right place. Ride the Bus is one of the most suspenseful and hilarious card-based drinking games out there. It’s easy to learn, ramps up the tension in every round, and ends with one brave (or unlucky) soul riding the bus as everyone watches.

Objective

The goal? Have the fewest cards in hand by the end. The person left with the most cards gets stuck “riding the bus”—a final challenge that can drag on, but in the most entertaining way.

Quick Facts

Players
3+
Playtime
30 - 60 min
Setup Time
< 5 min
Difficulty
Medium

Supplies

  • 1 deck of cards
  • drinks
  • table

How to Play Ride the Bus Rules

  1. Setup Ride the Bus

    Shuffle the deck thoroughly.
    Place the deck in the middle of the table.
    Decide who will be the dealer — this person runs the rounds.
    Each Player starts with no cards in hand.

  2. Round 1: Red or Black

    The dealer asks each player to guess if the top card will be red (hearts/diamonds) or black (spades/clubs).
    Wrong guess = take a drink. Right = you’re safe—no drinking. The card stays with the player. This continues until everyone has their first card.

  3. Round 2: Higher or Lower

    Each player guesses if the next card will be higher or lower than their first card.
    Wrong guess = drink, correct = safe. The second card remains with the player.

  4. Round 3: In Between or Outside

    Players guess if the next card falls in between or outside the values of their first two cards.
    Wrong = drink, correct = safe. The third card remains with the player.

  5. Round 4: Guess the Suit

    Players predict the suit—spades, hearts, clubs, or diamonds.
    Wrong guess = drink, correct = safe.

    After all four rounds, players have up to four cards in hand.

  6. Pyramid Phase

    The dealer builds a pyramid from the remaining deck: bottom row of 5 cards, then rows of 4, 3, 2, and the top single card

  7. Pyramid Card Drink Values

    Bottom row = 1 drink

    Next row = 2 drinks

    Then 3, 4, then the final top card = 5 drinks

  8. Discarding Cards

    If a flipped card matches one in your hand, you must drink the row’s value.
    Starting with the bottom row, the dealer flips each pyramid card one at a time. If you’re holding a card that matches the rank, lay it on top of the pyramid card. That row’s value decides how many drinks you take. Once you’ve played a card to the pyramid, it’s locked in — no take-backs.

  9. RIDING THE BUS

    After all rows are flipped, the player with the most cards in hand is the one who will ride the bus.
    The unlucky rider must go through the Four Guessing Rounds again—in order, and without messing up:

    1. Red or Black?
    2. Higher or Lower?
    3. In Between or Outside?
    4. Guess the Suit?

    If they guess incorrectly at any point, they must drink and restart the sequence from Round 1. The bus isn’t over until they get all four right in a row.

House Rules

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Community Rules

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