Everyone loves a good drinking game, don’t they? Whether it’s for down at the bar, pub, or home, you can enjoy a drinking game almost anywhere. The Circle of Death drinking game is similar to the game Kings Cup.
In fact, many people view Circle of Death as a Kings Cup variant as the gameplay between them is very similar. Both use playing cards and a large cup/ glass, but while they are similar, they do have their own individual rules. Before we look at how you play, let’s learn a bit more about the game.
What is The Circle of Death?
The Circle of Death has been a popular drinking game for years. While you can play the game using an app, the traditional (and best) way is to use playing cards. During the game, players sit in a circle together or around a table.
In the center, there should be a large glass of alcohol, and a circle of cards should be laid face down around it. Every player will need to choose a card on their turn and then carry out a specific action.
The game is over once all the cards have been taken. The Circle of Death is a great party game to play with friends and family. It can also be a great way to get to know your co-workers after work! Now to play The Circle of Death, you’ll need a few things.
What You’ll Need To Play
To play The Circle of Death, you’ll need a deck of playing cards, a glass/ cup, and plenty of drinks! The cup or glass is placed in the center, and the cards are spread out around it. Any kind of playing cards can be used, even themed packs.
If you’re looking for some ideas, these Maverick playing cards or these Bicycle Unicorn cards will make a fine choice. Now you know what you need to play, The Circle of Death; let’s take a look at the rules in more detail.
Circle of Death Rules and Gameplay
The Aim of The Game
Circle of Death is a drinking game, so much like the Waterfall drinking game, the aim is to simply have fun! But this doesn’t mean there aren’t important rules to follow when you’re playing the game. So, let’s take a look at what you need to know.
Setting Up
To start with, one player should shuffle the deck of cards. Then place a glass or cup down in the center of the player’s circle. Then you should place all the cards around the glass in a circle. Now the first thing to decide is what kind of drink you want in the glass.
Under traditional Circle of Death rules, the drink should be either very strong or not particularly nice. However, many people simply opt to use a drink they know most people will like instead. This is really all down to you; choose whatever drink you think will work best.
Now the fun involved with playing the Circle of Death drinking game is when you choose a card. To play the game, you’ll need to do a specific action every time you pick up a card. To make understanding what each card does easier, you can refer to our list below.
Card Actions
If you have ever played King’s Cup, the gameplay might seem quite familiar. As we highlighted earlier, these two games are pretty similar. However, the Circle of Death is a little simpler, and the card actions are generally easier to remember. The list below highlights how each card works.
Ace: This is undoubtedly a fun card to draw. If a player picks up an Ace, then every player will need to swig their drink. This is done in waterfall fashion, which means you start drinking after the player to your right does. You can only stop drinking when the player next to you does as well. You don’t drink from the cup in the middle, though; you can drink whatever you have in front of you.
King: If you draw a King, you become the King, which means you make any rule for other players to follow. This can be a fun way to get another player to drink. If you draw a King card after another player has drawn one, you can even undo their rules if you want. The player who removes the last King must drink from the glass in the center.
Queen: You must ask another player a question. If that player answers, they will need to do the same to another player. When one player can’t or won’t answer a question, they’ll lose and need to drink from the glass in the middle.
Jack: Drawing a Jack means you are playing Thumb Master! This basically means that at any time, you can place your thumb down on the table. When you do this, the other players must race to do the same. The last player to place their thumb down will lose, and then they’ll need to take a drink. Whenever another player draws a Jack card, they become the new Thumb Master.
10: You should call out a category; it can be anything you like. Other players will then take turns saying something that fits into your category. When one player can’t answer, they’ll lose and need to take a drink from the middle glass.
9: If you draw a 9 card, then you are playing a rhyming game! You should say a word, and then every player will take turns saying something that rhymes. When one player can’t answer or repeat a previous answer, they lose and will need to take a drink from the middle glass.
2 – 8 Cards: If you take a card between 2 to 8, what you do will really depend on the suit. Black suits like Spades and Clubs mean you must give drinks out to the other players. The number of drinks you must give out must match the number on the card. If you get a Hearts or Diamonds card, then you have to take a drink. The number of drinks you take must match the number on the card.
House Rules
Adding house rules to the game is very popular, just like in Monopoly. So, as long as all players agree, you are free to customize the game in any way you like! Some popular house rules have been laid out below for you to try.
Breaking The Circle: With this rule, every player will need to draw the cards in order. If a player breaks the circle, they will need to take a drink before carrying out what is specified by their card.
Red and Black: With this rule, the 2 to 8 cards change slightly. Black cards mean men must drink, while red cards mean women must drink. This is a fun rule to use if you are playing with both men and women.
The Full House/ Social: When all 4 of a particular card are drawn, every player will take a drink to celebrate!
So, that’s everything you need to know about the Circle of Death drinking game! The game is over when all the cards have been drawn. Or whenever any player feels like dropping out. After all, Circle of Death is a drinking game, so don’t worry too much about this part.
The Circle of Death – A Classic Drinking Game
The Circle of Death is a fun drinking game that is easy to play! Whether it’s at home or down at the bar, Circle of Death is going to be a great game to play. It’s a fun bachelor party game as well, and all you need to play is a deck of cards and plenty of drinks.
