Screw the Dealer rules

What do you need for Screw the Dealer?

You need a standard deck of cards and at least three players. The game works best when everyone can see the discarded cards, because remembering which cards have already appeared is part of the strategy.

How do you play Screw the Dealer?

1. Choose one dealer.
2. The player to the dealer's left guesses the rank of the top card.
3. If the guess is correct, the dealer gets the agreed penalty.
4. If the guess is wrong, the dealer says whether the card is higher or lower.
5. The player gets one second guess.
6. If the second guess is wrong, the guessing player gets the penalty and the card is revealed.
7. Move to the next player and repeat.

How do dealer changes work?

A common rule is that the dealer changes after three players fail to guess correctly. Another version changes dealer whenever someone guesses the card on the first try. Pick one rule before starting.

What are good penalty rules?

Keep penalties small because this game can repeat quickly. For a non-drinking version, use points: the dealer gets two points when someone guesses correctly, and the guesser gets one point after two wrong guesses. Low score wins after the deck runs out.

What strategy helps?

Watch the discarded cards. If three Queens are already out, guessing Queen is less useful. Middle cards are harder because the higher-or-lower hint still leaves many options. Edge cards like Ace or Two are easier to reason about after the first hint.

How does Party Cards compare?

Screw the Dealer is a pure guessing game. Party Cards is better when you want more variety: truths, dares, votes, rule cards, and group challenges that adapt based on what the room actually plays.

Play responsibly

If alcohol is involved, follow local laws and keep penalties light. Because wrong guesses can stack, set a limit or switch to points if the game starts to drag.