What Is The Irish Poker Drinking Game?

Poker party games have been a favourite among friends for generations. They are part of gatherings among adults who are looking to add a little competition and frivolity to their evening.

There are many types of games to choose from, and they are played worldwide, but a trendy one in Australia is the Irish Poker Drinking Game.

Don’t confuse the drinking game with Irish Poker, a card game that requires skill and might be found in some online casinos. However, you won’t need to be a seasoned expert to play the Irish Poker Drinking Game, as no poker hands are involved; it is more of a fun guessing game. 

Betsquare has provides impartial reviews about the best casinos and card games. Still, in this article, we want to explore a well-known drinking game that has elements of traditional poker, yet uses the consumption of alcohol as a bet rather than money. Let’s look at how the game is played, what you’ll need, and other variations some people play.

Getting Started

You’ll need a few things to play the Irish Poker Drinking Game. Other drinking games exist without many accessories, but some don’t find them quite as entertaining. Here are the bare essentials to play the Irish Poker Drinking Game.

Players & Supplies

You can’t play the Irish Poker Drinking Game solo (nor would you want to), so you’ll need at least four people to participate. If you have a massive crowd there, like at a party or large gathering, the good news is that up to 13 people can play the same game with one deck of cards.

However, if even more people want to play, get a second deck of cards. The ideal number of people to play is around six, but this depends on the game pace you’re seeking and how many people you want to be involved in. You’ll need a standard deck of cards, with no missing or extra cards if fewer than 14 people are playing.

Also, because this is a drinking game, alcohol is usually part of the fun; of course, if you are drinking and playing card games, you need to remember to drink responsibly within your limits. Check the percentage of the alcohol you’re consuming, and don’t feel pressured to drink more alcohol than you want. However, you should know that the game can be played with soft drinks.

Dealing the Cards

Firstly, remove the jokers from the deck, as they are useless in this game. The designated dealer should shuffle the cards well so it’ll remain a mystery which cards are given to everybody. Traditionally, cards are dealt clockwise, so one card will be given to the player immediately to their left, then one to the person on their left, etc., until you’ve gone around four times and everybody has four cards.

Every player will be dealt four face-down cards to sit in front of them in a line, and nobody can look at any cards that have been dealt. Have your drink ready and await the commencement of Round 1.

How to Play The Irish Poker Drinking Game

Now that you’ve got your cards and your drink on hand, we can start the first round. Usually, the first player whom the dealer dealt to starts us off. The objective is to guess correctly so you drink as little as possible, nominating others to drink more. The rules are simple and easy to follow, but plenty of jeopardy and fun are involved, so let’s look at the Irish Poker Drinking Game rules.

Round 1

As you look at the line of cards in front of you, start with the leftmost card you have. You’ll need to guess whether the card about to be turned over is red or black before you turn it over. If you guess the correct colour, you can assign somebody to have two sips. Get it wrong, and you must take those two sips yourself. Everybody gets a turn to guess their leftmost card, nominating others to drink if they guess correctly and drinking themselves, if not, until the order is complete. 

Round 2

Now that you know your first card is that you’ve turned over, you must guess whether your second card will have a higher or lower value than the first card you turned over (an ace is high in this game). You might have been lucky from the first round and been dealt a King, for example, so the likelihood is that you will get a lower card next time. 

The number of sips to be consumed increases as the game continues, so in Round 2, if you guess correctly, you designate two other players to drink two sips each. If you’re wrong, take four sips yourself.

Round 3

Look at the two cards you have on the table; there could be a large or small gap in value between the two. The third round includes guessing whether the next card you turn over will fall within the values of those cards or outside those cards – ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ are the terms generally used. For example, let’s say you’ve drawn a 7 and a 10 from the first two rounds; it would be more likely that your next card won’t be a 7, 8, 9, or 10 because more cards sit outside 7 and 10 than within it so it might be wise to get ‘outside’. For instance, if you turned over two 10s in the first two rounds, you should probably guess that the next card would be ‘outside’ because you’d have to be very unlucky to get another 10.

If you guess correctly, choose three others to take two drinks each. If your guess is wrong, take six sips yourself.

Round 4

Hopefully, you’ve not had too much to drink, but don’t worry because this is the last round of the game in its standard form; if you have, you can exclude yourself from the remainder of the game. 

However, this round is back to the simplicity of the first round, but you have less chance of getting it right. Card values don’t matter here; instead, you must guess the suit of the card you’re about to turn. If you’re sober enough, playing this tactically would make sense because you can see every other card that all players have turned over; if there are fewer Diamonds than the other suits on display, for example, it would make sense to guess Diamonds.

As always, you’ll have to take the sips yourself if you’re wrong, which would be eight on this occasion. If you’re correct, nominate four people to drink two sips each.

Variations and Additional Rules

People play the Irish Poker Drinking Game differently, and that’s perfectly fine; there are no strict rules to the game like traditional Irish poker, and you can be a little creative with some of the details if you wish. What’s important, however, is to establish the rules you are playing with the other participants before dealing with the cards so that everybody understands and there is no confusion.

Many don’t even incorporate Round 4 into their drinking game because it involves a lot of alcohol, which makes sense to drink responsibly. Otherwise, the rules might differ by playing Round 4 as Round 1, and vice versa, if you choose to, or assigning fewer drinks per correct or wrong answer.

Another way of assigning penalties is to nominate six people to have one sip each in Round 3 rather than choosing three people to have two sips each, for example. This all depends on the number of people playing.

The rules can be changed if the whole party agrees; the most important thing is that everybody is aware of this so there is no discontent resulting from confusion.

Conclusion

Remember that this is a lighthearted game meant to be fun, and money isn’t exchanged within this type of Irish Poker. It’s an enjoyable game that shouldn’t be taken all too seriously, but the rules help keep the game structure so it remains fun.

Instead of money, drinks are consumed, which tend to be alcoholic, but they don’t have to be if you’d prefer. If you decide to drink alcohol when playing this game, remember to stay within your limits and exclude yourself if you feel you’re having more alcohol than you’re comfortable with.

Aside from drinking games, Betsquare regularly reviews casino games, like more traditional forms of poker and online casinos that Australian players can access. Read through our reviews to find out more today.

If you plan to place a wager in an online casino or at an in-person, do so responsibly. You can look for all the signs of worrying betting patterns on our dedicated responsible gambling webpage and explore the tools there to help you.