Egyptian Ratscrew
- Objective: Win all 52 cards by being the fastest to 'slap' the central pile on valid combinations.
- Setup: Deal the entire 52-card deck as evenly as possible, face-down, to all players. Do not look at your cards.
- Gameplay: Players take turns flipping their top card *away* from them (so they don't see it first) onto a central pile.
- Slap Rules: The *first* player to slap the pile wins it when: 1. Double: Two cards of the same rank in a row (e.g., 8, 8). 2. Sandwich: Two cards of the same rank separated by one different card (e.g., 8, Q, 8). 3. Marriage: A King and Queen are played back-to-back (in either order).
- Penalty Slap: If you slap the pile incorrectly (a 'flinch'), you must 'burn' a card by placing your top card face-down at the *bottom* of the central pile.
- Face Card Challenge: If a player plays a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace, the *next* player in turn must 'pay' by flipping cards: Ace=4 cards, King=3, Queen=2, Jack=1.
- Challenge (Cont.): If the paying player flips *another* face card or Ace *before* their count is up, the challenge *immediately* stops and passes to the *next* player. If they flip all their required cards and *none* are face cards/Aces, the *original challenger* (who played the first face card) wins the entire pile.
- Slap Override: A valid slap (Double, Sandwich) *during* a challenge always wins the pile and ends the challenge.
- Winning: If you run out of cards, you can 'slap in' to win a pile and re-enter. If you flinch while out, you are permanently out. The player who collects all 52 cards wins.