Slapjack Game Rules

Slapjack Game Rules

(In slapjack, players win cards by being the first to slap the pile when a jack is drawn)

(In slapjack, players win cards by being the first to slap the pile when a Jack is drawn)

Card Game Rules

Slapjack, or Slaps, is a game for 2-4 people and played with a standard 52 playing card deck. The objective of Slapjack is to win all of the cards by quickly slapping the deck whenever a Jack is played.

For more classic card games, check out our guides for Six Card Golf and Cribbage.

If you are looking for playing cards to play Slapjack with, check out a standard deck here or one of our specialty Slapjack decks here.

Set Up

Before gameplay can begin, a dealer must be selected. Each player draws one card from a shuffled deck. The player with the lowest card becomes the dealer. The dealer shuffles the deck and passes out all of the cards faced down to each player in a clockwise fashion.

How to Play

Starting with the person to the left of the dealer and going clockwise, players place the top card of their deck into the center of the group. Players must draw away from them so that everybody sees what the card is at once. If the card drawn is a Jack, players try to be the first one to slap the deck to win all of the cards in the pile. The pile is shuffled and added to the winner’s pile. The player who eventually gets all of the cards wins.

If players slap the pile without there being a Jack, that player must give a card to the player who laid down the previous card.

When a person runs out of cards, they have one chance to win a slap. If, for instance, a player runs out of cards, a Jack is played, and they lose the slap, they are out of the game.

If a card is played on top of a jack before anyone can slap it, the jack is lost and play continues.

For more information on Slapjack and its rules, check out Wikipedia's article here or Pagat's article here.

 

 

Looking for more card games to play?  Check out this article:

40+ Great Card Games For All Occasions

About the author: John Taylor is a content writer and freelancer through the company Upwork.com. You may view his freelancing profile here. He has a B. A. in English, with a specialty in technical writing, from Texas A&M University and a M. A. in English from the University of Glasgow. You may view his previous articles about card games here and his LinkedIn profile here.

John Taylor Head shot

Last update date: 01/26/21

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

1 comment

Jackson Clark on 2020,04,14

It’s actually really simple and fun

Related posts

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift: Playing Cards

The Perfect Valentine's Day Gift: Playing Cards

  Valentine's Day can be a conundrum when it comes to finding the perfect gift for your significant other. Chocolates...
When The Stakes Were High: Poker's Pivotal Role in the Old West

When The Stakes Were High: Poker's Pivotal Role in the Old West

In the dusty, bustling saloons of the Old West, amidst the clinking of whiskey glasses and the occasional scuffle, a...
couple playing cards

The Best 2 Player Card Games With a Standard Deck

by BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame Top Traditional Card Games For Just Two Players Playing cards have always been synonymous with card...
The Casino Range from Mechanic Industries
  • Blog

The Casino Range from Mechanic Industries

The Casino Range from Mechanic Industries Marked decks with flip-book animation, perfect for gambling-themed card magic by BoardGameGeek reviewer EndersGame...