Up the River Down the River (5 Rounds of Drinking!)

Introduction

Up the River Down the River is a great drinking card game to kick off the evening. You’ll be giving out drinks and getting drinks in return all based on your ability to guess cards and make friends. Below we walk you through how exactly to play Up the River Down the River and how to incorporate two rounds of drinking to enhance the fun!

Up the River Down the River

What You Need to Play

• Deck of cards
• 2-10 people (you want more than 2 to be safe)
• Beverage of choice (beer is the smart choice given the volume of drinking involved)

How to Play Up the River Down the River

The dealer will first deal the players their cards before going up and downstream. Dealing the cards is when the first round of drinking occurs, then a second round of drinking happens when you go up and down the river.

Dealing the Cards

The dealer will ask each player for their guess before dealing each of their four cards face up. The dealer will first go around the table asking each player to guess:

• Card 1 – Red or Black
• Card 2 – Higher or Lower
• Card 3 – In Between or Outside
• Card 4 – Pick a Suit

Some people also call this part of the game Irish Poker. Find more details on each card below.

Card 1: Red or Black

The first card the dealer deals to each player is Red or Black. Each player must guess whether the card the dealer is about to deal them is Red or Black before the dealer places the card face up in front of them. If you guess Red or Black correctly, you get to give out 2 seconds of drinking to any other player, including the dealer. If you guess incorrectly, you must drink for 2 seconds.

Card 2: Higher or Lower

Now that each player has one of their cards dealt, they must now guess whether their second card will be higher or lower than their first card.

This may seem relatively easy if you get a 3 or 4 (the odds are the next card will be higher), but it’s not such an easy decision if you were first dealt a 7 or 8.

If you correctly guess Higher or Lower, you get to give out 4 seconds to another player to drink. You are allowed to split the seconds between multiple players if you so choose. If you guess incorrectly, you have to drink for 4 seconds.

Card 3: In Between or Outside

Now that you have two cards in your hand face up on the table, you get to guess whether your next card will fall numerically In Between or Outside your first two cards.

For instance, if your first two cards were 7 and 10, you can guess In Between if you think your next card will be an 8 or 9, or you can guess Outside if you think the next card will be Ace-6 or Jack-King (more probable in this scenario).

If you guess In Between or Outside correctly, you get to give out 6 seconds of drinking. And yes, you are allowed to split them up between players. If you guess incorrectly, you must drink for 6 seconds.

Card 4: Pick a Suit

Before the dealer deals each player their fourth card, they must each pick a suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, or Clubs). If you guess the suit correctly, you get to give out 8 seconds of drinking to other players. Again, you can split the seconds among multiple players. If you guess incorrectly, you must drink for 8 seconds.

How to Go Up the River and Down the River

Now that every player has their four cards dealt, it’s time to go up the river and down the river, also known as Give and Take. The dealer should lay out 10 cards in the middle of the table: two rows of 4, then 1 card at both ends (see image below).

Up the River

Starting with the top left card, the dealer first goes up the river, when players must drink if they have a numerical match to any of the cards in the top row (e.g., they have the 8 of Diamonds, and the 8 of Clubs is one of the cards in the top row).

1. The dealer first flips the top left card. If any player has a numerical match, they must take 2 seconds (drink for 2 seconds).
2. Continuing up the river, the dealer next flips the top card second from the left. If any player has a numerical match, they must drink for 4 seconds.
3. The top card third from the left means any player with a numerical match must drink for 6 seconds.
4. Then the top card fourth from the left means any player with a numerical match must drink for 8 seconds.
5. The dealer finishes the trip up the river by flipping the card on the right side. Whoever has a numerical match must finish their drink.

Down the River

Starting with the bottom right card, the dealer now heads down the river, when players can give out drinks if they have a numerical match to any of the cards in the bottom row (e.g., they have the 7 of Hearts, and the 7 of Spades is one of the cards in the bottom row). Players can give all their seconds to one player or split them up among multiple players.

1. The dealer first flips the bottom right card. If any player has a numerical match, they can give out 2 seconds of drinking to any player.
2. Continuing down the river, the dealer next flips the bottom card second from the right. If any player has a numerical match, they can give out 4 seconds of drinking.
3. The bottom card third from the right means any player with a numerical match can give out 6 seconds of drinking.
4. Then the bottom card fourth from the right means any player with a numerical match gets to give out 8 seconds of drinking.
5. The dealer finishes the trip down the river by flipping the card on the left side. Whoever has a numerical match gets to make another player finish their drink.

Variation

Sometimes when the dealer flips a card over in the middle, there will be no matches around the table. Some groups will consider that lucky and simply move on to the next card. However, if you want to christen every stop along the river, feel free to pull another card from the deck until you have at least one match.

How to Win

This game is less about winning and more about not losing. Be kind to your neighbors because if you start targeting someone with drinks, they just might catch you heading back downstream. If you have to finish your drink, it may make sense to consider you one of the losers. However, if you avoid drinking too much and have a good time playing, that makes you a winner!

Conclusion

Up the River Down the River is a fun way to get the party started at the beginning of the evening. It’s a fun introduction giving out seconds for people to drink, so feel free to use it as an ice breaker with new friends.

Remember the Rules for Up the River Down the River:

Dealing the Cards:

• Card 1 – Red or Black – Give or Take 2 Seconds
• Card 2 – Higher or Lower – Give or Take 4 Seconds
• Card 3 – In Between or Outside – Give or Take 6 Seconds
• Card 4 – Pick a Suit – Give or Take 8 Seconds

Going Up and Down the River:

• Up the River – Take 2, 4, 6, 8 Seconds, or Finish Your Drink
• Down the River – Give 2, 4, 6, 8 Seconds, or Make Someone Finish Their Drink

At least a couple people will wind up full from drinking, but overall it’s a great way to have some fun and get the juices flowing. As always, please drink responsibly, know your limits, be kind to others, and have fun!

Not sure what game to play once you end up downstream? If you’re looking for a more active game, try Rage Cage!