The Ride the Bus drinking game, also called the Pyramid game, is a popular activity for parties. Players receive and gift a lot of sips during each round, which is perfect to get the party started.
Your main goal is to not be that one person that ends up in the final bus round, where you’re the only one left that keeps drinking.
In this post, we will guide you through the full gameplay, rules and optional variations of this fun Ride the Bus card game.
What do you need?
- Deck of cards: Standard 52-card deck with jokers removed.
- Drinks for everyone: It’s advisable to grab some extra drinks so that you can fill your glass during the game.
- 4-8 Players
Ride the Bus Rules
This game is played in a series of phases with the guidance of one dealer. The dealer can play the game as well!
Here’s how it’s played:
- Determine who will deal the cards.
Phase 1: Dealing Cards
The card-dealing phase consists of four rounds, with players receiving one card per round. The four that they receive will be their cards for the second phase.
- Round 1: Guess the color
- In a clockwise manner, the dealer asks each player, “Black or red?”
- Each player answers this question by guessing their next card as black or red.
- The dealer then hands out a card to that player.
- If you are right, nothing happens.
- If you are wrong, take a sip.
- This continues until all players have their first card.
- Round 2: Higher or Lower
- In a clockwise manner, the dealer asks each player, “Higher or lower?”
- Each player guesses their next card as either higher or lower than their first card.
- The dealer then deals a card to that player.
- If you are right, nothing happens.
- If you are wrong, take a sip.
- This continues until all players have two cards.
- Round 3: Inside or Outside
- In a clockwise manner, the dealer then asks each player, “Inside or outside?”
- Each player guesses their next card as either inside or outside of their two cards in hand.
- The dealer then deals the third card.
- If you are right, nothing happens.
- If you are wrong, take a sip.
- At the end of this round, all players will have three cards in hand.
- Round 4: The Suit
- In a clockwise manner, the dealer then asks each player, “What suit?”
- Each player guesses the suit of their fourth card. However, there’s a special rule here:
- If you have three different suits (for example hearts, spades, and clover), then you can say, “Disco!”. If you then receive a heart, everyone but you must drink.
- The dealer then hands you your fourth card.
- If you are right, nothing happens.
- If you are wrong, take a sip.
- At the end of this round, all players should have four cards.
Each player will continue to phase 2 using the cards that they were dealt during the first phase.
Phase 2: The Triangle
During this phase, your goal is to get rid of as many cards as you can. The one with the most cards is the only player hopping on the bus in the third phase.
Here’s how it goes:
- The dealer places 20 cards, face down, on the table in the form of a triangle, as shown below.
- Then, the dealer starts to turn over the cards in each layer
- Start with the bottom left card, continue to the right, then the second row in this way, then the third, etc.
- If a player’s card matches one in the pyramid, they put that card on the revealed card and hand out the sips as shown in the image (option 1).
- You can also choose to alternate between giving and taking sips (option 2). This should be determined before starting the game.
- After the last top card has been revealed, everyone lays their cards face up on the table.
- The person with the highest number of cards remaining is the loser of this round.
- If multiple players have the same number of cards, the values of those cards are summed up. The player with the highest total then loses.
The loser of this round goes to the last phase, called riding the bus. This is where the name Ride the Bus Drinking Game comes from.
Phase 3: Ride the Bus
The loser from the last round continues into this phase. This is how it goes:
- The dealer lays down the bus, which is a row of cards, including one open and the rest closed. The number of cards on the bus can be determined in two ways:
- Standard: five closed plus one open card.
- The loser draws a random card; the number of cards is equal to the number of cards.
- With this rule, you either get lucky by drawing a low number or you have a long bus trip ahead!
- The dealer starts with the first card and asks the player, “Higher or lower?”
- The dealer then reveals a card from the staple in his hands and places it on top of the left card, resulting in two options:
- Right guess: The dealer continues to the next card, repeating the last two steps.
- Wrong guess: The dealer starts at the beginning of the bus, repeating “Higher or lower?” for the first card that is now on top.
- This continues until the player consecutively guesses all the cards in the row correctly. Only then can they leave the bus, after which the game is finished.
! Important rules:
- Every time the player guesses wrong, they must drink as many sips as the distance between the wrongly guessed and the first card.
- Each last revealed card counts as the reference card for that spot in the bus.
- Each closed card is opened after the guess of the loser, after which the new card is placed on that card, facing up.
You can decide to stop with the bus when you’re through the whole stock of cards, as it may otherwise take too long and too many drinks for that one player.
Conclusion: Play Responsibly
As with any drinking game, it’s important to prioritize safety and drink responsibly. Know your limits, look out for your friends, and consider using non-alcoholic alternatives for a milder version of Ride the Bus. The objective is to have fun and create memorable moments, not to overindulge.
Especially the person who’s in the bus should stay comfortable with the level of drinking. If that player doesn’t want to continue, then they shouldn’t be pressured. Respect each other’s boundaries to keep it fun for everyone.
Are you looking for something else to play? Have a look at the other drinking games with dice and have a blast!
