Favorite Drinking Games When Snowed In

Drinking games are probably the best past time when you’re snowed in, when the roads are closed, or when the winds make it seem like you’re not in Kansas anymore. Why not join Ullr, the God of Snow, on his little break, and make your way to the booze, hootch, or whatever you like to call it because the good times are a-comin’.

If you lock me up in a ski house for too long, you’ll find me re-enacting the scenes from the “The Shining,” graffitiing REDRUM all over the walls (probably in ketchup) or pretending as if I’m riding down a long corridor in a Big Wheel by sliding along the wood floors in a chair on a small rug. Yes, you guessed it, yours truly is starring as a less than mediocre version of the main character, Jack Torrence, and it’s not pretty.

Cabin fever is the worst, and being that person who freaked out is definitely not a good thing. Later comes the regret, the regret of knowing you probably won’t be invited to join next season’s ski house because of your little slip up. So, on the days when the elements are against you and you find yourself raising your fist in the air cursing the gods (or, like a Jersey Shore castmate in the club), and you’re inches away from clotheslining certain housemates because one more Beavis and Butthead “Uh huh huh huh” or “OMG, rea-LAY!” will make your head implode, ask yourself, “How do I avoid the Jack Torrence effect?” Again, it’s easy as pie.  Two words: DRINKING GAMES!

Here’s a list of my favorite drinking games to play when snowed in. Note: Please drink responsibly! Don’t drink & drive, and never handle sharp objects! 

King’s Cup

Items Needed: a full deck of cards, one full 16 oz. cup of beer per person, one 16 oz. cup of beer set in the middle of the table, extra beer (why not?), and a table for all.

How to Play: the youngest person draws a card from the table first.  When a player selects one of the below cards in the deck, do the following:

• Ace = Waterfall. To do a waterfall, each player starts drinking their beverage, depending on the direction of the game (whether you are picking cards clockwise or counterclockwise). No player can stop drinking until the player before them stops drinking.
• 2 = You. 
The player who drew the card assigns someone to take a drink.
• 3 = Me. 
The player who drew the card takes a drink.
• 4 = Floor. 
Last person to touch the floor drinks.
• 5 = Guys. All Guys must drink.
• 6 = Girls. All Girls must drink.
• 7 = Heaven. 
All players must point toward the sky. The last player to point must drink.
• 8 = Date/Mate. Pick a person to drink with you for the rest of the game
• 9 = Bust a Rhyme.
 The player who drew the 9 says a phrase, then the players go around in a the circle saying phrases that rhyme with the original. No phrase may be said twice, the first player who cannot come up with a phrase or says a phrase that doesn’t rhyme must drink.
• 10 = Categories. 
The player who drew the 10 picks a category such as “sports teams” or “bands from the 90’s.” The players then go around the circle saying items from that category. The first player who cannot think of an item or says something not in the category must drink.
• Jack = New Rule. Create a rule that all the players must obey until another Jack is drawn and a new rule is made. The new rule voids the previous rule.
• Queen = Questions. 
Going around the circle, each player must ask the next person a question. The purpose is to essentially make the next person laugh or forget to ask a question.  The first person who doesn’t respond with a question must take a drink.
• King = Everyone. Everyone drinks. This is used when you aren’t playing with the cup in the middle.  If you are playing with the cup in the middle, the person who draws the fourth and final king must chug the middle cup, and the game is officially over.
• Joker = Choker. The person who drew the card must chug their beer until they finish it.

Rules courtesy of Wikipedia

Edward Forty Hands

Items Needed: duct tape and two 40oz. bottles of malt liquor per person.

How to Play: You tape one 40 to each of your hands and you can’t take them off until both of the 40’s are empty. This means that if you need to go to the bathroom, you either chug the beers or wet yourself. You can’t answer your cell phone, or basically do anything until you finish drinking the two 40’s. The point of the game is to make people drink a lot of beer super fast.

Rules courtesy of BarMeister.

 7-11 Doubles

Items Needed: one 16 oz. cup, 2 dice and plenty of  beer.

How to Play: Players sit around the table and place the cup in the center. The cup is then filled ¾ of the way with beer.Each player rolls the two dice, the player who has the highest number goes first.

The first player rolls the dice, if they roll a 7, 11 or double (e.g. two 5’s) then they must choose a player to drink.  If they do not roll any of those, they pass the dice to the person on their left.

Once a player is chosen as the drinker they are allowed to grab the cup from the center of the table and start chugging, the roller cannot touch the dice until the drinker touches the cup.  The roller must try to roll a 7, 11 or double before the drinker finishes chugging their beer.If the drinker finishes the beer before the roller gets a 7, 11 or double then the cup is placed back in the center of the table, refilled and the person to the roller’s left gets the dice; if the roller gets a 7, 11 or double before the drinker finishes then the cup is placed back in the center of the table, refilled and the process is repeated.

Rules courtesy of DrinkingGames.com.

Who Am I?

Items Needed: pen, blank cards (anything that would stick on you when wet) or sticky notes, one full 8 to 16 oz. cup of beer for each player, additional beer on hand.

How to Play: Have everyone sit around a table. Pass blank cards/sticky notes to each person. Have each person write the name of a famous or well-known person on their card. The person can either be real or fictitious, e.g. King Kong, Oprah Winfrey, or Dr. Seuss.  (Note: There are some rules to this. No vanity references like a person’s father or high school friend.) Place your cards face down on the table. Pass your card to the person on your right. Pick up the card, so that the unwritten side is facing you. Lick the back of the card and stick it on your forehead. Everyone should be able to see your card except you.

Choose a person to start the game and this person will ask the group “yes or no” questions to figure out who they are (what their cards says). lf they guess their character correctly, everyone else but them must finish their drinks. If they guess their character wrong, they are required to finish their drink alone. Continue around the table until everyone either has had a turn or the game is finished in agreement.

Rules courtesy of WikiHow.

And…. my all time favorite game because “The Big Lebowski” is one of the best movies EVER….

The Dude Game

Items Needed: one 16 oz. cup, lots of beer, a couch, and The Big Lebowski movie.

How To Play: take a drink when…

• The Dude refers to himself in third person.
• ”F@$%”, “dude”, or “man” is said.
• Walter gets angry.
• Walter says “F@$% it dude, let’s go bowling”.
• Dude, Walter, and Donny are bowling.
• Walter puts down Donny.
• The Dude’s rug is mentioned.
• Someone speaks with an accent (e.g. Jesus, the nihilists).
• Bunny’s toe is mentioned.

Take two drinks when:

• Walter mentions Vietnam.
• The Dude has a dream.
• A line in the script is repeated (three drinks if that line is used somewhere not within the plot, i.e. “This aggression will not stand”).
• Someone bowls a strike.
• Someone is interrogated about the mystery (e.g. “Where’s the money Lebowski?” and “Is this your homework Larry?”).
• A Creedence Clearwater Revival song is heard.
• Walter mentions converting to Judaism.

Take three drinks when:

• Donny goes off topic in a conversation.
• The Little Lebowski Urban Achievers are referenced (four drinks if it’s another merit).
• The Gulf War and/or Saddam Hussein are mentioned.
• You hear a classic rock song not by Creedence Clearwater Revival (four drinks if it’s not the original version, like the “Hotel California” cover).
• A Jackie Treehorn movie is seen on a TV.

Finish Your Drink When…

• Walter not only says something angry, but he does something angry (e.g. the fight with the nihilists, pulling the gun on Smokey).
• The Dude gets angry with the law (e.g. the private eye following him, the police station).
• Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character laughs.

Rules courtesy of Today’s Drinker.

Remember, all work and no play (or snow) makes Jack a dull boy. Therefore, instead of having an angry face, raise your plastic cup, can, or bottle and say in your best Jack Nicholson voice “Here’s [to]……. Johnny.” And, yes, I haven’t listed every drinking game imaginable, so please let us know some of your favorite drinking games –  Inquiring minds want to know.