Ride the Bus Drinking Game: Rules for All Three Rounds
Ride the Bus is a three-round card drinking game. First everyone guesses their way to four cards, then the pyramid lets you hand out drinks for every match, and whoever is left holding the most cards has to ride the bus: guess four cards in a row without missing. It’s simple, it’s mean, and the last round always draws a crowd.
What you need
- A standard 52-card deck (grab a second deck for big groups)
- 2 to 8 players; 3 to 6 is ideal
- A drink for each player. Sips, not shots: this game hands out a lot of drinks.
Round 1: The four questions
The dealer goes around the table one question at a time, dealing each player a card face up after they guess. Guess wrong and you drink; guess right and you give the drinks to someone else. The number of sips goes up each question.
| Question | What you’re guessing | Sips |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Red or black? | The color of your first card | 1 |
| 2. Higher or lower? | Is your second card higher or lower than your first? | 2 |
| 3. Inside or outside? | Does your third card fall between your first two, or outside them? | 3 |
| 4. What suit? | Hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades | 4 |
Aces are high. If the card ties (same rank as the card you’re comparing to), you got it wrong. Everybody keeps their four cards face up.
Round 2: The pyramid
- Build it. The dealer lays 10 cards face down in a pyramid: 4 on the bottom row, then 3, 2 and 1.
- Flip from the bottom. Turn the cards over one at a time, bottom row first, left to right.
- Match and give. If you hold a card of the same rank, lay it on the pyramid card and give out sips: 1 for the bottom row, 2 for the second, 3 for the third and 4 for the top. Two matches, two sets of sips.
- Count up. When the top card is flipped, everyone counts the cards still in their hand.
Round 3: Ride the bus
- Find the rider. Whoever has the most cards left rides the bus. Tie? The tied player with the highest total card value rides.
- The four questions again. The dealer flips cards one at a time and the rider answers red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, and suit, in order.
- Miss and start over. A wrong answer means a sip and back to question one with fresh cards.
- Get off the bus. Four right in a row and you’re free. Reshuffle the discards if the deck runs out.
House rules and variations
- Drink-or-give pyramid: alternate rows, so odd rows make you drink and even rows let you give.
- Face-down pyramid: keep your four cards face down after round 1 and play the pyramid from memory. Bluffing allowed, like in Pyramid.
- The short bus: skip round 2 and the player with the most wrong guesses in round 1 rides.
- Cap the ride. Lots of houses let the rider off after 10 misses. Mercy is a house rule too.
Tips
- Play the odds on question 3. If your first two cards are close together (a 6 and an 8), say outside. Far apart (a 3 and a Queen), say inside.
- Count suits on question 4. Already holding two hearts? Hearts are now less likely.
- Keep sips small. A bad bus ride can run 20 misses. Water works for every rule.
FAQ
How many people can play Ride the Bus?
Two to eight with one deck. Add a second deck for bigger groups so the pyramid doesn’t run dry.
Are aces high or low in Ride the Bus?
High, at most tables. Agree on it before the first card, because it decides a lot of higher-or-lower guesses.
What happens on a tie in higher or lower?
A tie counts as wrong. You drink.
Is Ride the Bus the same as Pyramid?
No. Pyramid is a standalone bluffing game. Ride the Bus uses a smaller pyramid as its middle round.
Who rides the bus if there’s a tie?
The tied player whose leftover cards add up to the highest value rides. Still tied? Both ride, one after the other.
More card games: Circle of Death, Pyramid and the rest of our card drinking games.
More party games: Circle of Death (Kings Cup), Rage Cage, flip cup, Three Man, Pyramid, Never Have I Ever, Most Likely To, Thumper, Waterfall, Beer Olympics, Quarters, Power Hour. Find a game by crowd: games for 2, big groups, card games and dice games, or see them all on our party games page.