From: Stephanie (gilsmit at connecti.com) Isn't Egyptian Rhapsody the official name of the game? Although I only use it to get around people like bosses, school officials, parents, etc. Just wondering.
From: Scottish (skm7386 at rit.edu)
A rule that I have NEVER seen left out is one that works to punish
rule breakers. Those that break a rule must take the next card of their
deck and place it at the bottom of the pile. This card is completely out of
play (doesn't count toward slapping for pairs) and also acts as a reward for
next winner of the pile. This is dubbed "Sluffing a card." Nothing
prevents the offender from being the next winner and taken his "sluff"ed
card back, which seems entirely unfair at times, but that's life.
A player can also be forced to sluff a card even if he hasn't broken
a rule. If one player manages to see another player's next card before he
plays it, then that player may name the card during attempts to play out of
turn, but doesn't put the card on the pile. If a player does play out of
turn, any card that was played is sluffed.
Sluffing is a powerful tool against rule-breakers that I surprised
to see left out. The game plays very well with this rule. I hope you'll
give it a try.
I've tried this way and I don't like it, but it's not uncommon...
From: bono at cbr.vt.com If a player slaps the deck when there is no pair, they must automatically place two of their cards at the bottom of the deck. If the preson who slapped was not in the game they get negative cards which they must place in the deck as soon as they get some cards.
From: Andrew Eisenberg <andrew at rockefeller.edu.waste.org> The way I play is slightly different. One good thing to do is to make everyone slap their heads before they can slap the pile. This cuts down on people hovering over the pile. Also, it makes for realy funny faces when people hit themselves too hard. Other times to slap: When the last two cards add up to ten (Tens), when there are consecutive cards of the same suit (4 and 5 of spades, jack and ten of hearts), and when there is one card, then another card, and then the same face value as the first card (sandwich), 3 of spades, 10 of diamonds, and 3 of clubs. Where did you ever hear of the burning the deck rule? That's crazy.I made it up about eight years ago..
From: Jonathan Alexander Lind <jalind at eos.ncsu.edu> another way to deal with incorrect slaps is the person who slaps gives every other person who has played (including those who may be currently out) a card from his deck.
From: Legion <jfeuerst at emerald.tufts.edu> I've always found it more fun _not_ to teach people how to play; get a bunch of people together who know how to play, then let newbies slap in whenever they think they know the rules. That's how I learned.And that's how I usually teach people. Doesn't make for much of a web page though...
From: John <cataldoj at ccs.neu.edu> One game option that I've always played with concerns false slaps (when someone slaps on something that there not supposed to). The penalty that we use is less severe, but makes for more play strategy (which only real egyptian players even acknowledge exists). If someone does a false slap (accident _or_ intentional), then the top card of their own pack is put underneath the current pile. This means that players who really remember the order of their cards can intentionally put some cards underneath the pile so that they can MAKE pairs to slap! A lot of people _think_ they know the order of their cards, and try to get the queen/jack whatever to come up, only to have to place it underneath the pile when they false slap too many times. Oh, and if someone who isn't playing 'right now' (has no cards) false slaps, we usually require 10 military pushups before that person can slap again. This discourages the assholes who just slap all the time at anything, since they have nothing to lose.
From: Melissa Binde <binde at cs.swarthmore.edu>
Sandwiches:
Yet Another Thing to Slap (tm): I don't enjoy them, but some people
do: whenever you have a sequence like 3-5-3 or K-2-K or 8-J-8, you
can slap that "sandwich" and pick up the pile.
Have fun screwing.... ;^)
I've gotten a few letters that mention this variant
From: Matt Schemmel <mjs2 at po.cwru.edu> I've heard something about a 'rule of sixty-nine': You can slap in if the top two cards are a six and a nine (either order). You know anything about that?Yep. I've heard from about three different people who play this way.
From: AbsolutLiz at aol.com If you want to go for mass hysteria, play "adds up to ten".
From: Scott I went to this national conference in Washington DC when I was in high school with delegates from all over the country. Some kids from Texas played the same way I did, except Aces got one try, Kings two, Queens three, and Jacks four. Yuck.
From: Nolan Johnson <njohnson at husc.harvard.edu> I've always played it so that if someone incorrectly slaps a pile, the pile is left on the table and everybody gets to hit the slapper as hard as they want to.
From: Doug Rippey <Drippey at erols.com> Something that you didn't mention: if two players are both the bottomhand on the slap (either by intermingling of fingers or by not touching each other but both touching the top card), then they have a "pull-off" where each pulls at the top card without readjusting their grip. Whoever gets the tops card wins the pile. One last "family tradition" which we have observed many times: if a player ever claims he or she is going to win, that's a sure sign that the person will not win, even if they have a commanding lead at that point.
From: jonhall at midusa.net I know of several methods of play with Jokers that are always fun: 1. As you mentioned, jokers are always slapped. 2. Jokers count as jacks--this is quite fun, also 3. Not quite so exciting, but a good method to know: Jokers act as the next face card after an Ace, meaning that the next player would have five chances to lay a face card.
From: Mark Toman <tomes at eclipse.net> Hi, I used to play this game at Rutgers in the late 70s. There, it was called Egyptian Ratfink, or EGR, as we abbreviated it. I must say that you have the rules pretty well nailed down here. We had a rule to avoid the 'hoverers': you had to have both hands on your card pile unless you were playing a card or slapping. I was real good at the submarine slap (shooting my fingers under the others), and therefore was the local champion. Except for Carol Price, that is. The only one who could beat me. Consistently. Well, thanks for bringing up these memories, and thanks for keepine EGR alive and well!
From: The Davidsons <paradox at ns.gamewood.net> Hello there, like yuir Ratscrew page. In case you were wondering, one needs 2 shuffle exactly seven times for total randomization. I saw it proved in aa mathematical discovey in Discover a few years back. Unfortunately, I cant remember who or why.Sorry........
From: jenea <jenea at wjh.harvard.edu> Incidentally, to have a random deck you need to shuffle *seven* times. Your tax dollars paid for that study!
This is apparently correct. I've found a New York Times article and a proof on the web...
From: testure at waste.org What happens if you play the game on a ouija board? Do you burn the deck afterwards, the board, or both???
From: Scott Occult interpretations or Egyptian Ratscrew as a divining tool: In my closest group of friends from my youth group (geographically spread out so we can't all get together that often), when we are all together and play Ratscrew, invariably the winner of the 3-5 hour ordeal is the next guy to hook up/get lucky. When the whole group believes in this interpretation, the fervor of the game increases accordingly. During dry spells we find that the guy with the steady girlfriend wins. This is a phenomenon we cannot explain, but we have found that it does not apply to groups mixed with beginners and experts, but only to groups of experienced players.
From: hhh <ghjghgjhg at UCSD.EDU> I failed to understand a thing though I am smart and brilliant.