How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game
Players: 2+ | Type: Competitive | Drink: Beer/Liquor | Good Times: 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, but super easy drinking game, Across the Bridge Drinking Game is just what you need. Anyone should be able to pick it up quickly.
How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game With Rules: Overview
- The 4 Essential Pieces of Equipment
- How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game With Rules
- The Top 4 Across the Bridge Game Play Variations (to make things more intense)
- Across the Bridge Videos
- Even More Fun Card Drinking Games
Across the Bridge Drinking Game: Equipment
In order to play Across the Bridge Drinking Game, you really don’t need much. In fact, you can play it with just one other person, if all you want is a drinking game for 2 people. But of course you can keep adding people.
Here are the essentials for learning how to play Across the Bridge Drinking Game with rules:
- Deck of cards
- Beer mug
- Liquor and/or beer or wine
- Shot glasses (Cheap neon, plastic shot glasses work great!)
How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game With Rules
Before going into game play, the best place to start is understanding which cards have the power to make you drink. Below are the values of each non-numbered card, in terms of how many shots they’re worth.
Here’s what each face card represents:
Jack = 1 shot
Queen = 2 shots
King = 3 shots
Ace = 4 shots
How to Begin Across the Bridge Drinking Game
#1. First, the dealer shuffles the cards and places the top 10 cards face down on the table, in a straight side-by-side line. This line of 10 cards is the “bridge” between the group of players.
#2. Then, the group chooses a lucky soul to go first. This person is going to walk the plank first, so to speak. Flip a coin, play “nose goes,” or whatever you need to do to get the game rolling!
Each Player’s Turn Going “Across the Bridge”
Don’t worry if this doesn’t make sense, there are also video demos for visual learners!
#1. At the beginning of their turn, the player starts by flipping the card closest to them.
If this first player flips over a numbered card, no drinking happens and they just continue to flip over cards until a face card turns up.
#2. When a player finally does flip over a face card, they take as many shots as the card represents. But their turn still isn’t over.
#3. After drinking, each player has to “replace the bridge” with the same amount of cards as shots they drank.
So, if a player flipped over a King and drank 3 times, they have to add 3 of their own cards to the bridge, face down.
#4. After “rebuilding the bridge,” the player’s turn is over and the next player starts flipping over cards.
How Across the Bridge Drinking Game Ends
Simply put, the Across the Bridge Drinking Game ends when a player happens to flip over the last card on the bridge if the last card is a number card. If it’s a face card, the cards need to be shuffled again so the player can continue their bridge walk of shame.
Even after one player has won, the game isn’t finished for the rest of the players. After the winner steps out, the cards are shuffled again and the whole process repeats itself until all the players are out.
Variations of How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game with Rules
Since Across the Bridge is a simple game, variations don’t get too complicated. But there are a few small modifications you can make – below are our 3 favorite Across the Bridge Drinking Game Variations.
“The Wall of China”
In the “Wall of China” variation, game play is about the same, with the exception of putting out replacement cards. In this twist on Across the Bridge, the replacement cards belong alongside each other rather than on top of each other.
As you can imagine, the line gets verrry long; sometimes you even have to push tables together. But it’s a fun variation because it shows visually where the game started and ended.
“Upping the Ante”
Another slight variation you can try with Across the Bridge Drinking Game is to increase the amount you drink for each face card. Basically, each face card’s value increases by two.
So:
Jack = 2 shots
Queen = 3 shots
King = 4 shots
Ace = 5 shots
It probably goes without saying, but you should only use this variation when you’re taking swigs of beer. That many shots of liquor can get out of hand.
“Liquor Shots”
In this third variation of Across the Bridge Drinking Game, you again switch up the meanings of the face cards.
But instead of adding more shots, you change the beverage of choice. Yet another way to separate the boys from the men and the girls from the women as you exchange beer for hard liquor!
It doesn’t matter what liquors you ultimately assign to the cards, but here’s how we play it at Chuggie:
Jack = Jack Daniels
Queen = Tequila
King = Scotch or Bourbon
Ace = A shot of your finest rum or gin, please
“Speed Walking”
Finally, you can make Across the Bridge Drinking Game much more intense by making it a speed game.
The only difference with the rules is that you keep going after the deck of cards is gone, if your crew can handle it. Once one person crosses the bridge, it’s immediately on to the next.
You can almost compare it to a relay race for beer. It’s a great idea, but just expect to have a messy slumber party of sorts. Because I doubt your friends will make it past the door after playing this version all night!
How to Play Across the Bridge Drinking Game With Rules: Cheers!
Overall, this game is super easy for anyone to learn. It’s also surprisingly very fun and competitive. The nerve-wracking feeling everyone gets helps break the ice at a party or get together.
Have you found other weird ways to make this bring this game to life and give it an even greater spinoff? Let us know in the comments below. As professional drinkers, we’ll take all the drinking game variations we can get!
