Horse Race: Official Rules

Bet on a suit, cheer it home, and collect.

Take the four aces out of the deck and lay them face up side by side at one end of the table. These are the horses. Shuffle the rest of the deck and deal seven cards face down in a line beside the horses, running away from them. That is the track. One player is the announcer and holds the deck.

Rule 1. Betting

Rule 1.1. Before the race, each player bets a number of drinks on one horse, by suit, out loud: "Four on hearts." Bets are final once the announcer says "they're off."

Rule 1.2. The announcer may bet too.

Rule 2. The race

Rule 2.1. The announcer turns over cards from the deck one at a time. The horse of that card's suit moves forward one track card.

Rule 2.2. The announcer calls the race. Out loud. Like an announcer.

Rule 2.3. When any horse is the first to reach a track card, the announcer turns that track card over. The horse of its suit falters and moves back one place. A horse at the gate can't move back.

Rule 3. The finish

Rule 3.1. The first horse past the last track card wins.

Rule 3.2. Every player who bet on the winner gives out double their bet. Every other player drinks their bet.

• Bet limits. No bet higher than five. Approved.
• Place and show. Bettors on second place drink nothing; bettors on third drink half. Approved.
• Scratched. A player whose horse never leaves the gate drinks double their bet. Approved.
• Eight-card track. Approved. A longer race, with more falters.
• The announcer drinks every time they call a horse by the wrong suit. Approved.

Two horses reach the same track card at once. Who falters? No one at once. The track card is turned when the first horse reaches it. The horse of its suit moves back, even if it's one of the two.

May a player change their bet during the race? No. Bets are final at "they're off." A player who tries is welcome to bet more on the same horse, out loud, and the Commission admires the confidence.

• They're off. Signal: the Official drops one hand like a starter's flag.
• Falter. Signal: the Official pulls one hand back toward their chest.
• Photo finish. Signal: the Official mimes pressing a camera shutter. (See Challenges and Instant Replay. The Polaroid is optional.)

Horse Race is the only game in this book with a dedicated announcer, and the Commission considers the announcer the most important player at the table. A race called in silence is a deck of cards. A race called well is an event.

Bet with any non-alcoholic drink. The race is called the same.