| Alternative names | Up the River, Down the River |
|---|---|
| Type | Drinking |
| Players | 2+ |
| Skills required | Card Counting |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | Anglo-American-French |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest to lowest) | Ace (A) - Deuce (2) |
| Playing time | 8 min. |
| Random chance | High |
| Related games | |
| Bloody Knuckles | |
Around the World, Irish Poker, Chico High Low, Monkey Balls, Foam Game, North Carolina, Up the River Down the River, John Theis, Harry Curie, Tim de Withen, Charleston Special, or Unlucky 'Sevens' Seven is a card based drinking game, similar to, but more complex (and at the same time quicker) than, Fuck the Dealer. The game requires one standard (52-card) deck of playing cards.
The game is divided into two rounds. The first is a guessing or probabilistic round where players must make predictions about the card to be drawn, while the second is completely chance based.
In the first phase of the game, each player must make a prediction about the card to be drawn on their turn.
The dealer deals each player 4 cards face up but before dealing each card, the dealer asks the player a question about the card. If the player guesses correctly, they may "give" a drink (i.e. select a rival player who must drink). If their guess is incorrect they must instead "take" a drink. The players keep the cards that are dealt to them as they are required for the later queries and are the basis of the second round; The questions are:
For the first card, the player must predict the color of the card draw, "red" (hearts and diamonds) or "black" (clubs and spades).
For the second card, the player must predict whether the value of the card drawn will be higher or lower than the first card they were dealt. A third, legitimate, but rarely chosen option is "same", where the card is predicted to be of the same value as the first card.
Values are usually ordered deuce through ace, but other sequences, (such as ace low) are possible.
For the third card, the player predicts whether the value of the card drawn will be between the values of the first two cards, "in", or outside of those values, "out". As with card two, there is a third option of "same", which is a prediction that the value will match one of the two cards already present.
Unlike the second and third questions, the fourth card's question is not (directly) related to the cards drawn before it. Rather, the player simply predicts which suit the card will be. Depending on rules agreed on before the game, the player will guess one suit, or guess "same" or "different" as regards to the suit drawn is the same as the other three cards dealt before or different.
Unlike the first round, the second phase of the game is entirely chance based and all players participate at the same time, rather than taking turns as in round one.
The dealer deals eight cards, face down, from the deck, placing them in two columns, the "give" column and the "take" column.
The dealer then flips each card over in sequence, starting with a "take" card, then proceeding to the "give" card, and then moving to the next position in the column. If any of a player's cards (dealt to them in the first part) match the value of the revealed card, they must take or give drinks. If multiple cards in a player's possession match the revealed value, they are each counted separately.
The quantity of drinks each card is worth increases as the cards are revealed. The values are traditionally, "one drink", "two drinks", "four drinks", and "half a beer". If mixed drinks are being used, "half a beer" is considered to be the same as half a glass. If shots are being used (not recommended), there is no established value of "half a beer", but the implication is that a large quantity should be consumed.
When a player is giving multiple drinks, they may, at their option, split them up amongst multiple players. Splitting up a "half a beer" can sometimes be contentious as the precise relationship of this abstract quantity to an integer number of drinks is undefined within the rules of the game.