A high-stakes classic of guessing games and mounting penalties. Survive the pyramid, or you'll be the one stuck riding the bus.
Ride the Bus is a legendary drinking game that tests both your luck and your liver. It kicks off with a rapid-fire guessing round where you either dish out drinks or take them yourself. Then comes the Pyramid, where you try to offload your cards onto your friends to avoid the ultimate penalty. The person left with the most cards at the end becomes the 'Driver' and must face the Bus — a brutal gauntlet of cards where a single Face card or Ace sends you right back to the beginning of the line.
The dealer shuffles and gives everyone four cards face down (don't look yet!). In the middle, build a 10-card pyramid face down (4 on the bottom, 3, 2, and 1 at the top). The rest of the deck stays with the dealer for the final ride.
Round 1: Everyone takes turns flipping their 4 cards and guessing: 1. Red or Black? 2. Higher or Lower (than the first)? 3. Inside or Outside (the range of the first two)? 4. Guess the Suit? Get it right to give drinks (1–4 based on the card's order); get it wrong and you're drinking them yourself.
The Pyramid: The dealer flips the pyramid cards starting from the bottom row. If you have a matching card in your hand, toss it on the pile and pick someone to drink. The higher the row, the more drinks you hand out (1 to 4).
The Loser: Once the pyramid is cleared, the player left holding the most cards (or the highest card in case of a tie) loses and has to 'Ride the Bus'.
Riding the Bus: The dealer lays out a row of 5 to 8 cards face down. The rider flips them one by one. Flip a number (2–10)? Take a sip and move to the next. Flip a Face card (J, Q, K) or an Ace? Take a big drink (e.g., 5 sips) and the dealer refills the row — you're back to card one!
The ride only ends when the driver successfully clears the entire row without hitting a single Face card or Ace.
For a shorter game, Face cards don't send you back to the start; you just drink and keep moving through the row.