Higher or Lower is a simple card drinking game where you guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than the card currently showing. Guess correctly and you survive the turn. Guess wrong and you drink.
That is basically the entire game.
The only problem is that Higher or Lower has several common rule variations. Some groups make one guess per turn. Others make you keep guessing until you miss or earn the right to pass. Aces can be high or low, and ties may count as an automatic loss or a redraw.
Pick those rules before the first card flips. Otherwise somebody is absolutely going to discover a new interpretation of the rules the second it saves them from drinking.
HIGHER OR LOWER RULES — QUICK VERSION
- Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and remove the Jokers.
- Flip one card face-up in the middle.
- The first player guesses whether the next card will be higher or lower.
- Flip the next card.
- A correct guess means no penalty.
- A wrong guess means the player takes one sip.
- If the cards tie, we recommend counting it as a wrong guess.
- The newly revealed card becomes the card used for the next guess.
- Continue clockwise until the deck runs out or everyone is done playing.
To play Higher or Lower: flip one playing card face-up, then have the active player predict whether the next card will be higher or lower in rank. Reveal the next card; a wrong prediction means a small drinking penalty, while a correct prediction moves the game forward. Keep using each newly revealed card as the reference card until the deck is finished or the group stops.
What You Need to Play Higher or Lower
- 1 standard 52-card deck
- 2 or more players
- Drinks
- A table or other flat surface
Remove the Jokers. They do not have a standard role in Higher or Lower and mostly create an argument your game does not need.
| Quick Fact | Higher or Lower |
|---|---|
| Players | 2+ |
| Equipment | 1 deck of cards |
| Setup | About 30 seconds |
| Difficulty | Very easy |
| Best For | Small groups, pregames, quick card games |
| Mess | Almost none |
| Skill | Mostly probability and luck |
Higher or Lower Card Rankings
Before playing, decide how the cards rank.
The simplest setup is:
2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → JACK → QUEEN → KING → ACE
That makes 2 the lowest card and Ace the highest card.
Ace-low versions exist too, so there is no reason to act like Ace-high was handed down on stone tablets. Just decide before playing.
Are Suits Important?
No. Hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades normally have no effect on the basic Higher or Lower drinking game.
A 7 of Hearts and a 7 of Spades are equal.
If you want suit guessing, that starts moving the game closer to other card drinking games rather than standard Higher or Lower.
How to Set Up Higher or Lower
1. Shuffle the Deck
Use one normal deck with the Jokers removed.
2. Decide Whether Ace Is High or Low
We recommend Ace high and 2 low because it gives the card order an obvious top and bottom:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.
3. Decide What Happens on a Tie
A tie happens when the next card has the same rank as the current card.
Example:
Current card: 8
Player guesses: Higher
Next card: 8
That card is neither higher nor lower.
We recommend making a tie an automatic wrong guess. It is simple, common, and avoids having to redraw cards.
4. Choose Your Turn Rule
This is the biggest Higher or Lower variation.
You can either:
- Play one guess per turn and rotate clockwise after every card.
- Use streak rules where the same player keeps guessing until they lose or are allowed to pass.
Both versions exist. Our default rules use one guess per turn because they are easier to teach and work better with casual groups.
How to Play the Higher or Lower Drinking Game
FLIP CARD → GUESS HIGHER OR LOWER → REVEAL NEXT CARD → DRINK IF WRONG → NEXT PLAYER
1. Flip the Starting Card
The dealer flips the top card face-up in the middle of the table.
Say the first card is a 6.
2. Guess Higher or Lower
The first player must predict whether the next card will rank higher or lower than the 6.
They could say:
“Higher.”
Nothing complicated here. Do not allow someone to wait until half the next card is visible before suddenly remembering their guess.
3. Reveal the Next Card
The dealer flips the next card.
If it is a Queen, the player correctly guessed higher.
If it is a 4, the player guessed incorrectly.
If it is another 6, use whatever tie rule your group agreed on.
4. Apply the Drinking Penalty
Under the basic rules:
- Correct guess: no penalty.
- Wrong guess: take one sip.
- Tie: counts as wrong under our recommended rules.
Keep it to sips. There is absolutely no mechanical reason a missed 50/50-ish card guess needs to become a shot.
5. Use the New Card for the Next Guess
The newly revealed card stays face-up and becomes the reference card.
If the Queen was just revealed, the next player now guesses whether the following card will be higher or lower than the Queen.
The game keeps moving through the deck this way.
6. Continue Around the Table
Play moves clockwise after each guess under the simple version.
The game can end when:
- The deck runs out.
- You play a predetermined number of rounds.
- Everyone decides they have gotten the point.
There is usually no traditional winner. Higher or Lower works better as a quick drinking game than as some elaborate championship event.
Higher or Lower Strategy: What Should You Guess?
Higher or Lower is mostly luck, but your guesses do not have to be completely brainless.
If Aces are high and 2s are low:
| Current Card | Usually Better Guess |
|---|---|
| 2–6 | Higher |
| 7–9 | Closer call |
| 10–Ace | Lower |
An Ace is about as subtle as this game gets. If Ace is the highest card, guess lower.
On a 2, guess higher.
Seven and 8 are where the deck starts giving you the finger.
Does Card Counting Matter?
A little. Because revealed cards stay visible, you can use information from cards that have already appeared.
If several Kings, Queens, and Aces have already been played, another high card becomes less likely.
You do not need to turn a pregame into a casino surveillance documentary, but paying attention can improve your odds.
Higher or Lower House Rules & Variations
There is no single universal Higher or Lower drinking game ruleset. The basic guessing mechanic stays consistent, but turn structure, ties, drinking penalties, and Ace ranking change between groups.
Streak / Pass After Three
This is one of the more established alternatives to the simple clockwise version.
Instead of making one guess and passing automatically, the active player keeps guessing successive cards.
After reaching a certain number of correct guesses — commonly three — the player may choose to pass the turn to the next person.
If they continue gambling and eventually guess incorrectly, they take the drinking penalty.
Some versions increase the penalty based on how many cards were successfully guessed before the miss.
This version creates considerably more tension because passing someone a dangerous middle card becomes part of the game.
Growing Penalty
In some versions, the drinking penalty increases with a player's streak.
For example, if someone gets three cards right and then misses the fourth, they might take four sips.
That creates more risk, but it can also make penalties climb stupidly fast. If you use it, cap the penalty.
Ties Are a Loss
The next card matching the current rank counts as a wrong guess.
This is our preferred version because neither “higher” nor “lower” was correct.
Ties Are a Redraw
Some groups simply ignore equal cards and draw another card.
That works too. It is slightly more forgiving.
Ace Low
Instead of placing Ace above King, rank it below 2:
Ace → 2 → 3 → ... → Queen → King
The important part is consistency. Do not let Ace become high or low depending on which answer suddenly benefits the person whose turn it is.
Ace High or Low by Choice
Another variation allows the player to treat Ace as either the highest or lowest card.
This makes an Ace extremely safe and removes some uncertainty, so we prefer choosing one fixed Ace rule before the game.
Our Recommended Higher or Lower Rules
If nobody at the table already has a preferred version, use this one.
COLLEGEWARES HIGHER OR LOWER RULES
- Use one standard 52-card deck with no Jokers.
- 2 is low.
- Ace is high.
- Each player makes one guess per turn.
- Correct guess = no drink.
- Wrong guess = one sip.
- Equal cards count as a wrong guess.
- The newly revealed card always becomes the next reference card.
- Play clockwise.
- Stop when the deck runs out or whenever the group wants to move on.
This version requires almost no explanation, keeps everyone involved, and avoids escalating penalties based entirely on bad card luck.
If your group wants more risk, switch to the three-correct-guesses-before-passing version.
Higher or Lower vs. Ride the Bus
Higher or Lower is not the same drinking game as Ride the Bus, but Higher or Lower is commonly used as one part of Ride the Bus.
In many versions of Ride the Bus, players go through several card predictions:
- Red or black?
- Higher or lower?
- Inside or outside?
- Guess the suit.
Higher or Lower takes that second mechanic and turns it into its own standalone game.
If you want a longer card game with multiple phases, a pyramid, and an actual loser at the end, play Ride the Bus.
If you have a deck of cards and about 30 seconds of patience for explaining rules, Higher or Lower wins on simplicity.
Is Higher or Lower Good for Two Players?
Yes. Higher or Lower works perfectly well with two players.
Players simply alternate guesses.
It is actually one of the easier drinking card games to play with two people because the rules do not depend on teams, voting, elimination, or a large group.
With bigger groups, use one guess per turn so nobody spends half the game staring at someone else flipping cards.
Can You Play Higher or Lower Without Alcohol?
Yes. The actual game mechanic has nothing to do with alcohol.
Use water, soda, points, candy, or any other harmless penalty instead.
You could also keep score by giving one point for every correct prediction and playing until the deck is exhausted.
Higher or Lower Drinking Game FAQ
How do you play the Higher or Lower drinking game?
Flip one card face-up and guess whether the next card will be higher or lower. Reveal the next card. A wrong guess means a small drinking penalty, while a correct guess is safe. The newly revealed card becomes the reference card for the next turn.
How many people do you need for Higher or Lower?
You need at least two players. The game can handle much larger groups, although one-guess-per-player turns work better when several people are playing.
How many cards do you need for Higher or Lower?
Use one standard 52-card deck without Jokers. One deck is plenty for most groups.
Is Ace high or low in Higher or Lower?
Ace can be high or low depending on the version. A common setup places Ace high and 2 low. Decide before the game starts and keep the ranking consistent.
What happens if the same card comes up in Higher or Lower?
A tie commonly counts as an incorrect guess, although some groups redraw. CollegeWares recommends counting equal ranks as a loss because the card was neither higher nor lower.
Do suits matter in Higher or Lower?
No. Standard Higher or Lower compares card rank only. A Queen beats a Jack regardless of suit.
Do you keep guessing after getting a card right?
It depends on the version. Simple Higher or Lower rotates to the next player after each prediction. Another established variation requires players to build a streak before they are allowed to pass.
How many correct guesses do you need before passing?
Three correct guesses is a common rule in streak-based Higher or Lower. After reaching three, the active player may pass the turn or continue risking a larger penalty.
How do you win Higher or Lower?
The basic drinking-game version usually does not have a winner. Players continue guessing until the deck runs out or the group stops. If you want competition, award one point per correct guess and compare totals at the end.
Is Higher or Lower part of Ride the Bus?
Yes, in many versions. Higher or Lower commonly appears as one of the early prediction rounds in Ride the Bus, alongside red or black, inside or outside, and suit guessing.
Is Higher or Lower the same as High Low?
Usually, yes. High Low, Hi-Lo, Higher or Lower, and Higher/Lower are commonly used for card games based on predicting whether the next card will increase or decrease in rank. Specific drinking and passing rules can still vary.
Higher or Lower in One Sentence
Look at the card, call higher or lower, flip the next one, and drink when the deck makes you look stupid.
