Slapjack facts for kids
Players slap the pile when a jack is played
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| Type | Matching |
|---|---|
| Players | 3-4 (2-8) |
| Skills required | visual alertness, quick responses |
| Cards | 52 |
| Deck | French |
| Play | Clockwise |
| Card rank (highest first) | A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 |
| Playing time | 15 min. |
| Random chance | Mainly luck |
| Related games | |
| Beggar-My-Neighbour, Egyptian Ratscrew | |
| Easy to play | |
Slapjack, also known as Slaps, is a fun and simple card game. It uses a standard deck of 52 cards. Many children learn to play Slapjack as one of their first card games.
This game is a mix of other card games like Beggar-My-Neighbour and Egyptian Ratscrew. Sometimes, people call it Heart Attack. It's also similar to simpler "slap" card games, such as Snap.
Contents
How to Play Slapjack
To start, a 52-card deck is shared among all players. Each player gets a stack of cards, face-down. Try to make the stacks as equal as possible.
One player begins by taking the top card from their stack. They place it face-up in the middle. This spot should be easy for everyone to reach. Players then take turns doing this, moving around the table in a clockwise direction.
The exciting part happens when a jack card is placed on the pile. When this happens, any player can try to slap the pile. The first person to cover the pile with their hand wins all the cards in that pile. They then shuffle these cards and add them to the bottom of their own stack.
If someone places another card on top of the jack before it's slapped, no one can take those cards. Players must wait for the next jack to appear.
If a player runs out of cards, they get one last chance. They can still try to slap a jack to get back into the game. If they miss this chance, they are out of the game. The game continues until one player has collected all the cards. That player wins!
Saying "Slapjack!"
In one popular way to play, the person who slaps the cards must also say "Slapjack!" at the same time. If they don't say it, they don't get the pile.
Also, if a player slaps the pile and says "Slapjack," but the card is not a jack, there's a penalty. The other players get to share the cards from that pile.
Other Ways to Play
There are many different versions of Slapjack and similar games. Here are a few popular ones.
Snap
Snap is another popular card game for children. Players deal out cards and try to react quickly. The goal is to be the first to react when two cards with the same value appear. Snap is similar to Egyptian Ratscrew.
This game is often one of the first card games taught to kids. Sometimes, special card packs are used, featuring popular characters. For older kids, there are more complex packs. These packs might have subtle differences between cards. They also might have penalties if you call "Snap" by mistake.
To play, the pack of cards is dealt face-down among the players. Each player gets a stack. Players take turns flipping a card from their stack. They place it face-up on a pile in front of them. If two cards on top of any of these piles are the same, players shout "Snap!" The first player to shout "Snap!" takes both face-up piles. They add these cards to the bottom of their own stack. The player who collects all the cards wins the game.
In a simpler version for younger children, all cards are played onto one shared pile. Players call "Snap!" if two cards in a row on this pile are the same.
Irish Snap
Irish Snap is a card game where the goal is to get rid of your cards as fast as you can. Since only one person loses, the player with all the cards at the end might have to do a forfeit.
The deck of cards is dealt face-down to all players. Players take turns placing cards face-up onto a pile in the middle. As they play a card, they also call out card ranks in order: the first player says "Ace," the second says "two," and so on.
If the card you play matches the rank you just called out, the pile can be slapped. Just like in Slapjack, the last person to slap takes the pile. This pile becomes a penalty for them. The last player who still has cards left is the loser.
In some versions, you can also call "snap" if the last two cards played are identical. Or, if the most recent card played is a queen.
Extra Rules for Irish Snap
Some players like to add extra rules to Irish Snap. These are often called house rules.
- Irish Snap: If the card played matches the rank being spoken, all players slap.
- Regular Snap: If the card played is the same as the one right below it, all players slap.
- Silent Sevens: If a seven (or another agreed-upon card) is played, players stop counting ranks out loud. They must keep track of the count in their heads. This rule might end when the same card is played again.
- Runs: Players can slap if they see a set of cards that go up or down by one rank. For example: 5, 6, 7 or 8, 7, 6.
- Sandwiches: Players can slap if they see two matching cards with any other card in between them. For example: 5, 7, 5 or Jack, 3, Jack.
- King Salutes: Players must salute before slapping a pile that lands on a king.
- Preemptive Snap: If a player runs out of cards, they keep playing their turn by saying the next number. But if a snap happens because of their turn, other players can slap before the card rank is even said.
There are many more rules that can be added to Irish Snap. Some games even let the player who snaps fastest twice in a row add a new rule. Some versions end when a player runs out of cards and snaps fastest, making them the winner. Other games just keep going until players decide to stop.
Images for kids
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Two eights dealt in a row is a "snap"
