Horse Race
Set up the game
You need at least 2 players
How to play
- 1Type the names, choose how many jumps the track has and have everyone bet: a suit and the sips they are playing for.
- 2A card comes off the pile: its horse moves up one jump and whoever backed that suit drinks a sip.
- 3Once every horse reaches a jump, its card flips: that suit drops back and drinks too. First across the line wins, and whoever backed it hands out double their bet.
House rules
- Blind betsNobody says their suit until everyone says it at once, on three. If three land on the same horse, half the table is riding it.
- Double or nothingWhoever has the horse in last place can double their stake. It almost never works, which is exactly why everyone does it.
- Last place paysWhen the race ends, whoever backed the horse in last place drinks their stake again. Trailing stops being just bad luck.
Frequently asked questions
- How many players do you need for Horse Race?
- From 2 to 12. Fewer and it falls flat, more and it drags, though nobody is going to stop you trying.
- Do I have to download anything?
- No. Horse Race opens in your phone's browser and runs right there: nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
- Is Horse Race free?
- Completely. Every card, every level and all six languages, with no account and no paid tier.
- Can more than four people play?
- Yes. There are only four horses, so from five players on you share a suit: you bet together and you drink together, which is when the shouting starts.
- What are the face-down cards on the track for?
- They mark every jump of the course. When all four horses draw level with one, it flips over, and the suit underneath drops back a jump and drinks. That is why no race is settled before the finish.