CUSTOM CARD DECK FOR PLAYING THE DRINKING GAME “KINGS”

SPECIFICATION

Background of the Invention

Field: The present invention generally relates to card decks and playing cards used to play

card games, and more specifically to custom card decks and playing cards used to play drinking card

games.

State of the Art: Playing card games is a longtime tradition enjoyed over the years by

millions of people around the world. Various card games are be played with card decks of various

types and numbers of cards. However, a standard card deck as used in casinos and by the average

card player in the western hemisphere contains fifty-two cards, each typically made of a standard

size and materials. These playing cards each have a front side printed with one of four standard card

“suits” of clubs, hearts, spades, or diamonds, and one of the standard card “values” of aces, kings,

queens, jacks, tens, nines, eights, sevens, sixes, fives, fours, threes, and twos.

Card games are played in many different places such as casinos, homes, college dormitories

and fraternity/sorority houses, neighborhood bars, and in many types of situations such as

competitively for money, for leisure, as a diversion by ones self such as solitaire, and for amusement

during drinking of alcoholic beverages as a subset of card and non-card games broadly known as

“drinking games”.

There are many types of card games that are drinking games, particularly popular among

young males at home and on college campuses. One such card game is “Kings” (also less

commonly known as King's Cup, Circle of Death, or Ring of Fire) which is played with a standard

fifty-two card deck. Each card has an assigned action associated with it that rhymes with the value

of the card and which includes players taking a drink under certain circumstances. The object of the

card game is to draw all of the cards until they're gone at which time everyone is drunk.

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1. “KINGS” CARD GAME - SETUP

A pitcher or big cup, called the “King’s Cup”, is placed in the center of a card table. The

playing cards of a standard fifty-two card deck are shuffled and placed face-down usually in a circle

around the pitcher. Everyone then agrees on how much a "sip" of their drink is.

2. PLAY

A predetermined first player draws one of the cards from the circle. The players must follow

an assigned rule for each card as explained below. Players progresses to the left (clockwise) in this

manner to sequentially draw a card and follow the assigned rule for each card.

3. HIERARCHY OF PLAYING CARDS

The playing cards each have assigned rules that players must follow. The rules rhyme with

their value of ace, king, queen, jack, or numbers. The “two” cards have a "to you" rule in which the

player who draws it must choose a player to take a drink. The “three” cards have a "for me" rule

in which the player who draws it must take a drink. The “four” cards have a "touch the floor" rule

in which the last player to touch the floor must take a drink. The “five” cards have an "up high" rule

in which the last player to raise his/her hand must take a drink. The “six” cards have a "for dicks"

rule in which all of the male players must take a drink. The “seven” cards have a "seven eleven"

rule in which the player who draws it must say an item that is sold in Seven ElevenTM stores. Then,

going clockwise around the card table, each player must say all the items each previous player said

plus add an item. The first player to mess up must take a drink. The “eight” cards have a "select

a mate" rule in which the player who draws it must pick choose another player and both players must

take a drink. The “nine” cards have a "rhyme" rule in which the player who draws it must pick a

word or phrase with which other words/phrases rhyme. Then, going clockwise around the card

table, each player must say something that rhymes with that word or phrase. The first player to mess

up the rhyme must take a drink. The “ten” cards have a “categories" rule in which the player who

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draws it must call out a category such as "automobiles” and then state an example that fits within

that category. Then, going clockwise around the card table, each player must say something that

fits within that category without repeating a previous example. The first player to mess up must take

a drink. The “jack” cards have a “rule" rule in which the player who draws it must choose a rule to

be in effect for the rest of the game. If any player breaks any rule, he/she must take a drink. The

“queen” cards have a “questions" rule in which the player who draws it must ask any other player

a random question. That player must choose then ask any other player another random question.

This continues until a player either says something that isn't a question or cannot say anything

because of laughing. The “king” cards have a “king's cup" rule in which the player who draws it

is a first king who may pour a decent amount of whatever he/she is drinking into the "king’s cup"

located in the center of the card table. This continues for second and third kings. A fourth king

must chug the “king’s cup”. The “ace” cards have a “waterfall" rule in which all players must fill

their drink then begin to drink at the same time. A first player to the left of to the player who draws

it cannot stop drinking until the player who draws it stops, a second player to the first player’s left

cannot stop drinking until the first player stops, and so on. It goes around the card table until all

players have finished their drinks.

4. GAME VARIATIONS

Many variations are possible to the basic game. However, the “king” cards are always

untouched by rule changes and have the same rule no matter what other changes have been made.

In a first variation, the playing cards can have different assigned rules that players must

follow. For example, the “four” cards can have a "whores" rule in which all of the female players

must take a drink. The “five” cards can have a "guys" rule in which all of the male players must to

take a drink. The “five” cards can have a "jive" rule in which the player who draws it must do a

dance move. Then, going clockwise around the card table, each player must do all of the dance

moves each previous player did plus add a dance move. The first player to mess up must take a

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drink. The “six” cards can have a "chicks" rule in which all of the female players must take a drink.

The “seven” cards can have a "heaven" rule in which the last player to reach his/her hand up to

heaven must take a drink. The “ten” cards can have a "never have I ever" rule in which the player

who draws it must say something that he/she has never done and anyone who has done it must take

a drink. The “jack” cards can have a "get back" rule in which the previous player from the player

who draws it must take a drink. The “queen” cards can have a "quickness" rule in which the last

player to put his/her thumbs on the card table or touch his/her nose must take a drink.

In a second variation, the “two” through “eight” cards are worth their face value in drinks.

The “red” cards (hearts and diamonds suits) have a "red to the head" rule in which the player who

draws it must take that amount of drinks (sips). The “black” cards (clubs and spades suits) have a

"pass-out" rule in which the player that draws it must pass out the face amount in drinks to other

player(s). The “nine” through “ace” cards are special in which the color/suit does not matter.

In a third variation, the “two” through “five” cards have a rule in which the player who draws

it must take as many sips as the value of the card. The “six” through “nine” cards have a rule in

which the player who draws it must choose a player to take as many sips as the value of the card.

The “ten” cards have a rule in which the player who draws it must choose a player immediately to

his/her left or right to take one sip.

Summary of the Invention

A custom card deck for use playing the drinking card game known as “Kings”. The card

deck includes fifty-two playing cards each having a front side printed with a center phrase box in

which is printed an assigned rule that card players must follow. A value indicia is also printed on

the front side that indicates one of the standard card “values” of ace, king, queen, jack, or numbers.

Each rule rhymes with the value of the particular playing card. A back side of each playing card has

in conventional manner a design, picture, or other indicia that provides no indication to other players

of the suit or value of the playing card.

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The rules in the phrase boxes make card playing much easier during playing of “Kings”

especially for novices. Without the phrase box on each card requires each card player to mentally

note that the rule the value of the card represents. Oftentimes, card players forget the rule that

applies to the playing card.

The Drawings

The best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention is illustrated in the

accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a custom card deck of the present invention for playing the

drinking card game “Kings”, showing cards from aces through tens;

FIG. 2, a top plan view of the custom card deck to a slightly larger scale showing cards nine

through six; and

FIG. 3, a top plan view of the custom card deck to the slightly larger scale showing cards five

through two.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, therein is shown a custom card deck of the present invention,

designated generally at 20, for use playing the drinking card game known as “Kings”. The card deck

20 includes fifty-two playing cards 23 each typically made of conventional size and materials such

as plastic laminated paper or other well-known construction. The playing cards 23 each have a front

side 26 printed with a center phrase box 29 in which is printed an assigned rule (not shown) that

rhymes with the value of the playing card 23 that card players must follow. A value indicia 32 is

also printed on the front side 26 that indicates one of the standard card “values” of ace, king, queen,

jack, or numbers. The value indicia 32 of two playing cards 23 of each value can be “red” and two

“black” (i.e. printed in red or black) to respectively represent the “hearts” and “diamonds” suits, and

the “clubs” and “spades” suits for use is some versions of the card game “Kings”. Each rule rhymes

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with the value of the particular playing card 23. A back side 35 of each playing card 23 has in

conventional manner a design, picture, or other indicia (not shown) that provides no indication to

other players of the suit or value of the playing card 23.

The rules in the phrase boxes 29 can be whatever is desired as played in the game “Kings”

as discussed in the prior art above. Here are some exemplary rules. The rule in the phrase box 29

for the “two” playing cards 23 is “Screw You - You choose someone to take a drink.”. The rule for

the “three” playing cards 23 is “For Me - You take a drink.”. The rule for the “four” playing cards

23 is “Touch the Floor - The last person to touch the floor must take a drink.”. The rule for the

“five” playing cards 23 is “Up High - The last person to raise their hand must take a drink.”. The

rule for the “six” playing cards 23 is "For Dicks - Every guy participating has to take a drink.”. The

rule for the “seven” playing cards 23 is "Seven Eleven - Starting with the person who pulled the

card, everyone must mention an item that is sold in seven eleven. The catch is the next person has

to say what the previous person said and something new, and on until someone messes up and they

have to drink.”. The rule for the “eight” playing cards is "Select a Mate - You choose someone and

you both take a drink.”. The rule for the “nine” playing cards is "Bust a Rhyme - You say a word

and everyone has to rhyme with it, the person who messes up has to take a drink.”. The rule for the

“ten” playing cards 23 is "Never Have I Ever - You tell a ‘never have I ever...’, and anyone who

HAS done it, must take a drink.”. The rule for the “jack” playing cards 23 is "Get Back - You

choose someone, for whatever reason, to drink.”. The rule for the “queen” playing cards 23 is

"Quickness - Everyone has to put their thumbs on the table, the last person to do so must take a

drink.”. The rule for the “king” playing cards 23 is "Whoever draws the first ‘king’ pours his beer

into the pitcher, whoever draws the second ‘king’ does the same, whoever draws the third ‘king’

does the same and sets a time limit so whoever draws the fourth ‘king’ must drink whatever is in the

pitcher in the allotted time.”. The person who draws the fourth king must full the cup up the rest of

the way and drink it.". The rule for the “ace” playing cards 23 is "Waterfall - Everyone must fill

their drink. The player who drew the “ace” must then start drinking, with everyone following in

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suit. The person to the player's left may only stop when the original player stops and so on (i.e. the

person to the right of the player with the ace is in trouble).”.

The rules in the phrase boxes 29 make card playing much easier during playing of “Kings”

especially for novices. Without the phrase box 29 on each card 23 requires each card player to

mentally note that the rule the value of the card 23 represents. Oftentimes, card players forget the

rule that applies to the playing card 23.