Five-Card Yak

Five-Card Yak is a drinking game, which is best played by three to five players. The rules are as follows:

Five cards are dealt to each player
Each player passes one card to the left and one card to the right
Each player plays one card, dealer leads
Players must play a card of the same suit as the first card played, if able
The highest untied card “wins,” regardless of suit; tied cards cannot win
The player who played the winning card drinks once
Each player plays his second card, with the winner playing first, and as before, everyone else must follow suit
The player who plays the winning card drinks twice
Play is repeated for the third, fourth, and fifth cards, and the winner drinks three, four, and five times, respectively
Exception: A winning player who also drank for the last play of cards drinks only once
The winner of the last card in the hand deals the next hand
Shooting the Moon: A player who wins four or five times in a hand is rewarded
- After winning four out of five cards in a hand, the player does not drink; instead, all other players take the number of drinks normally taken (the number of the card in the hand, either four or five) plus one additional drink; the winning player gets to make a new rule for the game
- If this player manages to win again, winning all five cards in a hand, all other players drink twice, and the winner gets to make a second rule
Modifications for an unusual number of players:
- Six or more players: A player needs to win only three times to make a rule; this player can make a second rule by winning all five cards in a hand
- Two players: A player must win all five cards in a hand to make a rule

See the full set of official rules for clarifications.