Five-Card Yak is a drinking game. It is intended for three to five players, but up to ten people can play with one deck of cards. The standard pack of fifty-two cards is used with the cards ranking from Ace high to Deuce low, and drinks usually are distributed as a penalty for taking a trick. Through sucessful play, the players can add additional rules to the game.
As the name implies, each player is dealt five cards. After the deal is completed, each player must pass one card to his left neighbor and one card to his right neighbor. He must select these cards from his hand before looking at the cards received from his neighbors.
The dealer leads the first card and play rotates to the left (clockwise). A player must follow suit to a lead if able, but if unable to follow suit, he may play any card. The trick is won by the highest (untied) card played regardless of the suit led. The winner leads the next trick, including at the end of a hand, so that the winner of the fifth trick deals and leads the first trick of the next hand.
When two or more players put down cards of the same rank, their cards cancel and they become ineligible to win the trick. Thus, when two or more cards are tied for the highest rank, the next highest (untied) card wins the trick instead. If all cards played are ineligible for this reason, no one wins the trick, and the player who led the last trick also leads the next trick, becoming the dealer if this occurs at the end of a hand.
Normally, the winner of the trick is penalized by being required to drink one or more times with the number of penalty drinks to be taken being equal to the number of the trick in the hand. That is, the winner of the first trick drinks once; the winner of the second trick drinks twice; and this continues so that the winner of the fifth and final trick drinks five times. If, however, the winner suffered the penalty for the previous trick (whether or not he actually took the previous trick and even if this penalty was shared by more than one player because of the rules in play), he drinks only once, to make up the difference. These drinks must be taken before the next trick begins.
When a player has taken his fourth trick (i.e., four out of the five tricks in the hand), he no longer drinks for taking the trick. Instead, every other player must drink the penalty for the trick, either four or five drinks, plus an additional drink for allowing another player to take so many tricks. (Any player who was penalized for the previous trick must drink only twice.) The player taking the trick is also entitled to add a new rule to the game, which goes into effect immediately. If this player manages to take a fifth trick, thereby taking all of the tricks in the hand, the other players must drink two additional drinks, and the player is allowed to make a second rule.
New rules must not affect the creation of later rules, must not be obviously biased toward or against any player or group of players, and must not require a player to take more than five drinks at a time (in addition to drinks taken because of other rules). Examples of good rules include rules that penalize certain actions (e.g., a player must drink if he says the word “drink”) and rules that are associated with specific cards (e.g., when a player plays a jack, the player to his left must drink twice). An opportunity to make a rule can be used to amend an existing rule or to repeal one instead of creating a new rule.
Parties of six or more should consider dividing into separate groups of three to five to play. However, in games with more than five players, the rules should be altered to allow a player to create a new rule after taking only three of the five tricks. In addition, the rules for penalty drinks also apply to this trick, so that the other players must drink the penalty for the trick, instead of the winner, plus an additional drink. If the player continues to take tricks after his third, then the other players must drink two drinks for each additional successful trick, and the player is allowed to make a second rule if he takes all five tricks in the hand.
Games with only two players should require that a player take all five tricks before being allowed to create a new rule. The penalty drinks for the first four tricks are assigned according to the normal rules. Players should also consider using the alternate rules for two players.
GOVERNMENT WARNING: According to the surgeon general, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.