Free · Play online · No sign-up
Ride the Bus: rules and online card game
The card drinking game in three acts: guess your way through four questions, survive the pyramid, and pray you don’t end up riding the bus. Play it here with a virtual deck or read the rules below.
- 👥 2–8 players
- ⏱ 20–40 minutes
- 🎒 A phone or a deck of cards
Ride the Bus: play online
Four questions, a pyramid and the bus
Everyone answers red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside and the suit. Then the pyramid hands out sips, and whoever holds the most cards rides the bus. The phone deals and keeps track.
Ride the Bus: quick rules
Round 1: each player answers four questions as they’re dealt four cards (red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, the suit); a wrong answer means sips, a right one lets you give them out. Round 2: flip a pyramid of cards; matching cards in your hand give out sips. Round 3: whoever holds the most cards rides the bus, guessing higher or lower along a row of cards until they reach the end.
Round 1: the four questions
The dealer goes round the table four times, dealing one card face up to each player per question. Guess right and you give out sips; guess wrong and you take them. The stakes rise each round:
| Question | What you guess | Sips |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Red or black? | The colour of your first card | 1 |
| 2. Higher or lower? | Is card 2 higher or lower than card 1? (Aces high) | 2 |
| 3. Inside or outside? | Does card 3 fall between cards 1 and 2, or outside them? | 3 |
| 4. What suit? | Hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades | 4 |
A tie (same rank on higher/lower, or matching one end on inside/outside) counts as wrong in most houses. You keep all four cards for round 2.
Round 2: the pyramid
The dealer lays out a pyramid of 10 cards face down: 4 on the bottom, then 3, 2 and 1. Flip them one at a time, starting at the bottom. Anyone holding a card of the same rank lays it down and gives out sips: 1 for the bottom row, 2 for the second, 3 for the third and 4 for the top card.
Many groups add bluffing: you may claim a match you don’t have, and the target can call you out. Caught bluffing? Take double. Our online version plays it straight and spots matches for you.
Round 3: riding the bus
Whoever has the most cards left after the pyramid rides the bus. The dealer lays five cards in a row, the first face up. The rider guesses whether each next card is higher or lower. A wrong guess means sips equal to how far along the row they got, and a brand-new row.
Traditional rules keep going until the rider makes it to the end, which can take a long time. We use a mercy rule: after five attempts the rider is off the bus. Everyone has some water and the game is over.
Is Ride the Bus the same as Irish Poker?
Irish Poker is the first round on its own: the same four questions (colour, higher or lower, inside or outside, suit), usually followed by a pyramid. Ride the Bus adds the bus at the end. The rules above cover both.
Ride the Bus variations
- Bus ride on red or black
- A gentler bus: the rider only guesses red or black for each card instead of higher or lower.
- Double pyramid
- For big groups, use a 15-card pyramid (5-4-3-2-1) and two decks.
- Everyone rides
- Skip the pyramid: every player takes one run along the bus, and whoever gets furthest gives out 5 sips.
- No alcohol
- Choose No alcohol in the game: sips become penalty points and the lowest total wins.
Tips for a good game
- Say the question out loud before each deal; it keeps the pace up.
- Keep the pyramid values low (1–4) so the bus stays funny instead of brutal.
- Agree on ties before you start: we count them as wrong.
Play it safe: every game here works with sips of any drink, or none at all. Only adults of legal drinking age should drink alcohol, alternate with water, and never drink and drive. [How to drink responsibly](/drink-responsibly/)
Ride the Bus: FAQ
How do you play Ride the Bus?
Three rounds: each player answers four guesses about their cards (red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside, suit); then a pyramid of cards is flipped and matching cards give out sips; the player with the most cards left rides the bus, guessing higher or lower along a row of cards.
How many players do you need for Ride the Bus?
Two to eight. With more than eight, use two decks.
What happens on a tie in Ride the Bus?
In most houses a tie counts as a wrong guess, both for higher or lower and for inside or outside.
How long does the bus last?
Traditionally until the rider gets through the whole row. Our online version stops after five attempts (the mercy rule).
Can you play Ride the Bus online?
Yes. The game above deals from a virtual deck, checks every guess, runs the pyramid and picks who rides the bus.
More drinking games to try
- Kings Cup The classic: every card has a rule, and the fourth King ends the game.
- Drinking card games Kings Cup, Ride the Bus, Higher or Lower, Horse Race and more.
- Drinking games for 3 A Trio deck, Three Man and card games that work with three.