1: Shuffle a regular 52-card deck and deal out all of it, face down, one card at a time.Some players may get one card more than others. That is fine.
2: Square your cards into a face-down pile. Nobody looks at their cards.Hold the pile or keep it on the table in front of you.
3: Going clockwise, each player in turn flips their top card face up onto one middle pile.Put the middle pile where every player can reach it.
4: Flip the card away from you, so everyone sees it at the same moment.Peeking at a card first is not allowed.
5: A jack lands: slap it. The first hand flat on the pile wins every card in it.On any other card, hands stay back and the next player flips.
6: Several hands on the pile? The one at the bottom, touching the jack, wins.That hand got there first.
7: The winner puts the pile face down under their own cards.Some tables shuffle it first.
8: The player on the winner's left flips the next card.It starts a new middle pile.
9: Play until one player holds all 52 cards. That player wins.For a game with a set end, see the time limit among the table rules.
Show all 28 rows (19 more)
Cards each, by number of players 7
1: Two players: 26 cards each.The deck splits evenly.
2: Three players: 17 cards each, and one player gets 18.The extra card goes to the first player dealt to.
3: Four players: 13 cards each.The deck splits evenly again.
4: Five players: 10 cards each, and two players get 11.The first two players dealt to hold the extra cards.
5: Six players: 8 cards each, and four players get 9.The first four players dealt to hold the extra cards.
6: Seven players: 7 cards each, and three players get 8.The first three players dealt to hold the extra cards.
7: Eight players: 6 cards each, and four players get 7.Small piles run out fast. The slips sheet covers a player with no cards.
Slips, and running out of cards 6
1: Slapped a card other than a jack? Give your top card to the player who laid that card.Hand it over face down. It goes to the bottom of their pile.
2: Out of cards? You stop flipping, and you stay in for the next jack.Keep your hand ready.
3: Win that slap and you are back in the game with the whole pile.Your turn to flip comes around as before.
4: If another player wins that jack, you are out.A wrong slap while you hold no cards puts you out too.
5: A jack covered by the next card before anyone slaps it is safe.Nobody can take the pile until another jack lands.
6: Too close to call? Ask a player who is out, or someone watching, to judge (ours).The judge's word is final.
Table rules, each one marked 6
1: Table rule, the call: say "Slapjack!" as you slap, or you do not get the pile.Good for a table where two hands often land together.
2: Table rule, the wrong call: slap and call on a wrong card and the others share the pile.A harder price than the one card of the standard game. Pick one.
3: Table rule, the other hand: slap with the hand that did not flip the card.It keeps the player who is flipping from getting a head start.
4: Table rule, the time limit: stop at an agreed time. The most cards wins.Count the piles when the time is up.
5: Table rule, soft slaps (ours): a hand laid flat counts the same as a hard slap.Agree on it before the first card.
6: First game (ours): lay out the four jacks before you deal, so everyone knows them.Then shuffle them back into the deck.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-09, in our own words. Slapjack is a traditional children's card game with no governing body. Every row of the standard sheet was checked on 2026-10-09 against the card game rules site Pagat: https://www.pagat.com/war/slapjack.html, and against English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Slapjack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapjack. Both give the same game: a regular 52-card deck dealt out face down as evenly as it goes, players in turn flipping the top card of their pile onto one pile in the middle, the first hand to slap a jack taking the pile and adding it under their own cards, a player without cards staying in for one more jack, and the player who collects every card winning. The card turned away from the player, the hand underneath winning, the next card flipped by the player on the winner's left, the top card handed over for a wrong slap and the time limit are as Pagat gives them; the jack that is safe once covered, the pile shuffled before it is added, the call of the game's name, the pile shared out after a wrong call and the slap with the other hand are as Wikipedia gives them. The deal sheet is worked out from 52 cards dealt one at a time. Rows marked ours are this site's own suggestions and are not official. The page is written for ages 4 and up. It needs no boxed deck, and nothing is played for a stake: the cards themselves keep score. Licence: own work
How it works
Slapjack is a card game for two or more players and one regular deck, and it is often the first card game a child learns. Nobody has to read a hand: watch the pile and slap when a jack lands.
Read the full guide
How to play Slap Jack, card by card
Everyone holds a pile, face down. In turn around the table, each player flips one card onto the middle. A 4, a queen, a 9: nothing happens. A jack: every hand goes for the pile, and the first one flat on it takes all the cards underneath.
A wrong slap, and a player with no cards
Slap a card other than a jack and you give your top card to the player who laid it. A player who runs out of cards stays in for one more jack, and is back in the game by slapping it first.
Watch the card, not the other hands. A queen or a king catches out a player who slaps at any picture card.
Questions and answers
How do you play the Slap Jack card game?
Deal the whole deck face down. Players take turns flipping their top card onto a middle pile. When a jack lands, the first hand to slap it takes the pile. The player who collects all 52 cards wins.
What are the rules for playing Slap Jack, the card game?
Three rules cover it. Flip each card away from you so nobody sees it early. Only a jack is slapped, and the first hand on it wins the pile. A wrong slap costs you your top card.
How many cards do you get in Slapjack?
The whole deck is dealt, so it depends on the table: 26 each for two players and 13 each for four. With three, five or six players some piles are one card bigger, and that is fine.
Who gets the pile when two players slap the jack?
The player whose hand is at the bottom, touching the card. If the table cannot agree, ask someone who is not playing to judge.