Horserace (drinking game)
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Horserace is a drinking game in which players place bets on a particular suit of cards, cheer their selected "horse" on as it races, and drink according to the outcome. Horserace can become an exciting game with a talented announcer, an involved crowd, and subsequent rounds.
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[edit] Preparation
The horseracing game requires active participation by only one person: the announcer. The announcer should preferably be an exciting narrator. The announcer prepares the field by searching through the deck, taking out the ace (horse) of each suit, and laying them face-up and side-by-side at one end of the table (this is "the gates"). He then shuffles the deck and lays out eight cards face-down (these form the eight "links" of the race) in a straight line perpendicular to the row of aces. The cards thus appear to form the two legs of a right triangle. The field is now set.
[edit] Betting
Before the game begins, each player makes bets based on their favorite horse/suit. Bets are generally as simple as "ten on diamonds." At the end of a race, correct bets typically will allow the bettor to give out twice that number of drinks. Incorrect bets typically force the bettor to drink the same amount that was bet. A popular betting rule however, is that players must drink half their bets before the race begins (so as to not warrant absurd betting amounts).
The betting portion of the horseracing game is highly subject to modification based on house rules and/or the announcer's preferences. Betting can get as complicated as any true horserace: announcers may choose to allow Trifectas, Exactas, Daily Doubles, etc. Placing a small bet on the "first horse out of the gates" is a popular bet that fires the crowd up early.
[edit] Gameplay
Once all bets are in, the announcer begins the race. He flips over the top card of the remaining deck. Only the suit of this card matters; the ace of that suit moves forward to the first link. The announcer narrates the ebb and flow of the game as the bettors cheer on their horse. He continues flipping cards and advancing horses accordingly until one horse wins by passing the final link into the winner's circle.
[edit] Faltering
An important element of the horseracing game is "faltering." Each time a horse moves up to a new link for the first time (and only the first time), the announcer flips over the card on the side of that link. The suit shown on this sideboard card must move back one space (falter). Thus in an eight-link horserace, there are eight instances of faltering that can totally change the outcome of the game. As a rule, any horse in the gates can not be knocked back any further by faltering.
