Folk game
One, Two, Three
- Players
- 2–6
- Duration
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- 1/3
- Deck
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
Chapter 1 of 4
How to set up
A reflex game for 2-6 players with the 40-card deck. You flip cards without looking. Aces, 2s and 3s make the next player pay, and on a pair or a sandwich the first hand to slap takes the pile. Whoever takes all the cards wins.
Objective
Take every card from your opponents. Cards are flipped in turn onto a pile in the middle: A, 2 and 3 force the next player to pay, and on a pair or a sandwich the first player to slap takes the whole pile. Whoever runs out of cards is out, but can come back with the right hand at the right moment.
Setup
- Deck
- 40 cards: remove the 8s, 9s, 10s and jokers
- The deal Shuffle and deal the whole deck, one card at a time, until it runs out. It does not matter if someone gets one card more.
- Your stack Everyone gathers their cards into a face-down stack and holds it without looking: nobody knows what is on top.
You need a steady surface for the pile in the middle. No table required, a train or bus seat will do.
Variants to agree on first
- Straccia camicia: play without slapping, with the A, 2 and 3 rules only. It is the game One, Two, Three grew from, and in many regions the game itself goes by this name.
- Pairs only: slap only on pairs, as in a Sicilian variant of Straccia camicia, and sandwiches do not count. Start with this, and add the sandwich once everyone spots pairs at a glance.
- 52-card deck: J, Q, K and A make the next player pay 1, 2, 3 and 4 cards, and the 2 to 10 make nobody pay. This is the English-language version, known as Egyptian Ratscrew.
- Sum to ten: also slap when the top two cards add up to 10 (for example 6 and 4). Agree beforehand which combinations count.
- Mechanics
Chapter 2 of 4
How to play
- Flip In turn, clockwise, each player flips the top card of their stack face up onto the pile in the middle. Flip it toward the others, away from yourself, so everyone sees it at the same moment.
- Ace, 2 and 3 When an A, a 2 or a 3 comes up, the next player must pay: one card for the A, two for the 2, three for the 3.
- Paying If another A, 2 or 3 comes up while paying, the payer stops at once and the player to their left now pays what the new card says. If they pay every card without finding one, whoever flipped the last A, 2 or 3 takes the whole pile, puts it at the bottom of their stack and leads with a new card.
- Pair and sandwich At any moment, even halfway through a payment, if the top of the pile shows two cards of the same rank one on the other (pair: 4 4) or with a single card between them (sandwich: 4 3 4), the first player to slap the pile takes all of it, puts it at the bottom of their stack and leads. On a tie the hand underneath wins.
- Penalty Whoever slaps the pile when there is neither a pair nor a sandwich puts the top card of their stack at the bottom of the pile, face down. Slapping the surface next to the pile, without touching it, costs nothing.
- Out of cards Whoever runs out of cards stops taking turns. If they run out while paying, the pile goes to whoever flipped the A, 2 or 3. A player who is out can come back by slapping a pair or a sandwich: they take the pile and flip again.
- The end Whoever takes all the cards wins.
Frequently asked questions
Can I slap while someone is paying?
Yes. Pairs and sandwiches count at any moment, even halfway through a payment. Whoever slaps the pile takes all of it, and the payment ends there.
What if two players slap at the same time?
The pile goes to the hand underneath, touching the cards.
I run out of cards while paying. Now what?
You are out, and the pile goes to whoever flipped the A, 2 or 3 you were paying. You can still come back by slapping a pair or a sandwich.
Who leads after someone takes the pile?
Whoever took it, whether with an A, a 2 or a 3 or by slapping.
Chapter 3 of 4
An example hand
The start
Anna, Bruno, Carla and Dario sit in this order, clockwise. All 40 cards are dealt, ten each, and nobody knows what is on top of their stack.
Tips
- If your hand moves before you have seen properly, steer it onto the surface next to the pile: there it costs nothing, on the pile it costs a card.
- Look at the card under the top one too, not just the last: a sandwich slips past far more often than a pair.
- You see better from outside: a player who is out flips no cards and can keep their eyes on the pile.
Chapter 4 of 4
Table summary
- 2–6 players
- 15 min
- 40-card deck (no 8s, 9s or 10s)
In short
- 40-card deck, all dealt. Your stack stays face down in your hand, unseen.
- In turn, clockwise, flip one card onto the pile in the middle.
- Whoever takes all the cards wins.
Ace, 2 and 3
- The next player pays: 1 card for an A, 2 for a 2, 3 for a 3.
- An A, 2 or 3 turns up while you pay: stop, the player to your left pays.
- Payment done with no A, 2 or 3: whoever flipped the last one takes the pile and leads.
Slap
- Pair on top (4 4) or sandwich (4 3 4): the first hand on the pile takes it and leads.
- Also in the middle of a payment. On a tie, the bottom hand wins.
- Wrong slap on the pile: one of your cards goes under the pile.
- On the surface next to the pile: no penalty.
Out of cards
- No cards left and you are out. If you run out while paying, the pile goes to whoever made you pay.
- From outside you can slap back in on a pair or a sandwich.
Good game night? Buy me a coffee on Ko-fi (opens in a new tab)