So You Want to be an A-Hole

Sounds like there's a few of you who want to know how to play A-Hole. 

Well first off, it's a drinking game.

I'd like to say it would be equally fun without alcohol...But it wouldn't.

Also, if your family is anything like my family (Loud & Unrefined, Amen.) then you'll want to turn on a movie in another room for all of the Under-21'ers. (Increase the volume accordingly, based on how loud & unrefined your family is.)

As far as the rules go...I'm sure that different people play it different ways, but here's what my family does:

We deal out a deck of cards so that everyone has an equal number.

Aces are the highest number in the deck.

2's are wild.

3's let you clear all the cards off of the table. (You don't take the cards - they're just out of play for the rest of the game.)

For the first round, you just sit wherever you want and no one is assigned any titles. You just pick one person to go first and then each person after them has to play a card that is equal to or higher than the last card played.

So if  the person before you played a 4 for example, then you could play a 4 as well, or something higher than a 4. Also, if you had two, three or four of a certain card, you could play all of them at once, as long as they are equal to or higher than the last card played. So again, if the last person played a 4, you could play three 4's or two 5's or four 6's, etc. If the person before you played two 4's for example though, you do not have to play two cards - you can play a single card if that's all you've got.

The goal being to get rid of all of your cards first.

The first person out is President in the next game.

Second person out is Vice President.

Last person out is A-Hole.

Then, for the second round, you sit in the order that you went out, with President and Vice President at the head of the table.

Anyone that went out ahead of you can tell you what to do.

Anyone that went out after you has to do whatever you tell them to do.

Everyone gets to tell the A-Hole what to do. In our family, that means the A-Hole pours drinks, gets snacks, picks cards up off the floor, and all sorts of other demeaning tasks.)

The President is the only person who can make a rule though (usually with the assistance of the Vice President.) 

My family's favorite rules seem to be:

- If you're playing, you have to stay the night.

- A-Hole has to wear an A-Hole hat to indicate his status in the game.

- No one can use the words 'drink,' 'drank,' or 'drunk.' If you do, you have to drink.

- No one can use anyone's first name. If you do, you drink.

- If someone puts their thumb on the table, everyone else has to put their thumb on the table. The last person to put their thumb on the table has to drink.

- If someone puts their hands behind their head to look like moose horns, everyone else has to put their hands behind their head to look like moose horns. The last person to put up their moose horns has to drink.

Basically, if anyone breaks a rule instituted by the President, they have to take a drink. (If you're smart like me and my Aunt Alicia, you start filling your cup or bottle with water by the 3rd or 4th round - and no one else will even notice on account of how much they've already been drinking.) 

All rules remain in place for the duration of the game unless the next ruling President bans the rule.

After every round, you change seats based on the order you ran out of cards in the last game.

Seriously, some of my best memories with my family have been made playing this game. (One year, we were on a houseboat and the only way my Aunt Alicia would agree to keep playing past 2:00 a.m. was if every single person went off the slide on top of the boat and into the water, which we all did.)

Good stuff.

And some more photos from a few years back....

That's Jesse Ray and Sammy (before he grew his hair out like Jesus.)

My hand.

The A-Hole hat.

My grandpa (who was not playing) and Ross (who was not old enough to play at the time.)

The new and improved A-Hole hat.

Totally blurry, but I love that shot of my Aunt and Sammy.

Grandma Bev even played that year.

Me as A-Hole.

Josh Downs as A-Hole.

Another blurry one that I love.

The President, taking the A-hole's best cards.

There's the moose horns.

 Here's to many more years of it.

Comments

[Shannon L]

Oh MY...LOVE card games and this one looks like so much fun!!! Sharing with my sisters and parents so we can make sure we do this for camp! :)

[Robin]

Thanks Karen... I'm sure to become a professional A-hole player!

[Stacey from Texas Panhandle]

I can NOT wait to share this with my family! Awesome family memories!!

[Kelli]

That's a lot of rules!
The gift bag on the head is hilarious!

[Yvonne C]

This is very similar to how we play the game too! I love the idea of switching seats. I am going to suggest that the next time our group gets together. We also use 2 decks of cards so everyone always has a handful of cards! I love your pictures too!

[Deneen]

Oh how I wish I could just come over to your house to play the games and just hang out with your really cool family.

[Stephanie]

I love your family and want to come play A-hole with you all :) Thanks for the reminder of this game - my family needs to play it once in a while!

[kat-in-texas]

Love how the peep holes in the hat kept getting bigger and bigger with each wearer!! So funny!!!!

[Niki]

I first read the title of this post and had to sing it - My kids are big into Frozen right now, and there's a song in it called "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" So of course I had to sing "Do you wanna be an a-hole?" :-) Great post, can't wait to play it with my fam!

[Pam]

You lost me at 3's but I had a blast looking at the photos and laughing right along with you all!

[Alison]

Three things:
1. I am laughing with tears in my eyes from imagining the laughter you all shared in these pictures,
2. I can't believe Josh Downs is not wearing a Beavers piece of clothing in these pictures,
3. We call this game S-head in our family. Not sure which is better. :)