Rat-A-Tat-Tat is an easy-to-learn, easy-to-play card game for two or more players.

Keep your cards low to win this game!

Find the video tutorial and written explanation for how to play the card game rat-a-tat-tat below.

Rat-A-Tat-Tat Tutorial

Needed

52 card deck; two or more players

Deal

Players are dealt four cards, one card at a time. Players do not look at their cards. The remaining deck is placed into the middle, and the top card of the deck is flipped up to start the discard pile. Each player’s cards are lined up in a row, face down.

Objective

The objective of the game is to have the lowest value for your four cards when your cards are flipped up at the end.

Card Values

  • King: 0 points

  • Ace: 1 points

  • 2-10: Face value

  • Jack/Queen: 11 points

Game Play

Before play begins, each player is able to look at his/her two outside cards, and then puts them back down. Players will want to remember the cards for the game.

The player left of the dealer is first to play. Each player has the option to draw the top card on the deck, or the top card on the discard pile.

If the top card of the discard pile is drawn, the player will swap it with one of his/her four cards. The card that was swapped is placed face up on the discard pile.

If the top card of the deck is drawn, the player decides to either swap it with one of his/her cards or put the drawn card in the discard pile. Cards remain face down after a card swap.

Special Cards

If a jack is drawn, a player is able to look at one of his/her cards. The jack is then discarded. If a queen is drawn, a player is able to switch one of his/her cards with a card from any player. The cards remain face down during the switch. The queen is then discarded.

Winning

When a player thinks his/her cards have a low value, he/she will knock and announce rat-a-tat-tat after taking a turn. This means each other player gets one more turn. Once each player has taken his/her last turn, all the cards are revealed. The player with the lowest value of cards wins the game.

Rules

  • A jack or queen can only be used when either is drawn from the deck. If a jack or queen is discarded from a card swap, the next player has to draw from the deck.

  • If the middle deck of cards runs out before a player has announced rat-a-tat-tat, the game is over. All players flip up their cards and count their value.