Slap Pile: Slapjack and Speed for Two to Four on One Phone

About Slap Pile

Slap Pile is five card games for two to four people sharing one phone or tablet. You lay it flat in the middle of the table and everyone takes the edge in front of them. Each seat has its own deck, a big slap pad and a line telling that player what's happening, and it's turned to face whoever sits there. Google Play lists it for players six and up.

It's free on Google Play for Android phones and tablets. There is no iPhone version, and no version that plays in a browser.

Slapjack is the simple one: turn cards in turn and slap every jack first. In Egyptian Ratscrew a face card sets a challenge, and doubles and sandwiches are there for the slapping. Speed is for two and has no turns at all. You race to play one up or one down on the middle piles. In Snap everyone turns onto a pile of their own and slaps when two tops match. War is the one with no slapping: high card takes them all, and a tie goes to war. Playing with a real deck? The Slapjack and Speed rules print on one page.

A slap pad reacts the moment a hand lands on it, and the phone decides who got there first. Nobody has to argue about whose hand was on the bottom. Every card shows its rank in two corners, so it reads from any side of the table.

Ratscrew has house rules you switch on or off before you deal: doubles, sandwiches, top and bottom, marriage, and adds to ten. Short a player? Any seat can be the computer, at Easy, Normal or Sharp. Easy gives the youngest player a real chance, and Sharp slaps about as fast as a quick adult.

There are no coins and nothing to buy. The only thing you win is the other players' cards. It isn't one of our reward apps, which pay out in PayPal cash. Ads pay for it instead: a banner on the home screen, and a full-screen ad after every fourth finished game, shown when you tap Deal again or Leave and never during play. It's in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and it has a privacy policy of its own.

Screenshots

Four players round one phone: a seat in each corner with its own deck and slap pad, and the pile in the middle

The home screen: the five games laid out as a hand of cards

Speed for two: a hand of five at each end and the two middle piles

Setting up Egyptian Ratscrew: the players, the computer's speed and the house rules

Three players, with the computer sitting in the Coral seat

How it plays

Lay it flat. Put the phone or tablet in the middle of the table. Each player sits at the edge their seat faces.
Pick a game and the seats. Two to four, each a person or the computer. Speed is for two.
Turn your cards. On your turn, tap your deck to put its top card on the pile. In Speed there are no turns, so you tap a card in your hand to play it.
Slap. When the pile shows something worth slapping, hit your pad. The first hand down takes the pile, and a bad slap gives cards away.
Take every card. Or hold the most when the game runs out of turns.

Features

Slapjack, Egyptian Ratscrew, Speed, Snap and War
Two to four players round one phone or tablet
A seat and a slap pad for every player, turned to face them
The phone decides who slapped first
Ratscrew house rules: doubles, sandwiches, top and bottom, marriage and adds to ten
A computer player for any seat, at three speeds
English, Spanish and Portuguese
No account and nothing to buy

Frequently asked questions

Is there an iPhone version?

No. Slap Pile is on Google Play only, for Android phones and tablets, and there's no browser version either.

Does Slap Pile pay me anything?

No. There are no coins, no balance and nothing to cash out. You win the other players' cards, and those only count inside the game. The apps that do pay are on their own page, at a published rate.

Who is it for?

A family table. Google Play rates it Everyone and lists it for players six and up. The slap races are quick, so set the computer to Easy if a young player is up against it.

Can I play on my own?

Yes. Any seat can be the computer. Put the computer in every seat and it plays itself while you watch.

How long is a game?

Slapjack, Ratscrew and Snap go until one player has every card. If 600 cards have been turned before that, whoever holds the most wins, and a tie plays on. War is 60 rounds. Speed ends when somebody empties their hand and their draw pile.

Does Slap Pile have ads?

Yes. A banner sits on the home screen. A full-screen ad can show after every fourth finished game, when you tap Deal again or Leave. Nothing shows while a game is being played, and there are no videos to watch for a reward.

What does it collect?

There's no account, and it never asks for a name or an email. It sends ad requests, crash reports and anonymous usage counts. Delete my data in Settings removes what it holds. The details are in its privacy policy.