March 17th is the one day of the year where everyone, regardless of heritage, gets to be a little Irish. And, If you’re over the age of 21, chances are you have had the chance to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day over a pint of Guinness since it’s certainly no secret that the day has become widely known as a time one need not feel discouraged from having a drink with friends. So, for those who are throwing a party or just looking to spice things up a little this year, keep in mind that drinking games can be a lot of fun. Just remember to clear your schedule for the next day.

Here are some drinking games that are sure to turn any St. Patrick’s Day celebration into a shamrockin’ good time.

Shot Potato
This is a variation of the classic game for children. It’s played much the same way using a potato and music, only this version also includes shots of the alcoholic beverage of your choice.

Play the music and pass the potato around in a circle.
When the music stops, whoever is left holding the potato must then take a shot of alcohol instead of being eliminated.
You can make this game more Irish by putting on some Celtic music and doing shots of whiskey or green beer.

Irish Quarters
All you need to play this game is a cup, a quarter, and plenty of beer.

Flip the coin to see who goes first. The lead player can fill the cup with however much beer they want to drink.
That person then spins the quarter and tries to drink the beer in the cup as quickly as possible while the quarter is still spinning.
Once the beer is finished, pour a beer for the next person. The amount you can pour will depend on how long you think the quarter will keep spinning.
Pick up the quarter before it stops spinning.
If a player can successfully chug the beer and refill the cup before the quarter stops spinning, the game passes to the next player for them to try. If a player fails to accomplish any of the tasks, they must try again with a fresh cup of beer until they are successful or unable to continue.

Irish Poker

For this game you will need a deck of cards and, of course, lots of beer.

To start a game, deal everyone four cards face down and make sure no one looks at them until it is their turn. The object of the game is to try and guess specific attributes of the cards you are dealt. Guess right, and and you get to hand out a number of drinks to other players that correspond to the card you turned over. Guess wrong, and you will have to drink.
The player to the left of the dealer starts the game and must guess if their first card is either red or black. For example, if the person guesses black, and then turns over a 5 of spades, that person then gets to distribute 5 drinks, any way they choose, among the other players. However, if they were to turn over a red card, like the 3 of hearts, then they would have to take 3 drinks themselves since they guessed the wrong color.
Next, the player must guess if the second card is higher or lower than the first card they turned over. If they guess right, they get to give out drinks. If they guess wrong, they have to drink. But, if they turn over the same value card as the first card they turned over, then they will have to drink double the amount on the card. For instance, if a player were to turn over a 5 for their first card and then another 5 for their second card, then they would have to take 10 drinks before they can continue.
For the third card, the player must guess if it is outside or in between the first two cards turned face up. For example, if the first two cards the player turned face up were a 2 and a 7, then cards 3 to 6 would be considered in between and any card greater than 8 would be considered outside.
Finally, for the last card, the player must try and correctly guess the suit of the card.
Once a person has turned over all four of their cards and distributed all drinks, either to themselves or others, it is the next players turn to guess. Keep in mind that in this game face cards are all worth 10 and Aces are worth 11.

The great thing about drinking games is that you don’t need to have the luck of the Irish to play. In the end, everybody wins!

Read more at Suite101: St. Patrick’s Day Drinking Games: Irish Themed Entertainment for Parties and Celebrations http://entertaining.suite101.com/article.cfm/st-patricks-day-drinking-games#ixzz0iD6SZQWP