Cheers to the Governor is a really great party game because it’s both simple and fun. It’s all verbal, so you don’t need to have anything prepared to play. No cards, no cups, no nothin’. Just your voices and, of course, whatever you choose to drink. It is a drinking game, after all!

Below is a full explanation of how to play Cheers to the Governor, as well as some suggestions on how to get the most out of it.

What Do You Need?

  • Friends to play it with
  • Whatever drink you plan on sipping

How Do You Play Cheers To The Governor?

Cheers to the Governor makes you and your friends go around in a circle, counting from 1 to 21, each saying one number. If someone messes up, they drink, and the next person starts back at 1. When you reach 21, everyone raises their drink, yells “Cheers, Governor!” and takes a sip.

P.S. It’s meant to be said in a British accent like “Cheers, Govna!” 🙂 

Several people clinking beer glasses together in cheers.

Sounds simple, right?


Well, yes and no.  

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Every time your group successfully makes it to 21, whoever said the last number gets to make a rule. The rules are intended to make reaching 21 a little harder. 

A common rule is swapping numbers, like 7 and 14, so that you have to count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 7, 15…” 

It gets tricky. The rules stack, so once a rule is made it becomes permanent, unless someone else’s rule undoes it. There may come a point when you can hardly reach the end without someone messing up (especially as you drink more!), but that’s the fun of it.

Rules To Make For Cheers To The Governor

Here are some examples of rules you can make. These are just meant to be used as inspiration – really the sky’s the limit with rule making!

  • Swap a number (i.e. 7 and 8 must be reversed)
  • Skip a number (i.e. nobody can say 12; it must be skipped over)
  • Substitutions for numbers (i.e. the person who would say 3 must instead take a sip of their drink, or do a dance, or bark)
  • Make players switch places (i.e. every time 21 is reached, everyone must find a new spot – just a little added confusion)
  • Switch directions (i.e. on 10, you reverse the playing order)
  • Use another language (i.e. 5 must always be said in another language)

Cheers to the Governor is a silly drinking game that’s tons of fun and easy to play at any kind of party! For more party game ideas, see the full list here.

As always, be safe and drink plenty of water!

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