369 Game (Sam-yuk-gu)

In the 369 game, you count up from 1 around the circle. Any number that contains a 3, a 6 or a 9 isn’t said out loud but clapped – once for each matching digit. Say one of those numbers, clap wrong or lose the beat, and you take a sip; then the count starts again from 1.

The Korean name is simply the sequence of numbers: sam-yuk-gu (삼육구) means three, six, nine. You don’t need any equipment, just a steady rhythm and a bit of focus.

The first player says “one”, the next says “two”, the third claps once. Then it’s “four” and “five”, and at 6 you clap again. Keep going round the circle until someone messes up.

• Single hit: if the number contains a 3, 6 or 9, clap once – for example at 3, 13, 16, 29 or 43.
• Double hit: if a number has two of those digits, clap twice, for example at 33, 36, 69 or 99.
• The trap: every number from 30 to 39 contains a 3, so it’s clapping all the way through, with double claps at 33, 36 and 39. The same goes for the sixties and nineties.
• Mistakes: saying the number, clapping once too many or too few, or hesitating too long – take a sip and restart at 1.

Variations

• Backwards: count down from 100. Starting in the nineties throws almost everyone off.
• Pro mode: also clap on every number divisible by 3, even if it has no 3, 6 or 9 in it – so 12 or 15, for example.
• Knockout: whoever slips up is out. The last one left in the circle wins and picks the next game.

Tips

Tap out a calm beat on the table together before you start – it’ll speed up on its own. Most mistakes don’t happen at 3 but at numbers like 31 or 32, where it’s easy to miss the 3 at the front. If you know Buzz, you’ll pick it up fast – this is just three digits at once.