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State of the Union: Five drinking games to get you through it

With Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in Washington last week and with the president scheduled to be in Denver this Thursday, we're in a political mindset. And as anyone who's seen the recent GOP debates can attest, political spectating often drives one to drink. In that spirit, here are five drinking...
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With Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in Washington last week and with the president scheduled to be in Denver this Thursday, we're in a political mindset. And as anyone who's seen the recent GOP debates can attest, political spectating often drives one to drink. In that spirit, here are five drinking games to play when watching the ninety-minute State of the Union preempt your favorite TV shows.

1. Drink like a Quaker This game was created by the students at the Daily Pennsylvanian and is the simplest on the list: Only nine keywords. While some of the rules are University of Pennsylvania specific, it's probably for the best that your chances to drink are reduced.

2. Drink to the point For those who just want a straightforward game that will get you drunk enough to actually start believing all the political idealism you're going to hear, this one's for you. Created by the people at the aptly named State of the Union Drinking Game, this game follows the basic "when someone says/does [fill in the blank], take a drink" formula. The rules for this game are the most realistic of the bunch, so stick to this one if you want to be able to make it to work Wednesday morning.

3. Drink like the complex person you are This game, from drinkinggame.us, takes the above formula and turns it on its head, changing up the amount of drinks, type of drinks and how to drink for every one of its 48 keywords. This game is for those who like to keep it lively and are really in it more for the drinks than for the speech.

4. Drink like a yuppie For those who like their drinking games with a bit of theatrical flare, the editors over at Esquire have got just the game for you. With four different categories of keywords, including one that will have you taking shots every other sentence, this is sure to make every player's night interesting.

5. Drink like a winner Our final game is for those who like a competitive edge, or have that party pooper friend who won't join in the game. The political gurus over at MSNBC mixed traditional drinking game rules ("take a shot") with exercise tradeoffs to either work off the inevitable beer belly or just avoid it all together. For example, "When the chamber breaks into applause, drink (or do sit-ups) for the duration of the clapping. This way, you'll be able to share in the audience's apparent joy without having to endure some seriously chapped, calloused hands." Not every rule has an exercise alternative but this game is a good option for those who want to get the whole gang involved, or just want to wake up before 3 p.m the day after.

So find a designated driver, head over to the local liquor barn, grab your favorite poison and start playing. But remember to take equivalent drinks of water while you play, so the hangover will subside by the time the President lands here on Thursday.

More from our Politics archive: "Barack Obama Afghanistan speech drinking game: The revenge of Rush Limbaugh."

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