--- title: TIME's Third Republican Debate Drinking (and Smoking) Game description: If you're watching the Republican debate, here are the lines that may drive you to drink. canonical: https://time.com/4090927/republican-debate-drinking-game-colorado/ author: Michael Scherer article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-28T18:01:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:46:58.194Z article:section: Politics og:title: TIME's Third Republican Debate Drinking (and Smoking) Game og:description: Bring your pipe, this one's special. og:url: https://time.com/4090927/republican-debate-drinking-game-colorado/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a07132356c55b1/69886e7fbc6cfc16163da1db/republican-presidential-debate-boulder-cnbc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Republican presidential debate Boulder og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: TIME's Third Republican Debate Drinking (and Smoking) Game twitter:description: Bring your pipe, this one's special. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95a07132356c55b1/69886e7fbc6cfc16163da1db/republican-presidential-debate-boulder-cnbc.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The CNBC Republican Debate Drinking Game, Colorado Edition > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Michael Scherer](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer Oct 28, 2015 6:01 PM UTC  The podiums for Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Ben Carson are lined up in the center of the stage for the third Republican presidential candidate debate in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 27, 2015. The podiums for Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Ben Carson are lined up in the center of the stage for the third Republican presidential candidate debate in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 27, 2015. Rick Wilking—Reuters by [Michael Scherer](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer Oct 28, 2015 6:01 PM UTC Admit it. Somewhere, deep down, you are ready for another round. Sure, the first two Republican debates were hard. But the liquor helped. And the worst parts—well, you don’t remember those anyway. So here we go again. Ten candidates on a similar stage with entirely novel legal and recreational ways of blotting out the pain, if you live in a state like Colorado. CNBC and the Republican National Committee have chosen Boulder for the third Republican Presidential debate. It’s a bit like Democrats holding a debate in Oklahoma City. We strive, because we can, America. Before the fun, the disclaimer: Do not play this game. It is meant to be read, not followed. If you adhere to these instructions, you will be ill. If you follow them in states that do not allow legal use of marijuana, you could go to jail. Never drive after imbibing, and don’t partake if you are underage. The [science says pot](http://time.com/3858353/the-great-pot-experiment/) really does mess with your brain, kids. Be careful. The debate will start at at 8 p.m. Eastern time. CNBC is not allowing any legal streaming of the debate this time, so you probably have to watch with your parents. Cable subscribers only. And, we’re off: * Pack the first bowl with sativa if the debate begins with substance—something about Iran, carried interest or the GDP. If the moderators just try to pick a fight between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, or between Donald Trump and Ben Carson, opt for indica. Like all games, this one is ultimately about self-preservation. * Pop a $600 bottle of Champagne if Mike Huckabee compares Washington, D.C., to a strip club. [Burn another one down](http://www.mountainhighsuckers.com) if he says he will burn it all down. * Open the Chardonnay the first time Donald Trump insults the appearance of one of his fellow candidates. Swig each time a candidate fires back at Trump with a prepared one-liner. Swig twice if the one-liner references Trumps’ bankruptcies, his marriages or his recent dip in the polls. * Shoot Kentucky bourbon and shout “[dumbass](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rand-paul-livestream%5F561e691be4b0c5a1ce61480f)” at your television, if anyone asks Rand Paul if he is still running for president. Then get over it, [just like he told you to](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rand-paul-livestream%5F561e691be4b0c5a1ce61480f). * Pack your bowl with a plant containing 4% or greater THC content when Jeb Bush promises 4% economic growth for the country. Smoke when the moderator points out that Bush only achieved 4% growth in Florida as governor because of a housing bubble that popped as he left office. Hold it in your lungs until Bush pushes back, saying this is about vision and experience. * For the entire discussion of health care economics, suck on a lozenge, preferably one high in CBD, or cannabidiol, like the sugar-free mixed berry from [Mountain High Suckers](http://www.mountainhighsuckers.com) in Denver. * Stare blankly at the screen if anyone argues that Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi testimony revealed anything new. * Shoot something—anything really, just do it fast—if Carly Fiorina begins to describe any new videos she has seen recently. Again, self-preservation. * Spill your drink if anyone says, “Oops.” * If Ben Carson refers to any fast-food joint as an “organization” as in “Popeye’s organization,” consume an entire glass or aluminum container of a Budweiser beverage, or three. * Cut your next spliff with organic tobacco, because this is Colorado, if Bush starts using words like “joy,” “miserable” or “demonize.” Time to slow down. * Drink imported beer whenever someone makes a Hitler metaphor. As bad as Hitler metaphors are, they are certainly better than not being able to make Hitler metaphors. Remember, that is your consolation. * Drink a domestic beer, preferably something sleeved in a koozy that reads “MAN SAUCE,” if Marco Rubio makes reference to professional football, his fantasy pick or how he used to play in college. * Sip tequila and sangria if Rubio or Bush praise speaking Spanish. Chug the whole bottle of tequila if John Kasich and Bush look at each other and get the giggles. * Dab some tincture on your tongue if Chris Christie says again that marijuana is a gateway drug. Chase it with vodka. * Swear it all off forever if anyone mentions Lamar Odom or a Kardashian. Drugs and drink can kill you. They do every day. Take a drink or toke for each of the following: * High fives * Low fives * Fist bumps * Mentions of email * Use of the word “worst” in a sentence about President Obama * “No fly zone” * Someone says they will cut Medicare or Social Security * Someone says they will never cut Medicare of Social Security * Any John Denver reference * Anyone attacks the press * Anyone name-drops their campaign website URL * Boasting about personal gun ownership * Anyone defends eating meat * Anyone dances like Drake * Any praise for Paul Ryan _With additional silly ideas from others in the TIME D.C. 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