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17 days to the Iowa Caucus, the ultimate GOP debate drinking game

January 14 update:

The Republican are still campaigning away with periodic debating happening on the same stage. Today is one such day that all 11 GOP candidates for president will gather.

The debate is the second hosted by the Fox Business Network and is being held in North Charleston, South Carolina. Debate watchers will remember that the last Fox Business debate was when Jeb Bush tried to slam Marco Rubio and fell flat. Rubio's rise through the polls has continued. He is now third behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

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In the "kids table" debate this round you have Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum. Rand Paul has said he will not participate in the debate though because he is not on the main stage. With any luck, he will be subtweeting the debate like he did the State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

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Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

On the main stage with the debate beginning at 8 p.m. CST are Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush and John Kasich.

Expect candidates to hit Ted Cruz hard in reaction to The New York Times investigation revealing that Cruz accepted a loan from Goldman Sachs during his first campaign for Senate and did not disclose it to the Federal Election Commission. 

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This post is getting long, so I've bumped up an updated version of the rules for your convenience.

The updated rules:

Drink when a candidate takes a shot at Cruz over the loan given to him by Goldman Sachs.

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Drink when a candidate references the State of the Union Address.

Drink when candidate says, "You're fired!" And thinks it is an original joke.

Drink when anyone reminds the audience that Trump has given big bucks to democrats. Finish your drink if Trump does it himself.

Drink every time Trump vows to ban Muslims.

Drink every time any candidate mentions "radical Islamic extremists."

Drink if Cruz and Trump get into a fight.

Drink if Jeb Bush says he will "whoop" someone.

Drink when Trump goes over his time allotted.

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Drink when Trump promises to make America great again.

Drink every time a candidate promises to "secure our border."

Drink every time a candidate promises to "defund Planned Parenthood." Chug when all 10 in the primetime debate have said it.

Take a shot if a candidate jokes about Trump's hair.

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Drink when a candidates says they'll rip up the Iran deal on their first day in office.

Drink when Trump promises to make America great again.

Take a shot for each mention of Presidents Reagan or Lincoln.

Drink for every Benghazi mention; drink three times if the question had nothing to do with foreign policy.

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Drink when a governor talks about making hard choices.

Drink when Obamacare gets mentioned.

Finish your drink if someone brings up Beyoncé and yell "God save the queen!"

If someone brings up the Second Amendment six times (like a revolver), everyone has to shotgun a beer.

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Drink every time a candidate says "amnesty."

Take a shot each time a candidate says they agree with a Democrat.

Take a shot every time a candidate makes a direct violent threat toward ISIS.

Take a drink and sing "Deep in the Heart of Texas" if Rick Perry is mentioned.

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Take a drink if Ben Carson references separating conjoined twins in 1987.

Take a drink if Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump get in an argument about business practices.

Salute the nearest flag and denounce Communism if Ronald Reagan is quoted.

Drink if marijuana or any euphemism for getting high is mentioned.

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Negotiate with your table to expand the "drink ceiling" (how much you will collectively spend on drinks) for the night.

To finish the game recite all 13 candidates.

December 15 update:

Signs outside the Venetian hotel on the Las Vegas Strip announce the upcoming Republican...
Signs outside the Venetian hotel on the Las Vegas Strip announce the upcoming Republican presidential debate, hosted by CNN.(AFP)
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The nation has the opportunity to watch the fifth Republican debate tonight. Another? Yes, another. There are still 13 candidates campaigning for the GOP nomination for the general election.

And we've got three more debates before Super Tuesday (March 1, 2016), the day on which many states including Texas will hold their primary.

A lot has happened since the last debate. When we last left the candidates, Ben Carson was duking it out (quietly) with Donald Trump. Since then, Carson's campaign faced a few foreign policy mishaps including pronouncing Hamas (the fundamentalist organization operating in Gaza and the West Bank in opposition to Israel) as Hummus (the dip made out of chickpeas) at an event hosted by a Republican Jewish group.

Also on the foreign policy front, Donald Trump has proposed a temporary ban on all Muslims entering the United States if he is elected. That is almost certainly will come up.

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Ted Cruz has been gaining speed and is on a collision course with Trump. They will be standing next to one another on the stage at the Venetian casino and sparks could fly.

What time does all the fun start? The Washington Post reports that the time has been a little difficult to nail down. I recommend checking your cable schedule, which will likely tell you that debate coverage will be most of this evening. It will air on CNN though, that much is certain.

One easy way to know if the action has started is to follow it on Twitter. The army of journalists are sure to be vocal tonight.

Follow @DMNPolitics for coverage of the debate.

Will what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas? Highly doubtful. You're going to see coverage of the debate and the horse race all over the news cycle for days to come.

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The stage is prepared prior to the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business...
The stage is prepared prior to the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fourth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top eight candidates, and another for four other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)(2015 Getty Images)

November 10 update:

The Republican candidates running for their party's presidential nomination will be cheesin' tonight in the fourth GOP debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The debate is sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal.

The stage will be smaller this time around. George Pataki and Lindsey Graham have been demoted to the "kids table" debate because of low polling numbers. Jim Gilmore did not get an invitation for the third debate in a row for the same reason.

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Will the first debate be bigger then? Nope. Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee are now on the B-team stage to replace Pataki and Graham. That means we won't hear Graham spin every question to be answered with a national security answer.

Republican presidential hopeful, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaks during a rally Monday,...
Republican presidential hopeful, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaks during a rally Monday, Nov. 2, 2015, in Tampa, Fla.(Chris O'Meara / Associated Press)

This debate will be crucial for Jeb Bush as he looks to prove to the nation that "Jeb can fix it."

Note, he has removed the ! from his campaign signage. Formerly, he was Jeb!, now he is Jeb. Seems a lot like when Panic! at the Disco, became Panic at the Disco and their sound changed dramatically in 2008. Jeb too is looking to change is sound to become more palatable to the diverse viewpoints within the Republican party.

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Trump is coming off a very boring showing on SNL and Ben Carson is having to answer for falsifying parts of his personal narrative that is crucial to his campaign.

Who will win?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

October 28 update:  

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Three strikes you're out? Probably not the case tonight at the third Republican Primary Debate. The candidates will hit the  CNBC debate stage in at the University of Colorado in Boulder. As in the previous two debates, there will be a "happy hour" debate for the four candidates in the bottom of the polls.

Same song and dance for Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki as last debate. You can see them do spar at 5 p.m. CST. If you're in need of an actual happy hour to visit, check out our list of ones in the area.

Ten other candidates will be looking to get higher in the polls with their debate performance beginning at 7 p.m. CST.

Look for a contrast between Donald Trump's larger-than-life personality and Ben Carson's more reserved demeanor. ICYMI, Carson has usurped Trump in the Iowa polls. Mr. Trump has been extra Trump-y about it blaming an intern on a retweet slamming Iowans and their corn in the process.

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Scroll down to see the updated rules for this debate.ew Colorado specials included.

September 16 update:

It is a new debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, that means new rules!

The "kids table" debate began at 5 p.m. CST on CNN with the bottom four performers in the polls — Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki.

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The primetime debate this time around will feature the top 11 candidates with the addition of Carlie Fiornia to the already crowded stage. She was considered the outright winner of the Fox News "happy hour" debate.

As Ronald Reagan, who no doubt will be with the candidates as they debate tonight, once said:

"While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future."

We encourage you to take inspiration from the last GuideLive drinking game and raise your glasses to the future:

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Original post from August 6: 

Ronald Reagan is surely in the hearts and minds of many of the GOP candidates as they debate.
Ronald Reagan is surely in the hearts and minds of many of the GOP candidates as they debate. (Photo illustration by Hannah Wise. Original photo by Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

It is said that a good politician is one that you'd like to have a beer with. Well, the Republican field is a little crowded for that at the moment with 17 candidates in the race.

Lucky for you Fox News decided that breaking up the field into what amounts to winners and losers brackets. You can hit up a happy hour to catch the preliminary debate of candidates who are trailing in the poll at 4 p.m. CST today. Don't forget to grab some fuel — it is going to be a long night.

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Did you get your drinks of choice for the primetime debate at 8 p.m. CST? Good, us too.

To help keep you engaged in the rhetoric slinging, here is a festive 2016 Republican Primary Debate drinking game.

GuideLive contributors Bobby Blanchard, Brittney Martin and Sylvan Lane contributed to this game.