Egyptian Ratscrew is not a test of reaction time; it is a test of concentration. I find that once you’ve got the hang of the game, it is much harder to focus only on the cards and not to be distracted by the activities around you. The ability to focus becomes the main impediment to lower hand-to-pile times, especially as reaction times (eye-to-hand-movement) reach a physical limit. The human nervous system can only transmit information so fast.

I felt more aware of my surroundings when I was driving back from a game of ER at Tea Station. It must have been because of the game.