Cheat (Bluff) Card Game Rules

Cheat, also known as Bullshit or I Doubt It, is a popular card game that can be enjoyed by 2 to 10 players. The game requires a standard deck of 54 cards, which can be found on Amazon.

Game Overview

Originating from both Britain and the USA, Cheat is a shedding game where players aim to get rid of all their cards by discarding them face down and calling out the rank they are playing. Since the cards are played face down, there's an element of bluffing involved, as players can choose to lie about the cards they are playing. However, if a player is caught lying, they must pick up the entire discard pile.

Objective

The main objective of Cheat is to be the first player to get rid of all their cards while surviving any challenges resulting from their final play.

Setup

To set up the game, deal all the cards out to the players. Since cards are played face down, some players may have more or fewer cards than others, but the difference should not be significant. Determine randomly who will go first and continue play clockwise. On the table, there is a discard pile that starts empty.

How to Play

A turn consists of discarding one or more cards face down on the pile and calling out their rank. The player going first must discard Aces, the second player Twos, the next player Threes, and so on. After Tens come Jacks, then Queens, then Kings, then back to Aces, etc. Players are not required to play the exact rank they call; they can choose to play any card or mixture of cards.

Any player who suspects that the card(s) discarded by a player do not match the rank called can challenge the play by calling "Cheat!" or "Bullshit!". If their suspicion is correct, the player who played the cards must pick up the whole discard pile. If their suspicion is false, they must pick up the entire discard pile instead. After the challenge is resolved, play continues in normal rotation: the player to the left of the one who was challenged plays and calls the next rank in sequence.

Scoring and End of Game

The first player to get rid of all their cards and survive any challenge resulting from their final play wins the game. If a player plays their last remaining card(s), but someone challenges them and the cards played do not match the called rank, they pick up the pile and play continues.

Common Variations

• For games with many players, two or more packs of cards can be shuffled together.
• Some people play that the sequence of ranks which have to be played goes downward rather than upward, beginning A, K, Q, J, 10, ...
• Some allow cards of the same rank as the last card to be played, as well as the next higher or lower rank.
• In some versions of the game, players can claim to play either the next rank above or the next rank below the rank announced by the previous player.
• There is also a version in which players can try to cheat by playing more cards than they claim to have played.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

• Not paying attention to the ranks being called and discarded, which can lead to incorrect challenges or poor bluffing strategies.
• Overestimating one's ability to remember the exact distribution of cards among players, leading to premature challenges that reveal one's hand.
• Discarding obvious lies early in the game when it might be better to build up a larger discard pile before challenging opponents.
• Failing to adapt bluffing strategies based on the number of players and the specific cards in play.