Cheat

Full rules

1. Overview
2. Setup
3. Playing a turn
4. Calling "Cheat!"
5. Winning the game
6. Tips for beginners
7. Variants

Overview

Cheat is a game of bluffing. Everyone tries to get rid of all their cards by playing them face down onto a pile in the middle and saying what they are. The trick: you may lie. If another player thinks you're lying, they call "Cheat!" and the cards are turned over – whoever was wrong has to pick up the whole pile. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

• Players: 3–10 (best with 4–6).
• You need: a standard 52-card deck without jokers. With 6 or more players, shuffle two decks together.

Setup

1. Pick a dealer. The dealer shuffles and deals out all the cards, one at a time, face down. It doesn't matter if some players get one card more than others.
2. Everyone picks up their cards and keeps them hidden. It helps to sort them by rank.

Suits play no part in this game – only the rank (A, 2, 3 … 10, J, Q, K) counts.

Playing a turn

The player to the dealer's left starts; play goes clockwise. The ranks must be played in order, one rank per turn:

A → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → J → Q → K → A → 2 …

The first player must play Aces, the next player 2s, the next 3s, and so on. After Kings, it starts again with Aces.

On your turn:

1. Put one or more cards face down on the pile.
2. Say out loud how many cards you played and that they are the rank it's your turn to play – for example "two Fives".

You must play at least one card – you can't pass. And here comes the fun part: the cards don't have to be what you say. If you have no Fives, you have to lie and play other cards as Fives. You can also lie when you do have the right rank, for example to sneak an extra card in. The number of cards must be honest, since everyone can see it.

Example: It's your turn to play 7s. You hold only one 7. You put down the 7 and a Queen and say "two Sevens".

Calling "Cheat!"

After a player has put down their cards, any other player may call "Cheat!" – but only before the next player has played. If nobody calls, the next player takes their turn.

When someone calls "Cheat!", the cards just played are turned face up:

• It was a lie (at least one card is not the announced rank): the player who played them takes the whole pile into their hand.
• It was the truth (all cards match): the player who called "Cheat!" takes the whole pile.

If several players call at once, the one who called first counts. After the challenge, play goes on with the player to the left of the one who was challenged, who plays the next rank in the sequence onto the now empty table.

Example: Ben plays "three Jacks". Carla shouts "Cheat!". The cards are J♠ J♥ 4♣ – Ben lied and must pick up the whole pile. Then Dan, on Ben's left, plays Queens.

Winning the game

The first player to get rid of all their cards wins – but only if their last play survives: if someone calls "Cheat!" on your last cards and you lied, you pick up the pile and play goes on. Play again as often as you like.

Tips for beginners

• Lie with confidence, and sometimes tell the truth with a nervous face.
• Count ahead: you know which ranks you will have to play on your next turns. Keep real cards for them.
• With one deck: if you hold all four cards of a rank, you know that anyone else claiming that rank is lying.
• Calling "Cheat!" on a big pile is risky – if you're wrong, you take it all.
• Get rid of extra cards early by slipping them in with true ones.

Variants

These are optional – agree before you start.

• Up, down or same: instead of a fixed sequence, you may announce the rank just played, one above or one below it.
• Going down: the ranks are played in descending order (K, Q, J … A).
• Free choice: each player may announce any rank they like.
• Bigger claims: you may also lie about the number of cards (keep the pile tidy so nobody can count).