Cheat
Also called BS, Bullshit, I Doubt It
Everything is played face down, so nothing you are told is necessarily true.
drills completed
- Players
- 3–8 players (best with 4–6)
- Time
- 15–25 min
- What you need
- Standard 52-card deck
- Difficulty
- Easy to learn
Objective
Get rid of every card. You must announce what you are playing, but nobody sees it — so you can lie, and everyone can call you on it.
The deal
Deal out the entire deck, one card at a time. Some players will have one more than others; that is fine and nobody adjusts for it.
There is no stock and no draw pile. Every card is in somebody’s hand from the first turn.
Your turn
The ranks march in order round the table, whether you hold them or not.
- The first player plays Aces, the next plays Twos, the next Threes, and so on up to Kings — then it loops back to Aces.
- Play one or more cards face down onto the pile and say how many: “two Sevens”.
- You do not have to be telling the truth. Nothing is turned over unless somebody challenges.
Calling cheat
Any player may call “Cheat!” at any point after cards are laid down. Only the cards from that most recent play are turned over.
| What the cards show | Who picks up the whole pile |
|---|---|
| They were what was claimed | The challenger |
| They were not | The player who lied |
Either way the pile is cleared, and play resumes with the next player and the next rank in the sequence.
Winning
The first player to get rid of all their cards and survive any challenge on that final play wins.
Try it
Short drills on the rules people get wrong. Nothing is saved anywhere but this browser.
Drill 1 of 2
Know what to claim
CompletedThe player before you just laid down “three Fours”. What rank must you claim?
Ranks go up by one every turn, all the way round the table. After Fours come Fives — whether or not you hold any.
The rank is fixed by the rotation, not by what you are holding. Fours were just played, so you must claim Fives.
Drill 2 of 2
Pick the safest lie
CompletedYou must claim Jacks and hold none. Aces through Tens have already gone round this cycle. Which card do you bluff with?
Threes have already passed, so you will not need that card for an honest play any time soon. Queens, Kings and Aces are all still coming.
Bluff with a rank that has already gone by. Throwing away a Queen means lying again when Queens come round in two turns.
House rules & variations
Every table plays a little differently. These are the common variants — agree on them before you deal.
Any rank you like
Drop the sequence entirely: on your turn you claim any rank, as long as it is the same as or adjacent to the last one. Far more forgiving, and much less lying.
Up or down
You may claim one higher or one lower than the previous rank. A small change that gives everyone an honest option most turns and makes the bluffs more deliberate.
Double challenge
If a challenge is wrong, the challenger picks up the pile and misses their next turn. Cuts down on speculative calls.
Two decks for a big group
Above six players, hands get short and the sequence rushes past. A second deck fixes it — and adds eight of each rank, so the counting gets harder.
No challenging the last play
Some tables protect the winning play from a challenge, which makes the endgame kinder and considerably less fun.
Strategy hints
There are exactly four of each rank. If you are holding three Kings and someone claims two, you know for certain they are lying.
Dump your biggest lie early, while the pile is small. Getting caught in the first round costs you five cards; getting caught in the tenth costs you thirty.
Lie with ranks that have just gone past. You will not need them again for a full lap of the table.
Watch how many cards people put down, not their faces. Somebody quietly laying four of something late in the game is usually telling the truth and about to win.
Do not challenge just because a claim is large. Challenge when the arithmetic says it is impossible — you have seen too many of that rank already.
When you are down to two or three cards, play them honestly if you can. The final play attracts a challenge almost every time.
Frequently asked
Can I play more cards than I claim?
No — the number you say must match the number you put down. The lie is about the rank, not the count. Some groups allow lying about both; agree first.
Who can call cheat?
Anyone at the table, not just the next player. If two people call at once, the one nearer the player’s left usually takes precedence.
When is it too late to challenge?
Once the next player has laid their cards down, the previous play is safe. Call it before that.
Do I have to play a card on my turn?
Yes. There is no passing and no drawing — you always put at least one card down, truthfully or otherwise.
What if I run out of cards but get challenged?
If the challenge is correct you pick up the pile and you are back in the game. You only win once a final play survives.
Why does this game have so many names?
Cheat is the usual British name, BS or Bullshit the American one, and I Doubt It the polite version taught to children. Same game throughout.
Cheat sheet
Cheat
3–8 players · 15–25 min · Standard 52-card deck
Setup
Deal the whole deck out. Uneven hands are fine. No stock, no drawing.
Your turn
- Play one or more cards face down and announce them.
- The rank is fixed by the rotation: A, 2, 3 … K, then back to A.
- You may lie about the rank. The count must be true.
Key rules
- Anyone may call “Cheat!” — only the last play is revealed.
- Caught lying → the liar takes the pile. Wrong challenge → the challenger takes it.
- There are four of each rank — that is the whole basis for a good challenge.
- You must play on your turn. No passing.
Scoring
No points. First to shed every card and survive the challenge on their last play wins.