Cheat is a with bluffing. On your turn you put cards face down on a pile and say what they are. You may lie. Anyone who thinks you lied can
Caught lying, you take the whole pile. Call wrongly, and you take it.
In the US it is often called Bullshit; the polite name is I Doubt It.
Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Suits don’t matter, only ranks. With a big group you can shuffle two decks together.
In this example four players play: you, West, North and East.
Deal the whole deck one card at a time, clockwise. With four players everyone gets 13 cards. With other numbers some players get one card more: that is fine.
East deals, so you, on the dealer’s left, start.
The claims follow a fixed order. The first player plays aces, the next player 2s, the next 3s, and so on up to kings. After kings come aces again.
You never choose the rank: it is always the next one in line.
On your turn put one to four cards face down on the pile and say how many and which rank. You must play: there is no passing.
You play the ace of hearts and the ace of spades and say “Two aces.” That is the truth.
West has to play 2s but has none. West plays the 9 of clubs and says “One 2” with a straight face.
Nobody calls, so the lie stands and the card stays in the pile.
Practise that face in a mirror.
Anyone may call “Cheat!” straight after a play. The cards just played are turned face up.
North puts down three cards and says “Three 3s.” You hold the 3 of clubs and the 3 of spades, so that can’t be true. You call “Cheat!” and the cards are the 3 of diamonds, the 8 of spades and the jack of hearts.
North lied, so North picks up the whole pile: all six cards.
Count what you hold.
If the cards are exactly what the player said, the caller picks up the pile instead. Then play carries on with the next player in turn and the next rank.
East plays two cards: “Two 4s.” West calls “Cheat!”, but they are the 4 of hearts and the 4 of spades. West takes them. Now it is your turn, and you play 5s.
Emptying your hand wins, but only if your last play survives a challenge. Caught lying on your last card, you pick up the pile and play on.
Later your turn comes to play 9s and you have one card left, the 9 of diamonds. “One 9.” East calls “Cheat!” It is a 9: East takes the pile and you are out.
Plan ahead: count which rank you will need to claim on your last turn.
Cheat has no score. The size of each hand tells you who is winning: the fewer cards, the closer to going out.
A player who just took a big pile is far behind, however good their poker face.
The first player to get rid of all their cards, and survive any challenge on the last play, wins the game.
Shuffle, move the deal one seat to the left, and play again.
Point at a dot to see why it matters
Aces first, then 2s, 3s and so on up to kings, then back to aces. Each player must claim the next rank in the order.
One to four cards per turn, all claimed to be the rank that is due.
If the cards are what the player said, you, the caller, pick up the whole pile.
Yes. They are different names for the same game: Cheat in Britain, Bullshit in the US, and I Doubt It in many rule books.
The classic
The deck most people picture. Poker size, standard faces, shuffles well. If you buy one deck, make it this.
Lasts for years
Two 100% plastic decks in a hard case. Washable and hard to bend, and a double deck is what Canasta and Spider need.
Easy to read
Extra-large numbers and suits. Readable across the table, for kids learning their first game and grandparents alike.
The British classic
The pack found in British homes for generations. Paper cards with a linen finish that fan and shuffle smoothly.
The gift
A luxury deck with a navy and gold tuck box. The one to give, or to bring out when the good whisky is poured.
Match the pile, play an 8 when stuck, empty your hand first.
2 to 5 players · 15 min · 6+Beat the last play, empty your hand, climb from beggar to president.
4 to 7 players · 20 min · 8+No turns: play one higher or lower as fast as your hands can move.
2 players · 5 min · 6+