Cheat (Bullshit)

Objective

Be the first player to get rid of all your cards. You do this by playing cards face-down and declaring their rank — truthfully or not — and avoiding being caught when you lie.

The Basics

Cheat (also called Bullshit, BS, or I Doubt It) is a bluffing and deduction card game. Cards are played face-down in ascending rank sequence, and any player may challenge a claim at any time. Getting caught lying means taking the whole pile; making a false challenge also means taking the pile. The first player to empty their hand wins.

Setup

Use a standard 52-card deck. For 7 or more players, combine two decks. Shuffle and deal all cards evenly among players — some players may have one more card than others, which is fine. There is no hand limit; keep your cards hidden.

Rank Sequence

Cards must be played in ascending order, cycling through all 13 ranks: Ace → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → Jack → Queen → King → Ace → …

After King, the sequence wraps back to Ace and continues. The sequence never resets during the game.

Turn Structure

Starting with a chosen first player (e.g., holder of the Ace of Spades) and proceeding clockwise:

1. Play cards face-down — Place 1 to 4 cards from your hand face-down on the central pile and declare what rank you are playing (the current rank in sequence). You may declare any number from 1 to 4, regardless of how many you actually played. You must always name the current rank — you cannot name a different rank.

2. Other players may challenge — At any point before the next player lays their cards, any player may call "Cheat!" (or "Bullshit!"). Only one challenge per play resolves; if multiple players call simultaneously, the first to do so is recognized.

3. Resolve the challenge — Flip over the just-played cards:

   • If the played cards match the declared rank in both number and rank: The challenger takes the entire pile into their hand. Play continues clockwise from the challenged player.
   • If the played cards do not match (wrong rank or wrong count): The player who played them takes the entire pile. Play continues from the left of the challenged player.

4. No challenge — If no one challenges before the next player lays their cards, the play stands and is locked in. Play proceeds clockwise.

Winning

The first player to empty their hand wins — but only after surviving any challenge on their final play. If a player's last play is successfully challenged, they take the pile and continue playing.

Key Rules

• You must always declare the current rank in the sequence — you cannot skip ranks.
• You may play between 1 and 4 cards per turn regardless of how many of the declared rank you actually hold.
• There are 4 copies of each rank in the deck — if you "know" all 4 of a rank have been played, any subsequent claim of that rank is a guaranteed lie.
• Only one challenge per turn is allowed; if multiple players call simultaneously, the fastest wins.
• Once the next player has placed their cards, the previous play cannot be challenged.

Strategy

Playing honestly consistently builds trust — opponents are less likely to challenge you, which pays off when you do need to bluff. Bluffing is most effective when the pile is large (the cost of being caught is already high for everyone) and on ranks you know are mostly played out. Always challenge when a player is down to one card and the odds favor catching a lie.

At the Table

Track how many cards of each rank have been played — with a standard 52-card deck there are exactly 4 of each. When all 4 have been played and someone claims that rank again, call them out. Bluff sparingly; bluff convincingly when you must.