How to Play Cheat (Lie and Cheat)

Cheat (also known as 'Cheat', 'I Doubt It', 'Bluff', 'BS', & 'Liar' in English, all meaning 'lying') is a card game that multiple players can enjoy. It requires courage and sharp wits. The goal is to play all the cards you have in your hand to win. It's a fun and exciting game—just make sure you don't get caught by the others. Follow the steps below to become a top-level Cheat player.

Shuffle a deck of 52 cards and deal them to the players. The dealer should aim to give each player an equal number of cards. To avoid a game that is too long or complicated, you can reduce the number of players: 3 to 6 is ideal, but you can also play with 2 to 10. Some players may have more cards than others, but this won’t affect the game’s outcome. Before starting, all players must remember that the goal of Cheat is to get rid of all the cards in your hand.

Decide who goes first. This could be the dealer, the person holding the Ace of Spades, the two Jacks, or the player with the most cards (if the cards weren't dealt evenly). The first player will place one (or several) cards face down on the table and tell the other players what cards they just played. The first player should start with one or two Aces.

Players take turns in a clockwise order. For example, if the first player lays down one or two Aces, the next player should place one or two 2s, the third player should lay down three (or more) 2s, and so on. When it’s your turn, you need to announce, "One Ace," "Two 2s," "Three Kings," and so on. You don’t necessarily need to have the card you claim to play; the point of the game is to pretend you have it without causing suspicion.

• If you don’t have any of the cards you should be laying down, you can skip your turn. Don't lay down 3 cards you don't have, and especially not 4. If you lay down 3 cards you don't have, the other players, who may hold at least two of the cards you just mentioned, will catch you and shout "Liar!" (bullshit).
• You can pretend to be confused. For instance, when it’s your turn to play a Queen and you really have two Queens, you can say "What was I supposed to play again?" and act confused while looking through your cards before playing. The goal is to make others think you're bluffing, even when you're telling the truth.

Say "Liar" if you think the player is bluffing. If you know the player is lying because you have the card they claim to have, because they have fewer cards, or you just have a gut feeling, say "Liar!" ("bullshit!") after they place their cards and announce what they have. They must reveal their cards, and everyone will know if they were lying.

• If the player was lying and the accuser was correct, the liar must take all the cards they just laid down.
• If the cards laid down turn out to be true and the accuser was wrong, the accuser must take all the cards that were played. If more than one person accuses wrongly, the pile will be split.

Continue playing after someone is caught bluffing. A new round starts after the liar or the person who falsely accused has picked up the cards. The game continues with everyone becoming more cautious, making it harder to bluff without being caught, especially as you have fewer cards left. 'Lying and Cheating' is mainly a game of luck and the ability to bluff convincingly. Avoid risky moves, like playing a card that’s obviously wrong or accusing someone unless you are completely sure they are playing the wrong card.

Try to get rid of all your cards. The winner is the first player to play all their cards. Naturally, players will accuse each other when there are few cards left, but you can avoid attention on your last card by accusing the player before you. 'Lying and Cheating' requires smart tactics and relies heavily on experience— the more you play, the better your chances of winning.

• Once one person wins, you can keep playing until only two or three players remain.
• If you’re down to one card, don’t announce it too soon or let everyone know you’re about to win.
• You can also take a risk for fun—if you only have one card left, you could pretend to count your cards and say, "Wow! I only have one 3!" The chances of getting caught are higher than winning, but it could be a funny way to entertain the others.

Play with multiple shuffled decks. This is a sensible option if you're playing with more than five players. The game will last longer, and it will be much harder to figure out who's bluffing and who's not.

• You can even use incomplete decks or decks with duplicate cards. This is a good way to make use of decks that would otherwise be unusable in standard card games.

Change the order of the calls. Instead of playing with the cards in ascending order, try playing in descending order. Start with the 2, then move back to Ace, King, Queen, and continue in that pattern. Alternatively, you can play by placing a card directly before or after the card the previous player just played. If they say they played an 8, you can play either an 8 or a 10, as you wish.

• You could also play by allowing the next player to place a card that matches the previous one or a card that is directly below or above it. This is a way to make it easier for players to play without having to bluff.

Players can play more cards than they claim. This rule should be discussed before the game starts so that no one accuses others of breaking the rules. If you decide to play with this rule, players can say they’re laying down three cards, but secretly add one more to make four. You are allowed to call them out for lying to see if they’re playing the correct number of cards; if they are lying, they must take the cards back.

Players can play cards out of turn, unless they just laid down cards. You will follow the established rules, but anyone can play cards if the current player is taking too long.

Players can place four consecutive cards in order in one spot, and when it’s their turn to play, they can opt to hide their cards and inform others about the sequence of their cards. This method makes the game faster. For example, if you hold 3 cards of the number 9, accuse someone of lying, and if they happen to have a real 9, you can remove all the 9s. This is an interesting rule, especially if your pile consists of 3 cards, excluding the 9s. You continue to play. After a set of cards is removed, you no longer refer to them and can pretend they never existed. Some cards that are entirely removed cannot be used again, so if all 9s are discarded, the sequence becomes 7, 8, 10, as long as those numbers are still in the game.

• If you successfully lie without getting caught, you can say "popcorn", "peanut butter", or "dummy", or make animal sounds to boast that you just escaped being accused. You don't have to do this, of course, but it adds a humorous touch to the game.
• This might be obvious, but you should always accuse the player who just played their last card of lying. In most cases, they are indeed lying. If you guess wrong, they will win anyway, but if you guess right, you get to keep playing while they will likely lose due to drawing unwanted cards.
• If you have a lot of cards and someone catches you lying, don’t panic—it’s not a bad thing. You may now hold many cards, which makes it harder for you to lose. Feel free to play many cards or lie a lot since you have a good amount of cards in hand.
• You don’t have to fan your cards to show off, especially when you’re about to win. Don’t reveal how many cards you have to others.
• A smart strategy is to distract other players from the cards you just played. You have every right to mislead others—this is an effective way to win the game.
• If you’re playing this game in English with children, use "B.S." or "Cheat!" instead of "bullshit".
• Don’t try to play with 13 people. Regardless of whether you’re using one or more decks, the outcome will remain the same: the first person to win still wins first, and the person who loses the final round will lose last.

• Each round can be quite lengthy, especially with many players involved.
• Remember, this is just a game, so always keep your cool, even if someone catches you lying. The game of Cheat can become very frustrating if players lose their composure and take the game too seriously, or if they refuse to quit when time’s up.
• When playing Cheat in English, if you’d rather avoid using the word "bullshit", you can opt for lighter terms like "cheater" or "liar".

• A standard deck of 52 cards
• You need at least 3 players to start playing the game of Cheat.