What you need
A standard 52-card deck and 2 to 10 players; the game is best with 4 or more. Shuffle two decks together for a big group. Nothing else: no scoring, no table layout, just a discard pile in the middle.
The game is called Cheat in Britain, BS (or a longer word) in the United States and I Doubt It in most card game books. Whatever you call it, that is the word you shout when you think someone is lying.
Setup
Deal out all the cards, face down, one at a time (Bicycle’s rules deal in twos and threes, then singly at the end). Some players will have one card more than others. Pick a starting player at random; play then goes clockwise.
Ranks are played in a fixed sequence: aces first, then 2s, 3s and so on up to kings, then back to aces.
How to play
On your turn, put one or more cards face down on the pile and announce them as the rank that is due: the first player says “two aces”, the next “one 2”, the next “three 3s”, and so on. Bicycle’s rules limit a play to four cards; pagat.com sets no limit.
The cards you put down do not have to be what you say. If you have no 7s when 7s are due, you must play something else and call it 7s. You may also mix: two real 7s and a king, announced as “three 7s”.
Challenging
Any player who suspects a lie calls “Cheat!” (or “BS!” or “I doubt it!”) before the next player plays. The cards just played are turned over:
- If they are all the rank announced, the challenger was wrong and picks up the whole pile.
- If any card is different, the liar picks up the whole pile.
Play then continues with the player to the left of the one who was challenged, calling the next rank in sequence.
If nobody challenges, the cards stay face down on the pile and the next player goes.
Scoring and winning
The first player to get rid of all their cards wins, provided their final play survives any challenge. If you play your last cards, are challenged and were lying, you pick up the pile and the game goes on. Expect your last play to be challenged every time.
There is no scoring. Play again with the loser (the player holding the most cards) starting.
Common variants
- Downward sequence. Ranks run A, K, Q, J, 10 and so on instead of upward.
- Up or down. After “two 10s”, the next player may announce jacks or 9s.
- Same rank allowed. You may announce the same rank as the previous player, as well as the next one up or down.
- Free rank. In the Chinese version, any rank may be called as long as all cards in a play are claimed to be equal. Played with several decks.
- Wrong count. Some allow cheating on the number of cards too: say “three 8s” while putting down four cards. If challenged and the play is not exactly as called, you pick up.
- Multiple challengers. When several players call at once, the one nearest the player’s left (or the first to shout) is the challenger.
Tips for first games
- Lie when the pile is small. Picking up three cards is cheap; picking up thirty is not.
- Count. If you hold three 9s and someone claims “two 9s”, at most one of them is real.
- Challenge the last play of anyone close to going out, even if you think they are honest. The cost of being wrong is usually worth it.
- Keep a straight face and play at the same speed whether you are lying or not.
Frequently asked questions
What do you say in Cheat? “Cheat!”, “BS!” or “I doubt it!” depending on where you learned the game. The word is the only difference between the three names.
Who picks up the pile? The liar, if the challenge was correct. The challenger, if the cards were exactly as announced.
Can you play more than four cards at once? Under pagat.com’s rules, yes, any number. Bicycle’s rules cap a play at four. Agree before you start.
What if the rank you need is not in your hand? You have to bluff. Playing cards of a different rank and announcing the required rank is the whole point of the game.
Can you look at the pile? No. The played cards stay face down until a challenge turns over the most recent play only.
