The realm of card games is a diverse one. You have games that specifically cater to younglings, & games that are more suited for adults. Some card games, however, are loved by people of all ages. One of the most popular card games in this category is bluff. Also known as ‘cheat’ or ‘BS’, bluff card game rules are fairly simple: get rid of all the cards in your hand by being the best liar! If you’re not already familiar, this blog will teach you how to play bluff card game.
What is bluff?
As simple as the objective of bluff is, the skill required to achieve it is as tricky as it gets. You need to lie about the cards that you play & make sure no one catches on to your deception. If caught, all the cards played in that round are added to your pile! Just like online rummy, you can find many platforms that provide bluff card game online. Before you start playing, it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with bluff card rules.
Bluff Card Game Rules
At the beginning of each round, a player throws down a specific number of cards & either lies or tells the truth about what cards they have thrown. The next player has 4 options:
- pass the turn
- throw some cards of the same rank
- bluff about throwing the cards of same rank
- Call out the previous player if they believe the cards thrown are a bluff
If the player chooses to call out the previous player & the cards were indeed a bluff, then the previous player has to pick up all the cards in the pile.
If, however, the previous player had told the truth, then the player that chose to call out has to pick all the cards in the pile.
The game continues in this fashion until one player has gotten rid of all the cards in their hand.
According to bluff card rules, a joker can be considered as a card of any rank.
The Fine Art of Bluffing
As the name of the game suggests, bluffing is an essential part of it. It’s easy to understand on paper, but practically it’s a fine line to walk. If you bluff too frequently, other players will catch on & you will end up with more cards in your hand than you began with. If you don’t bluff enough, getting rid of your cards fast enough to win would be a miracle. It is only after playing the game a few times that you will understand where to bluff & where not to. Just as learning rummy rules to be good at it is not enough & you need to play a few times to understand the game, bluff also requires hands-on experience to learn how to play bluff card game.
Begin The Game
- Start by giving the deck a good shuffle. Depending on the number of players, more than one deck may be used.
- Give the same number of cards to all the players. If you’re playing the bluff card game online, the distribution and shuffling will be done automatically.
- The first player puts down a specific number of cards and announces the rank of the cards thrown
- The next player needs to decide whether to call out a bluff, pass the turn, or to throw more cards of the same rank
- If they decide to call out & it is indeed a bluff, the previous player picks up all the cards in the pile & the player who called out the bluff starts a new round
- If it is not a bluff, the player who called out will pick up the pile & the player who threw the last card begins a new round
- If they decide to pass, the next player has the same options
- If all players decide to pass, the round ends & a new round begins with the player that threw the last card
- The game ends when a player has no more cards left in their hands at the end of the round
