How to Play BS
BS card game rules, also known as Cheat, I Doubt It and Bluff, for 2 to 10 players
What is the BS card game?
BS is a bluffing card game where the goal is to be the first player to get rid of all your cards. Players take turns placing cards face-down and announcing what they are, and the next card you have to claim is fixed: Aces, then Twos, then Threes, all the way up to Kings. When you don't have the card you need, you lie.
Anyone who thinks a player is lying can call "BS!". The cards are flipped over, and whoever was wrong picks up the entire pile. In the UK the same game is called Cheat, in many families it's I Doubt It, and it is also sold as Bluff. The rules are the same whatever you call it.
Called Cheat in the UK: play Cheat
BS rules at a glance
- Players
- 2 to 10 (best with 3 to 6). Online at bs.fyi: 3 to 6 players.
- Deck
- One standard 52-card deck. Add a second deck for 6 or more players.
- Deal
- Deal every card out as evenly as possible. With 4 players, 13 cards each.
- Who starts
- The player holding the Ace of Spades (or the player left of the dealer).
- Your turn
- Place 1 to 4 cards face-down and claim they are all the rank in play.
- Rank order
- A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, then back to A.
- Calling BS
- Any player can call BS on the last claim before the next player goes.
- Penalty
- If the claim was a lie, the liar takes the pile. If it was true, the caller takes it.
- Winning
- First player with no cards left, once their last claim survives a call.
How to play BS, step by step
- 1
Deal the cards
Shuffle one deck and deal all 52 cards face-down, one at a time, until the deck runs out. Some players may end up with one more card than others; that's fine.
- 2
Start with Aces
The player with the Ace of Spades goes first. They place one or more cards face-down in the middle and say how many Aces they are playing, for example "two Aces".
- 3
Climb the ranks
Play moves clockwise, and each player must claim the next rank: the second player claims Twos, the third claims Threes, and so on up to Kings, after which the sequence starts again at Aces.
- 4
Tell the truth or bluff
You must play at least one card on your turn, even if you have none of the rank you need. That's when you bluff: put down other cards and claim them anyway.
- 5
Call BS
After a claim, any other player can call "BS". The claimed cards are turned face-up. If any of them is not the rank that was claimed, the player who played them picks up the whole pile. If they were all true, the caller picks up the pile instead.
- 6
Win
The first player to get rid of every card wins. If someone plays their last cards and gets called, the claim is checked like any other: they only win if it was true.
When should you call BS?
There are only four cards of each rank. If you hold three Sevens and someone claims two Sevens, they are lying for certain, so call it.
Claims of three or four cards are riskier for the claimer, and a player going out on their last cards should almost always be called: letting a lie through ends the game.
Remember the cost of being wrong: calling on a huge pile and losing hands you every card on the table. Early in a round, when the pile is small, a speculative call is cheap.
How many cards do you start with?
Deal the whole deck out, so the number of cards depends on how many people are playing:
- 2 players
- 26 cards each
- 3 players
- 17 cards each (one player gets 18)
- 4 players
- 13 cards each
- 5 players
- 10 or 11 cards each
- 6+ players
- Shuffle two decks together: 104 cards, about 17 each with 6 players
Playing BS with 2, 3 or 4 players
How to play BS with 2 players
Two-player BS works best if you deal only part of the deck: take out 10 to 16 cards at random and set them aside face-down. Otherwise each player can work out the other's hand from their own. Every other rule is the same.
How to play BS with 3 players
Deal all 52 cards, giving 17 or 18 each. With three players each person claims every third rank, so the rank you need comes round often. It's a fast, cut-throat way to play.
How to play BS with 4 players
Four is the classic table: 13 cards each and the rank you have to claim steps forward four places every time it's your turn. It's the default table online at bs.fyi, which seats 3 to 6.
House rules
Common variations include letting players claim any rank one above or below the last one, playing any number of cards (not just 1 to 4), or counting only the last player's cards when a call is wrong. Agree before you start.
BS strategy: how to win
- •Plan your honest turns. With four players, the rank you'll need next turn is four steps ahead. Hold those cards back and bluff with the ranks you won't need for a while.
- •Count what you hold. Your own hand tells you how many of a rank are still out there. Anyone claiming more than that is lying.
- •Hide a bluff in a true claim. If you have two Nines, claiming three Nines and slipping an extra card in is a lot safer than bluffing from nothing.
- •Dump cards on a small pile. Being caught early costs little. Save your safest, most honest plays for when the pile is big.
- •Always call the last cards. If a player is about to go out, calling costs you at most the pile, while staying quiet can cost you the game.
Frequently asked questions
What is the BS card game?
BS is a bluffing card game for 2 to 10 players. Players take turns placing cards face-down and claiming they are the next rank in sequence, and anyone can call BS on a claim they think is a lie. Whoever is wrong picks up the pile, and the first player to run out of cards wins.
Is BS the same as Cheat or I Doubt It?
Yes. BS, Cheat, I Doubt It and Bluff are all names for the same game. Cheat is the usual name in the UK, while I Doubt It is a common family-friendly name in North America.
How many cards do you start with in BS?
The whole deck is dealt out, so it depends on the number of players: 26 each with 2 players, 17 or 18 with 3 players, and 13 each with 4 players. Use two decks for 6 or more players.
Can you play BS with 2 players?
Yes. Remove 10 to 16 cards from the deck at random without looking at them, then deal the rest. Without those hidden cards each player could work out exactly what the other holds.
How many cards can you play at once in BS?
Usually one to four, since there are only four cards of each rank. Some house rules allow more, but claiming five of a rank from a single deck is always a lie.
What happens if you call BS and you're wrong?
If every card in the claim was the rank announced, you were wrong and you pick up the entire pile yourself.
Do you have to lie in BS?
Only when you don't have the rank you need. You must play at least one card every turn, so if you hold none of the required rank you have to bluff.
Can you play BS online with friends?
Yes. At bs.fyi you can create a private BS game, send your friends the link, and fill any empty seats with bots. It's free, runs in your browser and needs no download.
Ready to call some bluffs?
Play BS online for free against bots, or send friends a link to a private game. No download, no account.