Cheat rules
Cheat — also called BS, I Doubt It, or Bluff — is a shedding game where deception is legal and encouraged. Cards are played face down with a claim about what they are, and the drama comes from deciding when to lie and when to call someone else's bluff. It plays with 3 to 6 players and a standard deck.
Setup
Shuffle a standard deck and deal it out to all players — hands won't be perfectly even with every player count, and that's fine. There's no draw pile in Cheat: every card in the game starts in someone's hand, and the only way cards come back to you is by getting caught (or catching someone badly). On Discard Party the deal is automatic when the host starts the game.
Taking a turn
Turns move around the table, and each turn comes with a required rank that climbs in order: the first player must claim aces, the next twos, then threes, and so on, wrapping back around after kings. On your turn, you play one or more cards face down onto the pile and announce your claim — for example, "two fives."
Here's the fun part: the claim doesn't have to be true. If the required rank is nowhere in your hand, you can play any cards you like and lie with a straight face. Even when you do hold the rank, mixing in an extra junk card is how hands get thin. Every claim you make is a small bet that nobody doubts you.
Calling cheat
After any play, another player can call cheat. The played cards are flipped over for everyone to see. If the claim was a lie, the liar picks up the entire pile. If the claim was honest, the accuser takes the pile instead — a punishing swing that keeps wild accusations in check. Either way, play continues with the next required rank, and the pile starts building again.
Winning
The first player to get rid of every card wins — but there's a catch. Your final play is the most tempting one for opponents to challenge, because catching you is their last chance. Going out on a lie is the game's signature thrill; going out on the truth and watching an accuser inherit the pile is even sweeter.
Common variations and house rules
Offline tables tweak Cheat in dozens of ways: letting players claim one rank above or below the required rank, allowing anyone (not just the next player) to call cheat, or playing with two decks for bigger groups. Discard Party uses the classic climbing-rank rules with open accusations, which keeps rounds fast and the bluffing pressure high from the very first ace.
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