Bluff:
A Family Card Game
Copyright © October 9, 2021 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
A deck of 52 ordinary playing cards does not cost very much money and a deck cards can be used to play hundreds of different card games requiring two or more players. A deck of cards can also be used to play hundreds of different solitaire card games.
In September or 2021 one of my granddaughters was visiting us and she wanted to play a new card game that she had never played before. At her request I created a card game that I called "Bluff." It is based on a gambling game that is sometimes played by adults, and also on a card game played by children that uses animal cards instead of number cards. There are probably countless other versions of this game that I am not aware of. However, I am sharing the rules of the game that I created for my granddaughter because we enjoyed playing it a lot. I should mention that she is 10 years old and that she won the game approximately as many times as I won the game.
The Rules for Bluff
Equipment: An ordinary deck of 52 playing cards.
Number of Players: 2, 3, or 4 players.
How to Play:
Round One:
- One player shuffles the cards and then deals five cards face down to each player. The remaining deck of cards is put in the middle of the table but the deck of cards are not part of the pot.
- The cards dealt to the players are used as "chips" by each player. The face value of the card does not determine its value. All cards are worth one point regardless of its face value.
- Beginning with the player to the left of the dealer, each player removes the next card from the top of the deck and places it face out on his or her forehead without looking at the card on his or her own forehead.
- After all the players have one card on their forehead, the first player to the left of the dealer has the option to make the first bet or to pass.
- If the player passes then the players to the left have the option to bet or pass in a clockwise sequence.
- When the first bet is made, each player can call the bet, or raise the bet, or fold.
- The maximum bet is three cards. However, a bet cannot exceed the total number of cards of the player who has the fewest cards.
- One raise is permitted per round. The maximum raise is three cards. However, a raise cannot exceed the total number of cards of the player who has the fewest cards.
- A player can call the bet, and the raise, by putting the correct number of cards into the pot. If the player does not want to call the bet, or the raise, then the player can fold and the player must place the card against his or her forehead into the pot with the other cards in the pot.
- After the betting is over all players transfer the card on their forehead onto the table in front of them with its face up. This is the first time the player gets to see his or her own card.
The player who has the card with the highest value wins.
The value of the cards from lowest to highest is: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A.
If there is a tie then the players who tied split the pot. If it is not possible to split the pot equally then the remaining cards are left in the pot for the next round.
If a player loses all of his or her cards then he or she is out of the game.
Round Two:
- No more cards are dealt.
- The player to the left of the player who went first in Round One goes first in Round Two.
- In clockwise sequence each player draws one card from the top of the deck and places it on his or her forehead without looking at it.
- The player who drew a card first has the option to bet or pass.
- Play continues the same way as it did in Round One.
Round Three to the End:
- The first player to draw a card continues clockwise. If there are not enough cards in the deck for each player to draw a card then the game is over. The extra cards are set outside.
- The players count the number of cards in their pile. The player with the most cards wins.
After the game is over, all the cards are gathered together and the player to the left of the previous dealer shuffles the cards and deals the cards and a new game begins.
The game is called "bluff" because the players can see the cards of the other players but each player cannot see his or her own card. Therefore a player needs to place bets based on what he sees, and on the knowledge that the other players cannot see their own cards.
For example, if you see that the other players have cards of six or lower then the odds are in your favor that the card you have, but that you cannot see, may be higher than their cards. Therefore you could place a bet.
If you can see one of the players has a card of ten or higher then that player will probably win if that player remains in the game. But you can try to "bluff" that player into thinking that he does not have a high card by placing a bet. If the player can see that you have a card of seven or above then the other player may decide to fold and not call your bet. If this happens then you will win because the other player gave up.
If you are the first player who has the option to bet or pass, and you can see that the other players have really low cards, then you could "bluff" by "passing" and this might cause the other players to believe that one of them has a high card. The other players might then bet because they can see all the cards but their own card, and each player may believe he has a high card, and they will bet in order to get you to fold and lose because they know you can't see your own card. However, when it is your turn to fold, call the bet, or raise, you can "raise" and this will increase the size of the pot based on the number of players who call your raise.
There are endless possibilities and this is what makes the game fun.
Conclusion
Bluff is an easy and fun game to play. It uses playing cards instead of money or chips and therefore the game can be played whenever you have an ordinary deck of 52 cards.
This is not a gambling game because the players do not get to keep the cards they win. The cards are returned to the deck after each game.
There is no need to keep score. Whichever player has the most cards wins.
Each game can be a new game. This means all the players have an equal chance to win each new game regardless of the outcome of previous games.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com