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Goal

Work out which card is lying face down, or catch your opponent in a lie. A right guess or a right BS call wins the game, and a wrong one loses it.

Cards

Use 9 cards: the J, Q, and K of ♠, ♥, and ♣. Each suit and each value appears 3 times.

Starting hand

Deal 4 cards to each player and the last card face down. Nobody looks at it. This is the hidden card.

Play

1. Take turns. On your turn, guess the hidden card, play a card and ask a question, or call BS.
2. Guess. Name the card you think is hidden, then turn it over. If you’re right you win, and if you’re wrong you lose.
3. Ask. Play a card from your hand face up in front of you, and ask about its suit or its value, “How many of these did you start with?” With the Q♥ you can ask how many Hearts or how many Queens. The answer counts the 4 cards your opponent was dealt, so the cards they have already played still count.
4. Answer. Your opponent answers with a number, and the answer may not contradict the cards on the table. It can’t be fewer than the matching cards they have played themselves, or more than 3 minus the matching cards played in front of you, the card just played included.
5. One lie. Each player may lie in one answer per game. Once you have lied, every later answer must be the truth, except that when you’re asked again about a suit or a value you have answered before, you give the same answer as last time.
6. Call BS. Right after an answer, the player who asked may call BS on it or on any earlier answer, or let it stand. Then the turn passes. You can also call BS as your turn. Check the answer against the cards the answerer started with. If it was a lie, the caller wins. If it was the truth, the caller loses.
7. Out of cards. When you have no cards left, your turn must be a guess or a BS call.

Playing with your own deck

You need paper and a pencil to write down each question and the answer given, so both players can check them later.