Cheat

Cheat is the card game where lying is allowed and getting caught is expensive. It is also called I Doubt It. Play the Cheat card game online free in your browser against two, three or four computer players, with no download or sign-up, on desktop or on your phone.

How to play

The whole 52-card deck is dealt, so some players may hold one card more than others. A random player goes first. The goal is to be the first to get rid of every card.

• The rank sequence: the first player claims Aces, the next player 2s, then 3s and so on up to Kings, and then back to Aces. The strip above the pile shows the rank being claimed now and the one that comes next.
• Your turn: tap 1 to 4 cards and press Play. They go face down onto the pile, and you claim they are all the current rank. A small orange dot marks the cards in your hand that really are that rank.
• Lying: the cards don’t have to match your claim. If you have none of the rank you need, you have no choice but to bluff.
• Calling Cheat: after another player’s claim, you get a Cheat button and a Let it go button. The computer players can call too, and the first call counts.
• The reveal: the cards are turned over one by one. If any card is not the claimed rank, the player who lied takes the whole pile. If every card is true, the player who called takes the pile instead.
• Winning: your last card can still be challenged. You win when you have played your last card and nobody catches you lying on it. If you are caught, you pick up the pile and play goes on.

A play can only be challenged until the next player plays. These rules follow the standard description on pagat.com.

Options

• Computer players: choose 2, 3 or 4 opponents.
• Time to call Cheat: 4 seconds, 8 seconds or no limit. When the timer runs out, you have let the claim stand. A computer player may still call before you decide.

Pause with the Pause button, P or Esc. Your wins, how many of your calls were right and your fastest win are saved in your browser.

How the computer players think

Each computer player knows the cards in its own hand and remembers the cards it put on the pile itself. It also remembers any cards turned over in a reveal and who picked them up. If it holds three Kings and someone claims two, it knows that is impossible and almost always calls.

When it can’t be sure, it estimates the odds from the cards it hasn’t seen, and it grows more suspicious of players who have been caught lying. A big pile makes it careful, while a last card gets challenged far more often. Ada plays cautiously, while Cleo calls and bluffs more boldly.

Strategy tips

• Lie with the cards you will need least. Keep the ranks your next few turns will ask for, and bluff with the rest.
• Tell the truth when it counts. Save a true card for your last play if you can. Everyone is suspicious of a final card, and a wrong call hands the whole pile to the caller.
• Count the cards in your own hand. If you hold three 8s and someone claims two 8s, they are lying. Call it.
• Don’t call on a big pile without a good reason. Small piles are cheap to gamble on.

FAQ

Is this Cheat card game free?

Yes. It’s free to play with no account and no install.

Is Cheat the same as I Doubt It?

Usually, yes. Cheat is the usual British name, and I Doubt It is the name used in many card game books for the same game: claim ranks in sequence, bluff, and challenge. A few books also use I Doubt It for a different bluffing game in which everyone claims the same rank.

Can you play more than one card in Cheat?

Yes. In this game you can play 1 to 4 cards per turn, all claimed as the current rank. Playing several true cards at once is the fastest way to empty your hand.

What happens if you call Cheat and you are wrong?

You pick up the whole pile, including the cards just played. That is why a call is a gamble, especially when the pile is large.

Does it work on a phone?

Yes. Tap cards, then tap Play, or tap Cheat or Let it go. On a keyboard, the arrow keys and Space pick cards, Enter plays and C calls Cheat.

Like card games with a race to empty your hand? Try Crazy Eights, or play pure luck against the computer in War.