Bullshit Drinking Game

Lie beautifully or drink honestly.

Also known as: Cheat · I Doubt It · BS

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Players 3-8

You needDeck of cards, drinks

DrinkAnything

Intensity

Time20-40 min

Bullshit is the card game that gives you official permission to lie to your friends' faces - and makes them drink when they catch you doing it badly. Players take turns discarding cards face down while announcing what they supposedly are: 'two Queens,' 'three 7s.' Maybe true. Probably not. Anyone at the table can shout 'Bullshit!' and flip your cards. If you lied, you scoop the pile and drink; if you were honest, your accuser does.

The drinking version turns an already devious classic into a full-contact psychology experiment. Every sip loosens tongues, every failed call stings, and by the middle of the game half the table is bluffing with the confidence of a used-car salesman. First player to empty their hand wins, and everyone else finishes their drink in tribute. No equipment beyond a deck, no setup beyond a shuffle, and no skill required except a straight face.

What you need & setup

Deal the entire 52-card deck out to 3-8 players; uneven hands are fine.
Everyone picks up their cards and grabs a drink.
Clear a spot in the middle of the table for the discard pile.
Whoever holds the ace of spades starts by playing aces.
Confirm the drink penalties: liar caught = pile plus two drinks; false accusation = two drinks.

How to play Bullshit

Play cards face down, in order

The first player discards their aces - or claims to. The next player must play 2s, the next 3s, and so on up through Kings before looping back to aces. Cards go face down on the pile while you announce the count and rank out loud: 'two 5s.' What you actually put down is entirely your business.

Lie whenever the truth is inconvenient

Holding zero 8s when it is your turn to play 8s? Slide down a 3 and a Jack and say 'two 8s' without blinking. Bluffing is not cheating here - it is the engine. You can also lie about quantity, slipping four cards down while claiming three. The only crime in Bullshit is getting caught.

Call bullshit when you smell it

Any player can challenge any play by shouting 'Bullshit!' before the next person plays. Flip the challenged cards face up for the whole table. There is no take-back: a wrong call punishes the accuser, so challenge on evidence - like when someone claims three Kings and you are holding two of them.

Settle the challenge with drinks

If the cards were a lie, the liar picks up the entire discard pile, adds it to their hand, and takes two drinks. If the play was honest, the accuser takes the pile and the two drinks instead. Either way the pile resets to empty and play continues from the next rank with the next player.

Manage your growing or shrinking hand

Winning challenges keeps your hand lean; losing them buries you in cards. A fat hand is not hopeless, though - it means you actually hold the ranks you need and can play honestly while everyone assumes you are lying. Some of the best comebacks start from a twenty-card hand.

Race to empty your hand

The first player to legally shed their last card wins - but the final play is almost always challenged on principle, so make sure it is real or bluff-proof. When someone goes out clean, the traditional salute is everyone else finishing a healthy portion of their drink. Shuffle up and deal the rematch.

The rules

Ranks must be played in ascending order - aces, 2s, 3s, up to Kings, then back to aces.
Cards are always played face down while you announce their claimed count and rank.
You must play at least one card on your turn; passing is not allowed.
Any player may call 'Bullshit!' on a play before the next turn begins.
Caught lying: take the whole pile into your hand and drink twice.
Wrong accusation: the accuser takes the pile and drinks twice.
If multiple players call bullshit simultaneously, the first voice heard is the official accuser.
Winning a challenge honestly lets you hand out one bonus drink to anyone at the table.
The last card played to go out is automatically flipped and checked - liars pick up the pile and keep playing.
First player with zero cards wins; the rest of the table drinks to their victory.

Variations & house rules

Cheat Physically

Borrow the British rules: beyond lying about your cards, you may also try to physically sneak extra cards onto the pile or into the discard mid-round. If anyone spots the move and calls it, you take the pile plus three drinks. It converts a bluffing game into a sleight-of-hand contest, and it gets outrageous quickly.

Burn Fours

Any time four of the same rank end up on top of the pile - claimed or proven - the pile burns: it is removed from the game entirely and the burner hands out four drinks. Suddenly claiming 'four Jacks' becomes a nuclear option worth challenging every single time it happens.

Silent Bullshit

No speaking allowed except the rank announcements and the word 'Bullshit.' All trash talk must happen through eye contact and eyebrow acting. Talking out of turn costs a drink. It sounds gimmicky until you watch someone try to bluff three Queens using only their face - the tension gets absurd.

Double Deck Chaos

Shuffle two decks together for six or more players. With eight of every rank in play, claims of 'five 9s' become plausible, hands get huge, and card-counting your way to safe challenges stops working. Rounds run longer, so soften the penalty to one drink per lost challenge.

Truth Tax

Playing honestly is legal but taxed: any play that survives unchallenged AND was actually true costs the player one small sip when they later reveal it (honor system at game end, or spot-check with flips). It nudges everyone toward lying constantly, which is exactly the energy this game deserves.

Pro tips

Count the ranks you hold - if you have three 6s and someone claims two 6s, that is a mathematically guaranteed call.

Lie small and early; two-card lies survive far more often than greedy four-card dumps.

Bluff with your rhythm, not just your face - hesitation before an honest play sells false confidence beautifully.

Save at least one true, unchallengeable card for your final play, because the table always calls the last card.

A huge hand means honest plays for days - lean into it instead of panicking.

Agree up front on simultaneous-call tiebreaks; it is the game's most common argument.

Where Bullshit fits on the shelf

Bullshit is one of the gentler picks on the shelf - 14th of 17 cards games by intensity, rated 2 out of 5.
The sweet spot is 3-8 players - enough for chaos, few enough that every turn matters.
A typical session runs 20-40 min - a solid middle act for the evening.
Browse the full card drinking games shelf to compare all 17 games side by side.

A little history

Bullshit descends from Cheat, a shedding game recorded in British card game literature since the 19th century and known politely in America as I Doubt It. The bolder name took over on US campuses sometime in the 20th century, and the drinking penalties were an inevitable student addition. Exactly when sips replaced simple pile-pickups is undocumented, but the pairing feels like it was always meant to be.

Drink responsibly: Bullshit's penalties land in unpredictable bursts, so a losing streak can pile up fast. Keep the two-drink penalty at two honest sips, skip drink-per-card rules with big piles, and put water in reach - lying well requires a clear head anyway. See our safety guide for pacing tips and alcohol-free versions.

Bullshit FAQ

What happens when you call bullshit and you're wrong?

The penalty mirrors the crime: flip the cards, and if the play was honest, the accuser picks up the entire discard pile into their hand and takes the two-drink penalty the liar would have gotten. That symmetry is what keeps the table from calling bullshit on every single turn - a challenge is a bet, and you pay when you lose it.

Can you lie about how many cards you play in Bullshit?

Yes, and it is one of the strongest moves in the game. Announcing 'two 10s' while sliding three cards into the pile sheds an extra dud - if nobody counts. Most tables allow it fully; a challenge flips everything you played, so a quantity lie fails the same way a rank lie does. Watch opponents' hands, not just their words.

What do you do if you have no cards of the required rank?

Lie - there is no other option, since you must play at least one card per turn. Slide down whatever garbage you want and announce the required rank with total conviction. This forced-bluff moment is the heart of Bullshit: the ranks cycle predictably, so sharp players track who is likely to be empty and time their challenges accordingly.

How is Bullshit different from Cheat and I Doubt It?

They are the same core game wearing different outfits. Cheat is the British name and often allows physical cheating like sneaking cards; I Doubt It is the polite American classroom version; Bullshit is the campus name with drinks attached. Rules drift between houses - challenge phrasing, penalties, burn rules - so run a thirty-second recap before dealing.

How many drinks do you take when caught lying?

The standard house rule is two drinks plus picking up the whole pile, which is the real punishment since it buries your hand. Groups tune this freely: one sip for casual nights, a drink per card picked up for the brave, or dares instead of drinks entirely. Whatever you choose, keep it symmetrical for false accusers so challenges stay honest.

Bullshit Drinking Game

What you need & setup