Photo: BCD Jeux, partner shopTraditional card games
Cheat
- players
- 2–10
- minutes
- 20
- years
- 8+
In the box
52-card deck
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Memory
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
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The basics
All the cards are dealt, and you have to be the first to get rid of yours. On your turn, put one or more cards face down, announcing how many and the required rank: Aces for the first player, 2s for the next, and so on up to the King, then the Ace again; the cards put down can be anything. Before the next player puts cards down, anyone may shout "Cheat!": if one of the cards turned over is not of the rank announced, the cheat picks up the whole pile, otherwise the accuser does. The first player to put down their last card without being caught wins the round.
Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026
Never played? Aim of the game and full rulesStep by step, with examples, for a first game.The rules, step by step
Setup
52 cards dealt, 2 to 10 players, 2 decks with 5 or more
- The 52-card deck is dealt out entirely, one card at a time: some players have one card more than others; it does not matter.
- Two to ten players, sitting in a circle. With five or more, two decks are often shuffled together.
How to play
Ace, 2, 3… up to King, Play face down, Shout “Cheat!”
- The player to the dealer's left starts (Pagat picks the first player at random) and announces Aces; the next player 2s, then 3s, and so on up to Kings, after which you start again from the Ace.
- On your turn, put one or more cards face down on the pile, announcing how many and the rank required: "two 7s". The cards can be anything; only the number must be correct.
- Until the next player has put cards down, anyone can shout "Cheat!": the cards just put down are turned over.
- If any of them is not of the rank announced, the cheat picks up the whole pile; otherwise, the accuser does. Play resumes with the player to the left of the one accused, who announces the next rank.
Scoring
No points, First with no cards wins
- No points: each round has one winner, the first to get rid of all their cards.
- In Marquoir, you count rounds won: enter 1 for the winner, 0 for the others.
End of the game
Last card put down, Without being caught, Stop when you like
- The round ends as soon as a player has put down their last card without being caught. If that last play is a lie and they are accused, they pick up the pile and play goes on.
- The rules set no number of rounds: play as many as you like and end the game when you decide. The most rounds won takes it.
House rules and pitfalls
This sheet follows Pagat and the English Wikipedia: claims go up one rank each turn, starting with Aces.
- This sheet follows Pagat and the English Wikipedia: claims go up one rank each turn, starting with Aces.
- Depending on the table, claims go down (Ace, King, Queen…), or you may claim the rank just above or just below the previous one, or even the same; some let you pass. None of this changes the scoring.
- Variant: you may also lie about the number of cards put down; an accusation is then settled the same way.
- In France, people also play menteur by suits, as described by the French Wikipedia and regles-de-jeux.com, with a 32- or 52-card deck: everyone gets the same number of cards, any surplus being set aside. The first card, played face up, sets the suit, and everyone in turn puts down a single card face down announcing that suit; an accusation must come before the card is covered. Whoever picks up the pile starts again, with another suit according to regles-de-jeux.com. It is won the same way: the first player with no cards left.
never played?Aim of the game and full rules9 chapters · about 3 min read
Goal of the game
Be the first to get rid of all your cards. You put them down face down, announcing what they are, and you are allowed to lie. The others can accuse you: if you lied, you pick up the whole pile; if you told the truth, the accuser picks it up.
What you need
A 52-card deck. Two to ten players; with five or more, two decks are often shuffled together.
Preparing the game
- Shuffle and deal all the cards, one at a time. Some players will have one more card than others; it does not matter.
- Everyone sorts their hand by rank: it helps to know what you can put down honestly.
- The player to the dealer's left starts.
The order of the claims
Claims go up one rank each turn, in this order: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, then back to the Ace. The first player announces Aces, the next 2s, the one after 3s, and so on. You never choose: your turn imposes the rank.
A turn
- The player puts down one or more cards, face down on the central pile.
- They announce out loud how many and the rank required: "two 7s".
- Their cards may really be 7s… or not at all. They can put down two 7s, a 7 and a Queen, or any two cards: only the number announced must be correct. With a single deck, claiming more than four cards of a rank is bound to be a lie.
- If nobody accuses them before the next player puts cards down, the claim is accepted and play continues.
Shouting "Cheat!"
After a claim, any player (not just the next one) can shout "Cheat!", as long as the next player has not put cards down. The cards that have just been put down, and only those, are then turned over:
- if even one of them is not of the rank announced, the cheat picks up the whole central pile and adds it to their hand;
- if they are all correct, the accuser picks up the whole pile.
Play then resumes with the player to the left of the one accused, who announces the next rank, whether the accusation was right or not.
for example
Tom has to announce 9s. He has none: he puts down two cards saying "two 9s". Léa, who holds three 9s, knows there is only one left: Tom cannot have two. She shouts "Cheat!". The cards are turned over: a 4 and a King. Tom picks up the whole pile.
When you do not have the right rank
That is the whole game: you are often forced to lie, because the claim is imposed. Good players mix a real card with a false one, or keep their real cards for the turns when they will be watched.
End of the round
The first player to put down their last card without being caught wins the round. Careful: their last play can be challenged like any other; if they lied, they pick up the pile and the round continues. In Marquoir, you record rounds won: enter 1 for the winner, 0 for the others. The rules set no number of rounds: end the game when you decide, and the most rounds won takes it.
Tips for beginners
- Count the cards you hold: if you have all four Queens, any claim of Queens by someone else is a lie.
- Accusing has a cost: do not shout at random when the pile is big.
- Keep a straight face, whether you are telling the truth or not.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
What is the aim?
Be the first to get rid of all your cards, putting them down face down — while announcing a rank, true or false.
Which rank do you start with?
Aces: the first player announces Aces, the next 2s, then 3s, up to Kings, and then back to the Ace. So everyone announces the rank their turn imposes, and that is what forces you to lie.
How does a turn work?
Put down one or more cards face down, announcing how many and the current rank ("two Kings"). You may lie about what you are really putting down, but not about the number of cards.
What happens when you have doubts?
Shout "Cheat!" before the next player puts cards down, and turn over the last cards put down. If it was a lie, the cheat picks up the whole pile. If it was true, the doubter picks it up.
Can you always lie?
Yes, every time you put cards down. The whole art is knowing when to bluff, when to tell the truth, and when to keep quiet in front of a growing pile.
How do you win?
The first player with no cards left in hand wins the round, provided their last play is not exposed as a lie. Marquoir counts the rounds each player has won.