Question card
How many times has Jake lost their phone this year?
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Printable party game
Bet Your Mate
The number is the truth. The betting is where the friendship goes.
The guest of honour secretly writes down a real number about themselves. Everyone guesses, then bets chips on whose guess is closest. It does not have to be your own.
- 4-12
- Players
- 20-40 minutes
- Time
The question
How many times has Jake lost their phone this year?
Every card in the pack is built around them.
How to play
1
They write the number
The guest of honour reads the question and writes the true answer down, hidden.
2
Everyone guesses
Write your number and put it face up. Now the whole table can see the field.
3
Back a guess
Put your chips on the guess you trust, yours or anyone else's. Reveal. Closest guess pays out.
One round
One round, start to finish
Make a guess, then decide whether you actually believe it.
Why the betting is the real game
01
You can bet against yourself
Guessing is half of it. Looking at your own number, deciding it is rubbish, and backing your mate instead is the other half.
02
The answers come from them
The guest of honour supplies every number live, so nobody can argue with it and everybody has to sit with it.
03
Chips beat points
Nobody cares about a score. Everybody cares about the pile of chips in front of the person who doubted them.
What you print
- Question cards, chosen around the guest of honour20+
- Answer slips1 page
- Betting chips1 sheet
- Rules card1
Prints on plain A4 or Letter. Black and white is fine. Cut along the guides and you are ready.
Is this one for your group?
Perfect for
- ✓A guest of honour who enjoys the attention
- ✓Groups who like a bit of needle
- ✓Around a table with room for the chips to pile up
- ✓Anyone who has ever said I knew it and been ignored
- ✓A party that wants a game with actual stakes
Maybe not if
- ×A guest of honour who hates being the centre of it. They run this one.
- ×Groups who will not cut the chips out. You need them.
- ×A quick ten minute filler. This one wants a full sitting.
Questions
Who runs the game?
The guest of honour. They read each question, write the true number, hold it, and reveal it after the betting closes. It is the one game where being the person the party is for gives you a job.
What if two guesses tie?
Both win. Anyone who backed either of them doubles their bet. Ties are good for everyone except the people who backed neither.
Can I really bet on somebody else's guess?
Yes, and you should. Every guess is face up before betting opens. If you think your number is nonsense and your mate has nailed it, back them and take the chips.
What are the chips for?
Betting. Every player gets a pile, and once all the guesses are face up you put your chips behind the one you think is closest. Back the winner and you collect. Back your own bad guess out of pride and you will not.
Where do the numbers come from?
The guest of honour, live, at the table. The pack gives you the questions worth arguing about. They provide the truth, and they are the only person who can.
How many people do we need?
Four to twelve. Under four the betting market is too thin to be interesting.
Build out the box
Secret Missions
Secret tasks that turn the whole event into the game.
See gameMajority Rules
The biggest crowd wins every round.
See gameThe Outsider
The whole group knows the word. One person has to fake it. Nobody knows who.
See gameSketchy Business
Everyone is drawing the same thing. One person has no idea what it is.
See gameThe Pitch
Talk your way out of anything - using two words that should make it impossible.
See gameReady to play?
Build a party around Bet Your Mate.
Choose the games that fit your group, then print the pages you need.
Build my pack