COCKROACH POKER (2004)

PLAYERS	TIME	DESIGNER	PUBLISHER
2-6	20 mins	Jacques Zeimet	Drei Magier Spiele

In this 2-6 player bluffing card game you will be playing cards, announcing which of the eight creatures is face down on that card, and then hoping that the player you’re passing it to fails to guess if you’re telling the truth or not.

A failed call either way will lead to the loser of that round taking the creepy critter back in front of them.

Or they could decide to pass it one, carrying on your version of events, or sowing distrust that you lied as they pass to another player.

There are eight different creatures in the game, and the first player to end up with three of the same one in front of them will lose.

That’s it. You lose, and everyone else wins.

🎲

COCKROACH POKER is a fantastic game to have with you when you have enough people.

Like many games of this type, the fun really comes from the group itself. Tricking a stranger isn’t too difficult. But tricking your best friend or your significant other feels like you’ve won already.

There are some tactics for the game. Each of the eight creatures has eight cards, so late game you can start to card count what you can see.

And certain players close to losing can be forced to choose one way or another because they can’t afford to call wrong.

The cards themselves have great art on them, especially because each creature is in a different pose across its eight cards. And it’s just images. So language won’t be a barrier.

Of course. Not everyone likes or gets bluffing games. And I’ve found it’s sometimes challenging to teach new players how the concept works in this game with who gets the card after a call.

With the right people, COCKROACH POKER is a blast. It’s a small box game where the end result doesn’t matter as much as how hard people are laughing.