cockroachCockroach Poker (which, we should point out, really doesn’t have much to do with Poker at all, besides the bludding mechanic), is very easy to play and to teach.

Its text-less cards make it ideal for play with younger audiences, and the strategic gameplay means that the adults can get a kick out of it long after the young ones have gone to sleep. 
 
The game itself is comprised of a single deck made up of several ‘suits’ of creepy-crawlies. Spiders, rats, stinkbugs and the eponymous cockroach. Each suit is 8 cards total (and they’re all identical, keeping it nice and simple for everyone). 
 
The entire deck is dealt to all the players so everyone has a hand (and hand size will of course differ depending on the number of players in the game). 
 
The core gameplay is very simple. On your turn, you select 1 card from your hand and pass it face-down to another player. When you do so, you announce to the entire table what type of bug your card is – but you don’t have to be telling the truth.
 
The player who you pass the card to then has a choice to make. They can either: 
 
– They think you’re telling the truth, and they accept the card.
– They say you’re lying, and the card is revealed (if it then turns out the player was lying, the card is placed face-up in front of the liar, if it turns out they were telling the truth, it is placed face-up in front of the player it was passed to). 
Or;
– The player can elect to look at the card, and then pass it on to another player at the table, by essentially doing the same thing the first player did: Lying or telling the truth about the type of bug depicted on the card.
 
The core gameplay makes for some excellent laughs, poor poker faces and wickedly smart bluffing. 
 
The aim of the game is to get one player (and one player only), to have 4 of the same type of bug face up in front of them. Once that happens, the game ends and all the other players win.
 
This makes for some very interesting plays and interactions as the game progresses. You might think it will be easy to just lie about the card you’re passing, but being called out as a liar means you’ll soon end up with a variety of bugs at your doorstep!
 
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Cockroach Poker takes only a few minutes (if that) to explain, and is the best type of ‘learn as you play’ game, that can be taught after players have been dealt their hands and play begins.  
 
It’s fast, interesting, and serves as the best kind of game to pay a few rounds of in a half hour period, whether you’re waiting for dinner to cook, filling in time between larger board games, or just looking to get away from the TV for a little while and have some laughs. 
 
If you’re a big household, then you’ll be happy to learn that Cockroach Poker can accommodate up to 8 players  – and unlike some other games, there are no additional rules based on the number of participants – a single deck can accommodate everyone!
 
Cockroach Poker is available right now from our online store, with free delivery Australia-wide when you spend $100 or more!