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About Cockroach Poker
Cockroach Poker is a bluffing card game by Jacques Zeimet with no poker in it at all. The deck holds eight kinds of pests, and you hand a card face down to someone while claiming what it is. They either call your bluff or peek and pass it on with a claim of their own. Whoever ends up wrong takes the card face up, and collecting four of one kind loses the game.
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Is Cockroach Poker Right for You?
Best for
Cockroach Poker is for groups who like lying to each other with a straight face. It teaches in two minutes, fits in a coat pocket, and works for families with older children as well as for adults at the pub. We like it best at four and five, where a card can travel halfway round the table before anyone dares to call it.
Maybe skip it if…
Players who hate being singled out will struggle, because games often end with the table ganging up on one person. There is also little to it beyond reading people, so groups who want strategy should look elsewhere.
How to Play Cockroach Poker
Setup
Deal the whole 64-card deck out evenly. Everyone holds their cards as a secret hand.
On Your Turn
- Slide one card face down to another player and name a creature, truthfully or not.
- The receiver either says whether the claim is true, or looks at the card and passes it on to someone who has not yet seen it, with a new claim.
- If the guess is right, the passer takes the card face up; if wrong, the guesser does. That player starts the next round.
How to Win
The first player with four face-up cards of one creature loses, as does a player who must pass but has no cards; everyone else wins.
💡 Strategy Tips
Telling the truth is a perfectly good bluff. Players expect lies, and a flat honest claim catches them out.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Always lying. An honest claim is one of your best weapons against a table that expects a bluff.
- Passing every card on. Each peek and pass puts you on the spot as the next claimer, and it gives the table another look at your face.
- Ignoring what is already face up. The player with three flies in front of them is the one everyone will send flies to next.
- Forgetting the second way to lose. A player who has to pass a card but has none left in hand is out too.
Advanced Strategy
- Send a creature to someone who has none of it face up. They have less reason to fear it and are more likely to guess carelessly.
- When a player is one card from losing, look for the chance to send them the creature they fear, truthfully.
- Watch how people handle a card. Someone who peeks and passes very quickly has often decided what to say before looking.
- Track how many of each creature have been revealed. There are eight of each, so late in the game some claims become very unlikely.
Variants & House Rules
Cockroach Poker Royal
A spin-off with royal cards and different rules. A separate game rather than an expansion, and a little more complicated.
House rule: running tally
Play several quick games and keep a tally of who loses. A single game is short enough that a score across the evening feels fairer.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Cockroach Poker is a small, silly card game that produces real tension from almost nothing. It is entirely about reading faces, and it is at its best with a group that enjoys teasing each other. For the price of a paperback, it is hard to beat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it anything like poker?
Not really. The name refers to the bluffing. There are no chips, no bets and no hands to rank.
Is it suitable for children?
From about eight, yes. Younger children often struggle to keep a straight face, which is half the fun.
How long does a game take?
Around twenty minutes, often less once someone gets unlucky.