As an avid gamer and card enthusiast, one of my all-time favorite games is BS, also known as Cheat or I Doubt It. The deceitful nature of trying to out-bluff your opponents combined with the strategy of catching their lies makes it an absolutely thrilling game! So a question I get asked a lot by new BS players is: can you skip your turn if you don‘t have the right cards?
The answer is yes! If you don‘t have any of the required cards to play on your turn, you can say "pass" or "skip" to move play to the next person and avoid being caught in a bluff.
However, some player groups adopt "house rules" where skipping isn‘t allowed at all…so what gives? As a long-time BS aficionado and gaming guide writer, let me break down everything you need to know about the debate around skipping turns in BS!
Official BS Rules Say You Can Skip Turns
According to the official rulebooks and sites for BS published by major game companies like Mattel and Hasbro, skipping your turn when you have none of the required cards is perfectly legal. Other names for skipping include "passing" or declaring "no cards".
Here‘s an excerpt from Mattel‘s rules stating this definitively:
"A player who does not have the appropriate card rank required can try to bluff and play cards face-down, or pass without playing any cards."
And Hasbro‘s rules have very similar language:
"If a player doesn’t have the card rank required, he may bluff and play cards face down. Or he may choose not to play any cards and pass to the next player."
So by the official tournament rulebook that has governed BS for decades, skipping turns is completely allowed and part of standard gameplay.
Some Player Groups Have "No Skipping" House Rules
However, many casual player groups over the years have adopted unofficial "house rules" where skipping your turn isn‘t allowed.
What this means is all players are required to put down cards on their turn, even if they don‘t have the correct ones. You still have the option to bluff of course, but you can‘t outright skip by saying "pass" if you have nothing.
These house rules get put in place to:
Increase difficulty and eliminate easy outs: By forcing everyone to bluff each turn, the game ratchets up in intensity. Players can‘t take an "easy way out" by skipping which keeps the pressure cooker environment boiling!
Shorten game length: For player groups that want faster BS games, eliminating skip turns speeds up the pace significantly. It forces the lying and callouts to happen faster by mandating constant bluffing.
So why do official rules allow skipping at all then? Mainly because:
- It provides a strategic element for players without the cards to avoid getting caught.
- Allows games to scale up to larger player counts by giving flexibility on tougher turns.
- Adds an additional decision point on whether to bluff or not each turn.
In tournaments, skipping is almost always allowed to enable wider strategic play. But for casual games, it varies widely based on who you ask!
Skipping Rule Impact on BS Strategy
The ability to skip turns in BS dramatically impacts gameplay strategy, and changes how optimal players navigate their decision making.
Here‘s a comparison of BS strategy elements with and without skipping allowed:
| Can Skip | No Skipping | |
| **Bluffing Risk vs Reward** | Higher reward for successful bluffs as players selectively choose their best spots. Failed bluffs less frequent. | Higher risk and higher reward for all bluffs since they are mandatory every turn. |
| **Game Length** | Longer games on average since passing allows game pace to slow down. | Faster pace forces the action faster by removing an entire decision branch. |
| **Comeback Ability** | Players can leverage skipping to stay in the game if in a tough spot card-wise. | Tough card spots offer no relief turn after turn, increasing snowball likelihood. |
As the table shows, the option to skip fundamentally changes how players navigate key decisions around bluffing, game length, and mounting comebacks.
The ability to pass makes the marginal bluffing decision more compelling, as you can selectively pick ideal moments instead of mandatory constant bluffs. It also reduces the pain of picky card dealing by offering intermittent relief on unlucky streaks.
Overall there‘s pros and cons to both variants – it ultimately comes down to playing style preferences within your gaming group!
Game Theory Analysis of BS Skipping Rules
Analyzing BS gameplay through a game theory lens also reveals some fascinating insights around the skipping decision.
Specifically, the Nash equilibrium changes substantially whether skipping is allowed or not.
For those unfamiliar with game theory terminology:
A Nash equilibrium refers to the optimal strategy that players should follow to maximize their payout based on the game conditions and other players‘ behaviors.
In BS, the Nash equilibrium revolves heavily around the optimal bluffing frequency and calling out thresholds.
Here‘s a summary of how the Nash equilibrium shifts with and without skipping turns as an option:
Can Skip – Nash equilibrium favors moderate bluffing with selective high-risk, high-reward bluffs mixed into long periods of honesty. Calling out other players‘ bluffs peaks later in the game at critical moments.
No Skipping – Nash equilibrium shifts towards frequent low-risk bluffing every 1-2 turns. Calling out thresholds lower across all players as mandated bluffing increases lying frequency.
So in a metagame sense, the ability to skip makes the marginal bluffing decision more compelling, leading to dynamic mixed strategies. No skipping flattens the marginal returns of lying, hom*ogenizing players into constant low-risk deception.
While super technical, I love analyzing gaming strategy through the game theory perspective to find these little rule nuance impacts!
Experienced Players Recommend Allowing Skipping
In researching this question across gaming forums and card game sites, the overwhelming consensus from seasoned BS veterans is that skipping should be allowed in games, even casually.
Here were some key arguments made in favor of keeping skipping legal:
"Being forced to bluff every single turn ratchets the pace to ludicrous levels. Allowing passes makes it much more sustainable over long game nights."
"New players in particular need the relief valve of skipping when card luck puts them in repeated binds. Forcing constant lying is overwhelming."
"It transforms the marginal bluffing decision from automatic to a compelling risk vs reward dynamic each turn."
"In larger 5+ player games, skipping is almost essential to allow game length to not stretch into eons."
So while some player groups adopt anti-skipping house rules with good intentions around pace and difficulty, most expert commentary favors keeping passing as an option.
The strategic decision of bluffing vs passing ultimately leads to more varied and compelling gameplay over both short and long-term time horizons. Learning to leverage both tools effectively is core to mastering BS at the highest level!
Hopefully this detailed guide clarifies the debate around skipping in BS! As you join the fun with your gamer friends, I recommend playing both ways to see which style your group prefers. Just be sure to establish agreement on the rule before starting so all players understand the gameplay landscape!
And if you ever have more questions on BS tips and tricks, hit me up! Happy bluffing 🙂
