Whoa There Cowboy
Whoa There Cowboy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 98 Cards
- 2 Direction Cards (One is extra)
- 40 Scoring Tokens
Objective
Score by playing all cards in your hand as many times as possible or by successfully calling a player's bluff.
Setup
Remove the Direction Cards and place one in the center of the table with "Going UP" face up. The other is a spare.
Shuffle the rest of the cards. Deal 7 to each player and place the remaining cards in the center next to the Direction Card.
Make a pile of 10- and 20-point tokens within reach of all players.
Setup diagram labels: Draw Pile, Direction Card, Play Pile, Score Tokens.
Game Play
The youngest player goes first. Play continues clockwise. Cards are played face down in a pile in the middle of the table.
On a Player's Turn
The first player announces a number and quantity (i.e. two 3's) and then lays down that quantity of cards in the Play Pile. They may choose to be truthful or they may bluff and play different cards than announced (i.e. one 5 and one 6). The next player must play a higher number OR more cards of the same number (i.e. three 3's or one 5). They may also bluff and/or skip numbers, so long as they are "Going Up". Players may not skip their turn.
Example callouts: "Two 3's!" shown as Truthful and as Bluffing.
Wanna let everyone know you got away with a bluff? Call "YeeHaw!" after the next person plays their cards.
Calling a Bluff
If any person suspects a player is bluffing, they say "Whoa There Cowboy!" before the next player plays their card(s). The accused player must then reveal their card(s):
- If they were truthful, the accused gives the accuser one card from thier hand. Note: If the accused played their last card(s), they give the accuser one of their seven new cards.
- If they were bluffing, they take back their card(s) plus one penalty card from the draw pile. The accuser gets a 10-point token.
Direction Changes
When the Direction card says "Going Up", numbers continue to increase until a player announces 7's. Once 7's are announced, flip the Direction Card to "Going Down". The next player must play a lower number OR more cards of the same number (i.e. three 7's or one 5). Numbers then decrease until a player announces 1's and flips it back to "Going Up".
Note: A player MUST announce 7's before the direction flips to GOING DOWN and 1's before it flips to GOING UP. This may force a player to bluff.
Ending the Round
When a player empties their hand, if their last cards were truthful or no one catches their bluff, they receive a 20-point token. Then they draw seven new cards.
Play continues until the draw pile is depleted, then reshuffle the Play Pile. If a player was refilling their hand when the draw pile ran out, they finish drawing with the newly shuffled cards.
- For 2-4 players, the round ends when the next player runs out of cards (they do not refill to 7 cards).
- For 5-6 players, play continues until the draw pile is depleted again. The play pile is then reshuffled and the round ends when the next player runs out of cards (they do not refill to 7 cards).
Scoring
Once the round ends, players total up their point tokens. They also tally the number of cards left in their hand and subtract that from their total.
Record the scores. Play as many rounds as desired. We suggest three rounds. The first player rotates clockwise each round.
Ending the Game
The player with the highest score after the agreed rounds wins! In a tie, the player who had the highest score in the last round wins. If still tied, players share the victory.
For the Whippersnappers
When playing with young children, try some or all of these options:
- Remove the Direction Card. Simply go up to 7 and then start back at 1.
- Young kids earn 20 points instead of 10 if they successfully call someone's bluff.
- Older kids and adults are dealt (and redealt) 9 cards instead of 7, so they have to get rid of more to earn 20 points.
The Old Timer Variation
For a more competitive game, try these two options:
- When "Going Up" and "Going Down," numbers must be played in exact order (1, then 2, up to 7, then down to 1). Numbers may not be skipped.
- If a player calls "Whoa There Cowboy," the penalty for being wrong is two cards: one from the draw pile and one from the accused player.