Review: Cockroach Poker Card Game

Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 20 Minutes
Year Published: 2004

There isn’t much lore in Cockroach Poker. The game features representatives of various classes of unpleasant creatures. In this game, you’ll encounter all sorts of creepy crawlers—Rats, Cockroaches, Bats, Sink bugs, and more—that you’ll be trying to pass off to your opponents using trickery and bluffing. Cockroach Poker has nothing in common with traditional poker; it’s likely named that way simply because bluffing is at its core.

In this very simple game, there can be only one loser. Who among you will suffer the fate of collecting a whole set of creatures from one type of pest—or gather a full horde of various vermin and thereby lose?

Shuffle the deck of 64 cards, which includes eight suits represented by different types of critters and bugs: toads, spiders, sink bugs, cockroaches, flies, bats, rats, and scorpions. For convenience, all the suits are shown as icons of the creatures on the card backs.

Deal all the cards evenly to the players. Choose the starting player—and you’re ready to begin!

As mentioned earlier, the gameplay is extremely simple.

On your turn, choose a card from your hand, place it face down in front of any other player, and declare what creature is on it. But you’re not required to tell the truth.

The targeted player can either believe the creature named is actually on the card or call out the bluff. The card is then flipped face up to reveal the truth.

If the guess was incorrect, the player who guessed wrong must place the card in front of them, face up, in their personal play area. If they caught the bluff—or believed the named creature and it turned out to be correct—then the original player who played the card must place it in their own personal area. Whoever ends up with the card starts the next round.

The targeted player also has the option to pass instead of guessing. If they do, they peek at the card, then pass it to another player (who hasn't yet seen it), naming the same creature or a different one. The bluff-checking starts anew. If a bluff is revealed, the card goes to the last player who lied, not the one who originally played the card.

If the final player receives the card after everyone else has passed, they must resolve it—they can’t pass. They have to decide whether or not they believe the declared creature type and then reveal the card.

A player loses the game if they collect four cards of the same type or one card of each of the eight creature types in their personal area.

The targeted player also has the option to pass instead of guessing. If they do, they peek at the card, then pass it to another player (who hasn't yet seen it), naming the same creature or a different one. The bluff-checking starts anew. If a bluff is revealed, the card goes to the last player who lied, not the one who originally played the card.

If the final player receives the card after everyone else has passed, they must resolve it—they can’t pass. They have to decide whether or not they believe the declared creature type and then reveal the card.

A player loses the game if they collect four cards of the same type or one card of each of the eight creature types in their personal area.

Because it nails a single idea—bluffing—and delivers it in a smooth, silly, and fun format. It’s a little gem of mindless joy with a hint of meta-intrigue that manages to create tension similar to the moment after a big bet in real poker.

The more cards hit the table, the easier it becomes to spot lies, as players inevitably try to get rid of certain cards—like tossing more flies at someone who already has two, hoping to doom them.

The artwork is quirky and amusing, even if simple. Each card within a creature’s suit has unique illustrations, giving each one its own personality. Overall, the design is minimalistic and clean.