PIRATE'S BLUFF — A GAME OF NERVE AND NUMBERS
Players: 2–6 • Equipment: Standard deck, rum (optional but traditional)
RULES:
1. Each player is dealt 3 cards face down.
2. Players look at their cards ONCE, then place them face-down.
3. Starting left of the dealer, each player claims a hand:
"I hold three of a kind" / "I hold a run" / "I hold nothing worth mentioning"
4. Claims need NOT be true.
5. Any player may challenge any claim by saying "BLUFF."
6. If challenged:
— If the claim was TRUE: the challenger pays 2 coins to the pot
— If the claim was FALSE: the bluffer pays 3 coins to the pot
7. After all claims are made or challenged, remaining players reveal.
8. Highest honest hand takes the pot.
HAND RANKINGS (highest to lowest):
Three of a kind → Run of three → Pair + face card → Pair → High card
HOUSE RULE AT THE ANCHOR TAVERN:
"If Barnacle Pete is playing, assume everything is a bluff."
STRATEGY TIP from Greydon Salt:
"The mathematics of bluffing are simple. The psychology is not. In my experience, the person who blinks first usually has the best hand. Pirates are contrary creatures."