Wits & WagersRules, editions & buying guide

What Wits & Wagers is

Wits & Wagers is a trivia party game where every answer is a number, and the real game is the betting. Everyone writes a guess, the guesses are lined up on a betting mat from lowest to highest, and then everyone bets on which guess will be closest to the real answer without going over. You can bet on anyone's guess, not just your own, so the best player at the table is often the one who reads the room best, not the one who knows the most.

It was designed by Dominic Crapuchettes and published by North Star Games, the company he founded in 2003. Its tagline sums it up: "Trivia for People Who Don't Know Stuff!" In 2021 Mattel Games acquired the rights, and current Family and Vegas versions carry the Mattel brand.

What's in the box

The classic game includes:

• A dry-erase answer card for each player or team, plus 2 cardboard Wager Chips in that player's color
• Plastic poker chips worth 1 (red), 5 (blue) and 25 (green)
• A 30-second sand timer
• A betting mat with 8 payout slots
• Question cards and dry-erase pens

The Deluxe Edition has the same gameplay with upgraded components, such as casino-style chips and a crease-free mat. Exact card counts vary by edition, so check the listing for the version you're buying.

How to play Wits & Wagers

These are the classic rules. A game is 7 questions long.

1. Set up. Each player or team takes an answer card, 2 Wager Chips and a pen. Pick a Banker to hold the poker chips and a Question Reader. Both still play.
2. Ask. The Reader reads a question and flips the 30-second timer. Everyone writes a number and places their card face down.
3. Sort. Flip the cards and lay them on the mat from smallest to largest. Identical guesses share a slot. With an odd number of different guesses, the middle one goes on the "Pays 2 to 1" slot in the center; with an even number, that slot stays empty.
4. Bet. Flip the timer again. Put both your Wager Chips on one slot or split them between two. You can only bet on slots that hold a guess, plus the special "smaller than the smallest guess" slot. You may also stack poker chips under your Wager Chips to bet more. You can move your bets until time runs out.
5. Pay out. The Reader reveals the answer. The winning guess is the closest one without going over. Bets on that slot pay its odds, and the player who wrote the winning guess also gets 3 red chips as a bonus. Losing poker chips go to the bank; Wager Chips always go back to their owners.
6. Repeat for all 7 questions. The player or team with the most points wins. Ties go to the youngest player, or the team with the youngest player.

Payout odds

From left to right the mat pays: 6 to 1 for "smaller than the smallest guess," then 5, 4 and 3 to 1, 2 to 1 in the middle, then 3, 4 and 5 to 1 on the high end. The outer slots pay more because the most extreme guesses are least likely to win.

The rules people argue about

Can you bet on your own answer?

Yes, but you don't have to. Betting on someone else's guess is often the smarter move.

What if everyone guessed too high?

Then the "smaller than the smallest guess" slot wins and pays 6 to 1. For example, if the answer is 380 and the lowest guess was 389, only bets on that slot pay.

What if two players write the same number?

Their cards share one slot on the mat.

Do you lose your Wager Chips if your bet loses?

No. Wager Chips always come back to you. Only poker chips you stacked under them are lost.

What if someone guesses the exact answer?

The rule is "closest without going over," so an exact answer is the closest possible guess and wins.

How to win more often

• Bet on the person, not your pride. If the question is about baseball and the baseball fan wrote 12, bet on 12.
• Remember that going over always loses. When you're unsure, guess a little low rather than right on your best estimate.
• Split your two Wager Chips. One safe bet near the middle and one on a higher-paying outer slot balances risk and reward.
• Watch for the 6-to-1 slot. When guesses are all over the place, or everyone seems to have guessed high, "smaller than the smallest" can pay big.
• Only stack chips when you're confident. Stacked poker chips are gone if you lose, and a big swing late in the game can decide it.

Which edition should you buy?

• Wits & Wagers Deluxe: the classic game with nicer components. The best choice for adults and regular game nights. Check price
• Wits & Wagers Family: rated for ages 6 and up and 3 to 10 players. It replaces chips and odds with simple scoring using meeples, and the first player to 15 points wins. Check price
• Wits & Wagers Party: built for 3 to 6 teams of up to 3 players, so up to 18 people. Teams bet with $100 and $200 tokens, and you can bet chips in the final round. Check price
• It's Vegas, Baby!: a Mattel version for 5 or more players with a felt mat and extra casino-style bets, like red and black. Check price

Rules differ between editions, so use the rulebook that comes with yours.

A short history and awards

Crapuchettes founded North Star Games in 2003 while earning an MBA at the University of Maryland. Wits & Wagers followed in the mid-2000s; Wikipedia dates it to 2005, with a second edition in 2007. That year it reached Target stores nationwide, and an Xbox Live Arcade version came out in May 2008.

Its honors include the 2006 Mensa Select award and BoardGameGeek's 2007 Golden Geek award for Best Party Board Game. It also won a party-game honor from GAMES Magazine in 2007.

Alternatives worth considering

• Trivial Pursuit: the classic. Choose it if your group actually likes being quizzed.
• Hitster: another party game where you don't need exact answers, built around music.
• Timeline: a quick card game where you only need to know what came first.

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Prefer to play right now, for free? Play Which Earns More? free online or browse all our free trivia games.