Last Updated on March 18, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

“That’s Not a Hat!” is a game of memory, bluffing, and gift-giving gone awry. Players exchange gifts, trying to remember what they have and what they’re giving. Can you keep track of the presents, or will you be caught in a hilarious bluff? Here’s how to play:

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How to Play That’s Not A Hat

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Objective

In That’s Not a Hat, players exchange gifts while trying to remember which gifts they’ve received and who gave them. If they forget, they must bluff to avoid a penalty point. The player with the fewest penalty points at the end wins!

Setup

Shuffle the gift cards and deal one card to each player. Players place the card face-up in front of them. Place the remaining cards face-up in the middle to create the gift shop. Pay attention to which gift each player has.

Gameplay

Starting the Game
The player who last received a gift goes first. This player draws a card from the gift shop and shows it to everyone before placing it face down in front of them. The back of the card has an arrow indicating the direction in which the gift must be passed. The player then says, “I have a nice _______ for you.”

Accepting a Gift
If the player receiving the gift believes it’s correctly identified, they accept it by saying “thank you” and placing the card face down above their original gift card. They now have two gifts in front of them. The player must then pass the “old” gift (the card closest to them) to someone else, following the arrow’s direction.

Refusing a Gift
If the player receiving the gift thinks it’s incorrectly identified, they refuse the gift by saying, “That’s not a/an _______!” After refusing, the player flips the card over to reveal the gift. Whoever is wrong (the giver or the receiver) takes the card and places it face-up in their personal discard pile as a penalty point.

The player who receives a penalty point must draw a new gift from the gift shop, show it to everyone, and give it to another player according to the arrow’s direction. The game continues from here.

Examples

Example 1 – Accepting a Gift
Tom has just received a piano (face down) from Anna and places it above his “old” gift, a guitar. Now Tom passes the guitar to Anna and says, “I have a nice guitar for you.” Anna accepts because she saw the guitar before it was flipped over, so she places the guitar above her “old” gift and continues the game.

Example 2 – Refusing a Gift
Marlene gives Anna a gift, saying, “I have a nice hat for you.” Anna refuses, saying, “That’s not a hat!” Marlene reveals the gift, which is actually broccoli. Marlene places the broccoli in her discard pile as a penalty point, then draws a new card (a book) from the gift shop. She passes the book to Anna and the game continues.

Winning the Game

The game ends when a player collects three penalty points (cards in their discard pile). The player with the fewest penalty points wins the game.

Alternatively, players can decide to play multiple rounds, keeping track of scores. After all rounds are completed, the player with the lowest total score wins.

Strategy Tips

• Pro Tip: If you forget your gift, bluff your way through!
• Special Pro Tip: If you’re confident about your gift, pretend to be unsure and get others to refuse it, earning you a penalty point!
• Super Special Pro Tip: If you’re uncertain, double-bluff by acting even more confused to throw off the others!

Too simple?
For an added challenge, split the cards into two piles based on the color of the arrow (black or white) and play with just one set.

Still too easy? Try two players!
To make the game harder or to play with just two players, start with two gift cards in front of each player. All other rules remain the same, but gifts are always passed from the bottom card in the stack.