Official Wits and Wagers Rules

Last Updated on April 7, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Not a trivia expert? No problem! In Wits & Wagers, everyone writes down a guess to the same question. Then, players place bets on the answer they think is closest to correct—whether it’s their own or someone else’s. After 7 questions, the player (or team) with the most points wins! Here’s how to play:

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How to Play Wits and Wagers

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Best Way to Play

Wits & Wagers is perfect for larger groups—6 or more players is ideal. It’s a hit at parties, reunions, and gatherings. Get ready for some friendly competition, a bit of trash talk, and lots of cheering!

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Playing in Teams

If you’ve got a big group, divide into up to 7 teams, each with 1–3 players. Larger teams might need more time to write and bet, so allow an extra 10–20 seconds before flipping the timer.

Want to make it feel like a game show? Appoint a Host to act as both the Question Reader and Banker. The Host can also play along if they’d like.

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Setup

• Give each player/team:
  • 1 Answer Card
  • 1 Dry Erase Marker
  • 2 Betting Chips (cardboard, same color as their Answer Card)
  • A napkin or tissue to erase answers between rounds
• Write your name (or team name) on your Answer Card.
• Choose:
  • A Banker to manage Poker Chips.
  • A Question Reader to ask questions and manage the Sand Timer.
• The Question Reader picks 7 Question Cards, yellow side up. These will be used throughout the game.

Ages: 10+
Players: 4–20
Teach Time: 2 minutes
Play Time: 25 minutes

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Game Play

1. Asking a Question

• The Question Reader picks the first card and reads Question #1 aloud.
• They then flip the 30-second Sand Timer.

2. Writing Answers

• Players/teams have 30 seconds to write their best guess on the Answer Card.
• Every answer will be a number, and your goal is to get as close as possible without going over.

3. Reveal and Arrange Guesses

• When time is up, everyone places their Answer Cards face-up on the Betting Mat.
• Arrange all the guesses in ascending order from lowest to highest.

Special Rules:

• Duplicate Guesses: Stack identical guesses in the same payout slot.
• Odd # of Unique Guesses: The middle guess goes in the “Pays 2 to 1” slot.
• Even # of Unique Guesses: Leave “Pays 2 to 1” empty; the two middle guesses go in the “Pays 3 to 1” slots.

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4. Betting Phase

The Question Reader flips the timer again—players have 30 seconds to bet.

Betting Options:

• Bet both chips on one answer.
• Split chips between two different answers.
• You don’t have to bet on your own guess.
• Only bet on slots that have an answer (except for “All Guesses Too High”, which is always available).
• You can move your bets during the 30 seconds, but not after time runs out.

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5. Winning the Round

• The Question Reader reveals the correct answer.
• The winning guess is the one closest without going over.
  • Example: If the answer is 1991, and guesses are 1989 and 1992, then 1989 wins.
  • If all guesses are too high, the “All Guesses Too High” slot wins.

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6. Awarding Points

Bonus for Guessing Correctly:

• Anyone who submitted the winning guess earns 3 red Poker Chips.

Paying Out Bets:

• The Banker returns Betting Chips to players (win or lose).
• Losing Poker Chips are returned to the bank.
• Winning Poker Chips are paid based on the payout of the slot.

Payout Slot	If You Bet…	You Receive…
Pays 2 to 1	1 red chip	1 chip back + 2 chips
Pays 3 to 1	1 red chip	1 chip back + 3 chips
Pays 4 to 1	1 red chip	1 chip back + 4 chips
Pays 5 to 1	1 red chip	1 chip back + 5 chips
Pays 6 to 1	1 red chip	1 chip back + 6 chips

• Red Poker Chips = 1 point
• Blue Poker Chips = 5 points
• Players may bet any amount of Poker Chips underneath each Betting Chip.
• You can place up to 2 bets per round (same as the number of Betting Chips you have).

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7. Moving to the Next Round

• Players take back their Answer Cards and Betting Chips.
• The Question Reader flips the used card blue-side-up and places it in a pile to keep track.
• Repeat steps with the next Question Card (e.g., for Round 2, read Question #2 from the second card).

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End of the Game

After the 7th question, the player or team with the most points wins!
If there’s a tie, the team with the youngest player wins the tiebreaker.

To avoid repeating questions in future games, return the 7 used cards to the back of the deck and draw new ones from the front next time.