Overview

Not a trivia buff? It doesn’t matter!

Each player writes down a guess to the same question and places it face-up on the betting mat. Feeling confident? Bet on your guess!
Think a friend knows better? Bet on their guess! The player with the most points after 7 questions wins.

When to Play
Wits & Wagers is most fun with groups of 6 or more people. We recommend playing at holiday parties, family reunions, or any large gathering
of friends. Be prepared for light-hearted banter, a little bravado, and a big dose of cheering!

Playing in Teams
Wits & Wagers is a great team game. If you have a large group, we recommend dividing into 7 teams with 1 – 3 players on each team.
When playing with teams, give everyone a little extra time to answer questions and place bets.

Setup
1) Each player (or team) starts with
1 Wits Answer Card
2 Wager Chips (cardboard) of the same color as their Wits Answer Card
1 Dry Erase Pen
A paper napkin or tissue to erase their Wits Answer Card in-between questions
2) Have someone volunteer to be the Banker.
(This player is usually the best at keeping a balanced check book!)
Place the tray of Poker Chips next to the Banker.
The Banker will play in the game as a normal player.
3) Choose a player to be the Question Reader. Give the Question Reader 7 Question Cards.
The Question Reader also plays in the game (So don’t look at the answers on the back!)
 How to Play Wits & Wagers
Step
1 Ask a Question
The Question Reader takes the top Question Card and reads Question #1 out loud. After reading the question, the Question
Reader turns over the 30-second Sand Timer. Players (or teams) have 30 seconds to write a guess on their Wits Answer Card, and
place the Wits Answer Card face-down on the Betting Mat.

Step
2 Sort the Guesses
When the Sand Timer runs out, flip over all the Wits Answer Cards so they are face up on the Betting Mat. The guesses will always be numbers.
Sort them from smallest to largest with the middle guess in the middle payout slot. (For examples and more detail, see “Sort the Guesses”
on the next page)

Step
3 Place Bets
Once the guesses have been sorted, the Question Reader turns over the 30-second Sand Timer. All players (or teams) get 30 seconds
to place their bets on the answer they think will win. (For examples and more detail, see “Place Bets” on the next page)

Step
4 Pay out the Bets
Determine the Winning Guess: When the sand timer runs out, the Question Reader flips over the card and reads the answer. The winning guess is
closest to the correct answer, without going over. (For examples and more detail, see “Winning Guess” on the next page)

Losing Bets: All cardboard Wager Chips not on the winning payout slot are returned to the appropriate players. All plastic Poker Chips not on the
winning payout slot are collected by the banker and returned to the tray.

Winning Bets: The Banker pays each player (or team) who bet on the winning payout slot. Payouts depend on the number of
chips bet, and the payout odds (For examples and more detail, see “Pay Winning Bets” on the next page). The Banker also pays a
bonus of 3 red Poker Chips to each player (or team) who wrote the winning guess.

Prepare for the Next Round

Players (or teams) take back their Wits Answer Cards. The Question Reader places the used Question Card blue-side-up
next to the remaining Question Cards.
For each new round, the Question Reader begins again with Step 1. However, the question must correspond to the Question Card being played. So:
For the 2nd Question Card, read Question #2.
For the 3rd Question Card, read Question #3.
For the 4th Question Card, read Question #4. Etc....

Winning the Game

The player (or team) with the most points at the end of the 7th question wins the game! In the case of a tie, the team with the youngest player wins.
 Examples & Details
Sort the Guesses (From Step 2)
On every round, there will be either an even number of unique guesses, or there will be an odd number of unique guesses. Sort these guesses from, small-
est to largest according to the examples below. Important note: If multiple players (or teams) write the same answer, place them in the same playout slot.”
• Odd Number of Unique Guesses: The middle guess goes in the “Pays 2 to 1” payout slot.

7 Unique Guesses 5 Unique Guesses 5 Unique Guesses

• Even Number of Unique Guesses: The “Pays 2 to 1” payout slot is left open.

6 Unique Guesses 4 Unique Guesses 6 Unique Guesses

Place Bets (From Step 3)

Betting your cardboard Wager Chips:
Players (or teams) bet their two cardboard Wager Chips in one of the following ways:
1) Bet both cardboard Wager Chips on the same payout slot.
2) Split cardboard Wager Chips between any two payout slots.
• Players (or teams) do not have to bet on their own guess.
• Players (or teams) may only bet on a payout slot that has a guess in it, unless it is the “Smaller than the smallest guess” slot.
• During the 30-second betting period, it is OK for players to move their bets. However, players may not place
a bet or move a bet after the Sand Timer has run out.

Betting your plastic Poker Chips:

After the first round is completed, some players (or teams) may have won additional
plastic Poker Chips. These may be added to bets using the following rules:
• Plastic Poker Chips must always be stacked underneath a cardboard Wager Chip. This way the Banker will know who placed each bet.
• Players (or teams) may stack any number of plastic Poker Chips underneath each cardboard Wager Chip. There is no limit as to
how much players can bet. However, players can still only place a maximum of two bets per question.
• Red Poker Chips are worth 1 point (just like a cardboard Wager Chip). Blue Poker Chips are worth 5 points. Green Poker Chips are worth 25 points.
• If plastic Poker Chips are bet on the wrong guess, they are lost and returned to the bank. The cardboard Wager Chips are returned to the player
(or team) to be used for the next round.
• Players (or teams) are not obligated to bet with plastic Poker Chips.
 Examples & Details
Winning Guess (From Step 4)
The winning guess is always the closest guess to the actual answer, without going over.

If the actual answer is 14, then If the actual answer is 2008, then If the actual answer is 380, then
“12” would be the winning guess. “2004” would be the winning guess. “Smaller than the smallest guess” is the winning
(“15” goes over the answer) (“2004” is the closest without going over the answer.) payout slot. (“389” goes over the answer)

Pay Winning Bets (From Step 4) Chip Value Reference Chart:

Players (or teams) that place a bet on the winning payout slot will win Poker
Chips - even if the winning slot does not contain their answer! The Banker pays
plastic Poker Chips to each player (or team) who correctly bet on the
winning slot as shown below: 1 Point 1 Point 5 Points 25 Points

1 Point is
bet on this
payout slot The Banker returns (2 Point Winner)
the original bet Plus the payout of the slot that was bet upon.

1 Point is
bet on this
payout slot The Banker returns (3 Point Winner)
the original bet Plus the payout of the slot that was bet upon.

2 Points are
bet on this
payout slot The Banker returns (8 Point Winner)
the original bet Plus the payout of the slot that was bet upon.

8 Points are
bet on this
payout slot The Banker returns (40 Point Winner)
the original bet Plus the payout of the slot that was bet upon.

2 Points are
bet on this
payout slot The Banker returns (12 Point Winner)
the original bet Plus the payout of the slot that was bet upon.
 Helpful Hints
If you are the Question Reader:
Keep track of the questions. At the beginning of the game, the Question Reader should place all 7 Question Cards nearby on the table (yellow-side-up).
Also, keep the sand timer within easy reach. At the end of the game, the Question Reader should return the 7 used Question Cards to the back of the
deck. When you start a new game, draw the 7 cards from the front of the deck. This way, you won’t repeat a question until you have gone through
all 700 questions!

If you are the Banker:

Sit within reach of everyone. Since the banker will distribute winnings to each player, the banker should sit in the middle of the table. Preferrably in
front of the middle payout slot on the board. This way they can easily distribute chips to any player. Also, before paying out any bets, be sure to clear-
out all the losing bets. This reduces clutter and makes payouts easy!

If you are placing Bets:

Always bet both of your Wager Chips during each round. Because you can never lose your Wager Chips!

If you are teaching new players how to play:

Try not to get bogged-down in all the rules at the beginning of the game. It is always best to simply run through a practice round. To get started, just ask
a practice question, have everyone answer the question, and then run through play as usual. This will allow you to run through all the rules step-by-step.

If you have gone through all 700 questions:

Keep playing! The new Wits & Wagers Expansion Pack 1 has 700 new questions. Available at most game stores!

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Special Thanks:
North Star Games would like to thank the devoted community at www.BoardGameGeek.com and the Smith Business School for their continual feedback
and support. .  We would also like to thank Nate Heasley, Steve Quade, Mary Halbe, Hajo & Mirta, Ritvik Purohit, Andy Harke, Lorena Diaz, Jason Strong,
Tricia Wieber, Molly Hall, Matt Anderson, Peggy Ann Brown, Lou Kesten, and Melanie Rigney for their contributions to the game and our company.