A cheeky card game for 2–8 players
The card game where begging pays off — exactly.
Bid exactly how many tricks your pet will fetch, then play them out. Dogs chase Cats, Cats ride the Vacuum, the Vacuum scares the Dogs, and Bacon beats every other suit. Call it on the nose to score big.
Plays in your browser · No download · No sign-up
- 2–8
- players at one table
- 3
- bot levels to fill any seat
- 10
- rounds in a classic game
- Free
- on phones, tablets, and computers
How to play
Learn it in one hand.
If you can count tricks and make puppy-dog eyes, you can play. Here is a whole round in four steps.
Get dealt in
Round one deals a single card each, round two deals two, and so on up to ten. Every round is a fresh hand and a fresh chance.
Bid exactly
Look at your cards and secretly bid how many tricks you will win. When everyone is ready, all the bids are revealed at once.
Play the tricks
The leader plays any card, and everyone else follows that suit if they can. The highest card of the suit takes the trick, unless Bacon or a pet steps in. The winner leads next.
Call it on the nose
Win exactly as many tricks as you bid to score 20 points for each one. Miss by even one, and you lose 10 points for every trick you were off.
Example trick
Who takes this trick?
Socks were led, and the 13 is the highest Socks card. But the 3 of Bacon wins anyway: whoever played it had no Socks, and Bacon is trump.
- 9 of Socks (Led)
- 13 of Socks
- 3 of Bacon (Wins!)
- 14 of Slippers
The pecking order
Dogs chase Cats. Cats ride the Vacuum. The Vacuum scares the Dogs.
Every pet beats every number card, and every pet has a weakness. When two of the same kind land in one trick, the first one played wins.
Dogs beat Cats, Cats beat the Vacuum, and the Vacuum beats Dogs.
Dogs
Beat every number and every Cat. Terrified of the Vacuum.
Cats
Beat every number and the Vacuum. Run from the Dogs.
The Vacuum
Beats every number and every Dog. Cats ride it like a throne.
Bacon is trump
Can't follow suit? Any Bacon card beats Socks, Slippers, and Squeaky Toys.
Hiding Under the Bed
Always loses. Perfect when you bid zero and want to stay out of trouble.
Pip the Puppy
Plays as a brave Dog or hides behind a cushion. You choose each time.
Meet the deck
Seventy cards. A houseful of personalities.
Four suits numbered 1 to 14, plus the pets who break all the rules.
Four suits, 1 to 14
- Dog
Shep
A bossy border collie who keeps everyone in line.
- Dog
Digger
A long dachshund with a short temper and a dirty nose.
- Dog
Chips
A bulldog who will bet his biscuits on anything.
- Dog
Nosy
A basset hound who can sniff out a card from across the house.
- Dog
Tiny
The biggest Great Dane you have ever seen. Gentle, though.
- Cat
Mittens
A smug tuxedo cat who rides the Vacuum like a throne.
- Cat
Noodle
An orange tabby made of pure chaos.
- Dog or Hiding
Pip
Brave one minute, behind a cushion the next.
- Beats Dogs
The Vacuum
Charcoal grey, red-eyed, and coming for the Dogs.
Scoring
Exactly right is the only right.
After each round, every bid is checked against the tricks taken. The highest total after the last round wins Best in Show.
- Bid 2, took 220 points for each trick you bid+40
- Bid 2, took 310 points lost for each trick you were off−10
- Bid 0, took 0, with 5 cards dealtA zero bid is worth 10 for every card dealt+50
- Bid 0, took 1, with 5 cards dealtand costs the same if you slip up−50
Bonuses for exact bids
Capture a 14 for +10 (the Bacon 14 is worth +20). A Dog that catches a Cat earns +20, the Vacuum earns +30 for each Dog it sweeps up, and a Cat that takes the Vacuum earns +40.
Ways to play
One phone or everyone's. Same room or miles apart.
Seat two to eight players, in any mix of people and bots.
Pass and play
Share one phone or tablet. A hand-off screen keeps every hand and every bid secret as the device goes around the table.
Online with friends
Start a game and share the five-character game code, an invite link, or a QR code. Everyone plays on their own phone, wherever they are.
Against bots
Fill any seat with an Easy, Normal, or Clever bot. Play solo whenever you like, or make up the numbers.
Table view
Turn a TV, tablet, or laptop into the shared table, so the whole room can watch the tricks land.
House rules
Classic, or full mischief.
Start with the classic deck. When everyone has the hang of it, switch on the chaos.
Bath Time!
Bubbles everywhere. Nobody gets the trick.
Cone of Shame
The pets lose their powers, and the highest number wins, whatever its suit.
Table Scraps
Sneak under the table and team up with whoever wins the trick. If you both make your bids, you both get a bonus.
Dog powers
Win a trick with a Dog to use its trick: Shep picks who leads, Digger digs up cards, Chips bets biscuits, Nosy sniffs the pile, and Tiny nudges his bid.
There are also three scoring styles, six round schedules, and three ways to bid. Mix them however your house likes.
Screenshots
Pull up a cushion.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from the dog park
How many people can play?
Two to eight. Fill any empty seat with a bot, or play solo against bots. Two-player games add the Stray, a third hand that plays itself to keep things interesting.
Is it free?
Yes. Cat Got Your Tricks? is free to play in your browser, with no ads.
Do I need to download anything or make an account?
No. Open cats.qubesoftware.com and play. Online games ask only for a name and a pet to show at the table.
What can I play on?
Any up-to-date browser on a phone, tablet, or computer, in portrait or landscape.
How do online games work?
One person starts a game and shares the code, link, or QR code. Friends join on their own devices, the host can add bots, and anyone at the table can pause. If someone drops out, a bot can keep their seat warm until they are back.
How long does a game take?
You choose. A classic game is ten rounds that grow from one card to ten. Shorter schedules, like five rounds of five cards or 2-4-6-8-10, fit a coffee break.
Is it good for families?
That is who it is made for: cheerful pets, quick rounds, no chat, no strangers, and nothing scarier than a robot vacuum.
What languages is the game in?
The game itself is in English for now.
Is there an app for iPhone or Android?
Apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android are on the way. Until then, the browser version plays great on phones.
What does the game collect?
Very little. There are no ads, analytics, or tracking. An online game keeps the names, pets, and moves it needs, then deletes them automatically. Everything else stays on your device.
Deal me in!
Grab your friends, or a few bots, and find out whose tricks the cat has got.
Play free now