The Game

Spoof - The Game

The game of Spoof is a strategy game, typically played as a gambling game, often in bars and pubs where the loser buys the other participants a round of drinks.

Spoof is played by any number of players in a series of rounds. In each round the objective is to guess the aggregate number of coins held in concealment by the players. At the beginning of every round each player may hold any quantity of coins, from zero to a maximum of three in their closed fist, extended into the circle of play.

For the first round an initial guesser is selected in some fashion. This first guesser has the initial advantage in that all possible sums are available for his guess, but also lacks insight into what the others might be holding, as indicated by their subsequent guesses. Play proceeds clockwise around the circle until each player has ventured a guess regarding the total number of coins, and no player can guess the same total as any other player. The call of "Spoof!" is used to mean "zero". After all players made a guess, they then open their fists and display their coins for the group to count the total. If any player correctly guesses the total, that player is eliminated from the game. The remainder of the group proceeds to the next round. If no player guesses correctly, the entire group continues play in the next round. The starting guesser for each subsequent round is the next remaining player, clockwise from the starter of the previous round.

Play continues until all players have been eliminated except for one.

The Calls


0	"Spoof"
1	"Joe Toupai" or "Dirty Digit"
2	"Endacott 2" or "Absent Friends" or "Balls Two"
3	"Flowers 3" - always available - or "Big Mac" - calling first in a school of three and holding zero - or "The Straight Bat"
4	"Skins"
5	"Titanic", "Belgrano" or any ship that sank (cinq) or "Funf" noisily
6	Six or "Axis" (reversed)
7	"Mission (from heaven)" or "Neves" (reversed)
8	"Harry (Tate)" - Harry never pays
9	"German Virgin" - She says "Nein"
10	"Kiwi Tin" or "Marines Breakfast"
11	"Legs" or "Dead African" - (Parrot or recently departed person)
12	"The Imperial" (dozen)
13	"The Bakers" (dozen)
14	"Panties" - Drawers - Quatorze
15	"Film Festival" - Cannes - quinze
16	"Neil Sedaka" - Sweet Sixteen
17	"Beatles" - She Was Just Seventeen
18	"Two Thirds (Nelson)" - see 27
19	"Vietnam" - N...N...N...Ner...Nineteen
20	"Score"
21	"Key Of The Door"
22	"(Two Little) Ducks"
23	"Saint George" - 23rd April (St.George's Day)
24	"Tulsa" (Twenty Four Hours From) or "Gene Pitney"
25	"Quarter" (Quarter Century)
26	"Boxing Day" - 26th December
27	"Full Nelson" - 27 Years in captivity

The Hollywood Rules

There are no rules of Spoofing, but there are a number of conventions:
1.	No impossible calls.
2.	No gloating.
3.	A new Spoofer cannot be expected to pay for his first ever spoof. The participants should play the round again. (This is not always strictly observed.)
4.	The call of "Cawood Pass" can only be made, and is only successful, if the winning call has already gone, i.e. it is not successful if it is made by a player calling before the player making the winning call (or if nobody calls correctly).
5.	The "Haughton Six" can only be called in a school of three, when the opening caller is holding three, which he reveals at the time of his call (i.e. before the other two call).
6.	Spoofing evenings are traditionally held on Tuesday. Other Spoofing evenings (such as on the occasion of a visiting Spoofer from overseas) are termed "Extraordinary Spoofs".