Grizz Phys Spoof Coins
Spoof — the “Last Man” Game
Spoof is a simple bluffing game traditionally played across the military with coins or other small objects. In some military units, it is used as a “last man” game, where the aim is to avoid being the final player left with coins. The last man standing loses and has to carry out a forfeit agreed by the group.
What you need
- 2 or more players
- Each player starts with 3 coins (or another agreed number of identical objects).
- A suitable forfeit is agreed before the game begins.
How to play
1. Hide your coins
Each player secretly puts 0, 1, 2, or 3 coins into their closed hand. Nobody shows anyone else how many they have.
2. Make your guesses
Players take turns guessing the total number of coins being held by everyone.
For example, with four players holding up to three coins each, the total could be anywhere from 0 to 12.
No two players can make the same guess.
3. Reveal the coins
Once everyone has made their guess, everybody opens their hand. Add up all the coins.
4. The correct guess
Whoever correctly guessed the total wins that round and removes one coin from their personal supply.
5. Continue playing
Everyone plays another round, continuing until players gradually get rid of their coins.
6. The last man
Eventually, players will have removed all their coins except one player. The person who is the last player still holding a coin is the “last man.”
7. The forfeit
The last man has to complete the forfeit agreed before the game.
The forfeit
The forfeit is traditionally something the group agrees upon before playing. Depending on the setting, it could be:
- A job nobody wants to do — for example, an unpleasant or unpopular task.
- A physical punishment — such as an agreed fitness challenge.
- Buying a round of drinks for the group.
- A tattoo or another permanent forfeit, where everyone involved has agreed to it beforehand.
The important part of the game is the bluffing and reading of the other players. You are trying to work out how many coins everyone has while making your own number difficult to predict.
In a military setting, this can make Spoof particularly entertaining because the stakes of being the last man give everyone a strong incentive to bluff, deceive and carefully choose their guesses.
