Where’s Bob’s Hat?

About this board game

Where’s Bob’s Hat? is an estimation whist card game for 2–5 players that takes about 45 minutes to play. It is best with 3 or 4 players, and challenges you to predict which cards you will capture over a series of hands.

The game features three colored suits, represented by cards numbered 1 to 20. Depending on the hand, players may play with trumps or no trumps. Before playing, each player bids on the outcome they expect: capturing the most cards in one or more suits, or capturing fewer cards than anyone else.

• Bid to capture the most cards in one or more colored suits.
• Choose the low-scoring route by bidding to capture the fewest cards.
• Play with trumps or no trumps.
• Earn points for successful bids and take penalties for missed bids.

As the game continues, the number of cards in each hand increases. The number of rounds depends on the number of players, creating a changing arc across the game as predictions become more significant.

Several cards show Bob’s Hat alongside the hat of their suit. Whenever a player wins a trick containing one of these cards, they take the Bob’s Hat card. At the end of the hand, its holder adds or subtracts 10 points from their score, making these cards a valuable and potentially risky target.

In Where’s Bob’s Hat?, accurate estimation is the key to victory. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.