Lose Your Shirt

About this board game

Lose Your Shirt is a betting and bluffing horse-racing game for 3–6 players, with games lasting about 90 minutes. Across eight races, players secretly back horses, play movement cards, and try to judge exactly when to reveal their plans.

Each race begins with a thoroughly shuffled deal of cards. Five cards belong to each horse and move it forward by different amounts, while 12 additional cards can move any horse backward 2 spaces or forward 3. Horses have limited sidestepping, so clever card play can leave rivals blocked or open a path through the field.

When you bet on a horse, you remove one of its movement cards from your hand and keep your choice secret. You may bet on a horse to win or place, meaning finish first or second. A place bet is safer but offers a lower stake, while a bold win bet can produce a much larger reward.

• Secret horse bets and hidden movement cards
• Horse movement ranging from 2 to 4 spaces
• Flexible cards that move any horse forward or backward
• Jackpot betting using money carried over from losing bets
• Six differently colored plastic horses and a race board or felt playing area

The jackpot offers another risky opportunity: it works like a win bet, but requires a higher minimum stake and pays out differently. Players can create a false scent by advancing other horses, then reveal their backed horse with a late burst toward the winning post.

If a player “loses his shirt” and goes broke, they remain involved by playing cards, but can no longer place bets. With fortunes changing from race to race, Lose Your Shirt combines the feel of Win, Place & Show with the hidden intentions of Undercover, keeping everyone guessing until the finish.