Pit

About this board game

Pit is an open-outcry commodity trading game for 3–8 players, with a playing time of about 90 minutes. First released in 1903, it challenges players to trade cards through energetic public calls rather than quiet negotiation.

The original deck contains 63 cards: nine cards each for seven commodities. Each commodity has a point value, ranging from 40 points for Flax to 100 points for Wheat, giving players a reason to pursue particular corners of the market.

During trading, players announce only how many cards they want to exchange, not which commodities they hold. Calls such as “One! One! One!” or “Three! Three! Three!” invite matching trades, creating a fast-moving contest of timing, observation, and deal-making.

• Trade cards by calling out the number to swap.
• Collect all cards of one commodity to win the hand.
• Score that commodity’s value and race to 500 points.

When a player gathers a complete commodity set, they declare a corner, such as “Corner on Wheat!” The winner scores points equal to the value of the completed commodity, and the first player to reach 500 points wins the game.

The 1904 edition introduced more elaborate artwork along with the famous Bull and Bear cards. These added wild-card and penalty features, while later versions expanded the possible player count to eight and, in at least one case, up to ten.

Pit became the best-known of several similar open-outcry games appearing in 1903. Its rivals included Gavitt’s Stock Exchange, Bourse, and Panic, but neither Bourse nor Panic was seen again after 1904.