Blind Bid
Bid in secret. The higher card takes the prize. Most points after 13 prizes.
Blind Bid is a two-player card game, also known as Goofspiel, where each prize card is claimed by secretly bidding one card from your own hand. Both bids flip together, the higher card wins the prize, and the most points wins.
A prize card flips onto the table and you both pick a card from your hand in secret. The cards flip together and the higher one takes the prize. Spend your 13 on the 12 prize, or save it for the 13?
Also known as Goofspiel, Game of pure strategy, GOPS.
- How you hold it
- Face-off
- Match
- Most points after 13 prizes
- Length
- About 2 to 3 minutes a game
- Play
- Friend or bot
How to play Blind Bid: quick rules
About 2 to 3 minutes a game with 13 cards. Full rules, options and bot levels are further down.
- 1A prize card flips onto the table.
- 2Both pick one card from your hand in secret.
- 3The cards flip together; the higher card takes the prize. A tie carries it over.
- 4Most points after the last prize wins.
Blind Bid rules
Setup
- Each player holds 13 bid cards numbered 1 to 13 in their own colour (9 cards, 1 to 9, with the short game).
- A neutral prize deck holds prizes 1 to 13, shuffled fresh every game. Each prize is worth its number.
- There is no first player: every round is played by both of you at the same time.
A round
- One prize flips onto the stand in the middle.
- Both players pick one card from their hand in secret, in any order and at their own pace. Your card slides face down into your slot and can't be taken back.
- When both cards are in, they flip together.
- The higher card takes the prize, plus any prizes carried over underneath it, and scores their total.
- Equal cards: nobody takes it. The prize stays and the next prize is stacked on top, so the round after is worth more. A tie on the very last prize means nobody scores it.
- Spent cards are gone. Every card is shown when it flips, so both players always know what is left in each hand.
Winning and ties
- After the last prize, most points wins the game.
- Equal points: the game is replayed with a new shuffle and full hands. A match never ends drawn.
- In best of 3 or best of 5, the first to win 2 or 3 games takes the match.
- You only ever bid with the game's own numbered cards. Nothing else is ever put up or won.
Hints against the bot
- Playing the bot outside a tournament, before you bid on a prize you can spend 20 coins on a hint. It lifts and rings the strongest card in your hand for two seconds and never bids it for you.
- One hint per prize, and none with a friend, online or in a tournament.
Extras
- Golden prize
- On by default. One prize each game is gold and worth double.
- Streak flame
- On by default. Take 3 or more prizes in a row and a flame lights with the count. A tie doesn't break it. It is just for show.
- Minus cards
- Off by default. Prizes 1, 2 and 3 are worth minus 1, 2 and 3, and the higher card still takes them, so you bid low to dodge.
- Blind prize
- Off by default. The prize stays face down until the bids flip.
Tips to win at Blind Bid
- 1Don't fight for every prize. Throw your lowest card at a small prize you expect to lose and save your high cards for the big ones.
- 2Keep track of what's left in both hands. Once their 13 is gone, your 12 is the strongest card on the table.
- 3Win big prizes by just enough: beating their likely 11 with your 12 is better than spending your 13.
- 4Watch for carried-over prizes after a tie. A stacked pile can be worth more than any single prize.
Where Blind Bid comes from
Blind Bid is based on Goofspiel, a classic card game usually played with an ordinary deck, with one suit used as the prizes. It is thought to date back to at least the 1930s, and in the 1950s mathematicians studied it as the "game of pure strategy".
Controls
Phone flat between you. Each player owns a half, and the far half faces the far player.
- With a friend, your hand lies face down at your end and is shuffled into a new order every round, so where your finger lands gives nothing away.
- Hold a finger on your hand to see your cards, facing you. Slide to the card you want and let go to bid it. A quick tap bids a card blind.
- Slide off your hand before you let go and nothing is bid. You can both hold your hands at the same time.
- Against the bot, your hand is face up and sorted; tap a card to bid it.
Options
Every option is free. Defaults are marked.
| Option | Choices | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Cards each | 913 (default) | Hand size and number of prizes. |
| Games | 1 (default)Best of 3Best of 5 | |
| Golden prize | On (default)Off | Extra: one prize per game is worth double. |
| Streak flame | On (default)Off | Extra: a flame for 3 or more prizes in a row, no effect on points. |
| Minus cards | OnOff (default) | Extra: prizes 1 to 3 cost points. |
| Blind prize | OnOff (default) | Extra: the prize flips with the bids. |
Play Blind Bid against the bot
The bot plays Blue and sees only what you can: its own hand, the cards you have left, the prize and what has carried over. It never sees your card for the round, even if you bid first. It matches its cards to how valuable the prize is compared with the prizes still to come.
Easy
Bids a random card about half the time, and otherwise the card closest to the prize's number.
Normal
Matches its card to the prize's value, with the odd random bid.
Hard
Works out what you are likely to bid from your remaining cards, beats it as cheaply as it can on the big prizes and gives away the small ones with a low card.
Online, tournaments and hints
- Online
- PlannedBlind Bid is played in rounds, and online play for it is planned, but not available yet. Today you play a friend on one phone or the bot.
- Tournament
- Can be drawn in a tournamentIn a tournament it is a single game of 13 cards with Golden prize and Streak flame on, Minus cards and Blind prize off, and no hints.
- Hints
- Stuck against the bot? A hint lights up the strongest move for a few coins. Never with a friend, online or in a tournament.
Coming soon
- Online play. Play Blind Bid against a friend on another phone. Both cards would be held on the server and shown together, with a clock on each bid.
How it feels
- A card swish as each prize flies from the deck and flips onto the stand.
- A light tick for every card you slide past while choosing, and a slide as your card goes face down into your slot.
- A clash as both cards flip together, then a whoosh and a chime as the prize flies to the winner's pile with a "+N".
- A dull thud and "Tie" when the cards match and the prize slides under.
Accessibility
- Numbers read both ways up; Red's cards carry a dot and Blue's a ring; minus prizes print the sign and the golden prize has a star.
- Prizes, bids, the carried-over total and streaks are labelled for a screen reader.
- Against the bot your hand works with a simple tap; with a friend it needs a press and slide or a blind tap.
- With reduced motion on, cards appear in place with no flights or flips.
Blind Bid questions
A prize card is turned up and both players pick a numbered card from their hand in secret. The cards are shown together and the higher one takes the prize. After all the prizes, most points wins.
Goofspiel, also called the Game of Pure Strategy, is the classic card game Blind Bid is based on: secret bids for a row of prizes, with every card usable only once.
Nobody takes the prize. It stays and the next prize is stacked on top, so the next round is worth more. A tie on the last prize means nobody scores it.
Yes. Each hand lies face down at its owner's end and is reshuffled every round; you hold a finger on it to see your cards, so the other player can't tell what you picked.
Yes. The bot plays Blue and sees only what you can: its own hand, the cards you have left, the prize and what has carried over. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard.
Not yet. Blind Bid is played in rounds, and online play for it is planned, but not available yet. Today you play a friend on one phone or the bot.
Play Blind Bid on one phone
Free on Android. Sit face to face, or take on the bot on Easy, Normal or Hard.
