How to Play Bill Roulette: Rules, Scoring and Tactics

The game that ends the politeness war when the bill arrives: Bill Roulette. Everyone at the table gets a face-down cup, one hides the bill — and since the server does the assignment, nobody can claim you peeked.

How to play

1. The host creates a table, everyone joins via QR (2-12 players).
2. The server deals each player a face-down cup; the bill hides under a random one.
3. Turns rotate; the active player taps a cup and it lifts on every screen at once.
4. Empty cups leave the table and the tension climbs. If someone stalls for 20 seconds, the server picks for them — the game can never stall.

Scoring and winning

Two modes. In sudden death whoever finds the bill pays and the game ends instantly — short and merciless. In last cup standing the bill cup behaves like an empty one; the owner of the final unopened cup pays. The second mode saves the drama for the end: with two cups left, the whole table holds its breath.

Tactics that win the table

• Statistically every cup is equal — but picking early feels like dodging the risk, while stalling unites the table against you.
• In last-cup mode, perform: reach slowly, pull back, milk the moment. Half of this game is theatre.
• In party mode the loser is also first in line for the penalty wheel — stay high in the table standings to dodge both.

Who is it for?

Any moment the bill question comes up — especially as the closing ceremony of a big coffee meetup. The rules take ten seconds to explain and first-timers are instantly in.

Ready? Create a Bill Roulette table — scan the QR and the table is live in 30 seconds. No sign-up, no app; when the game ends, party mode hops the same table to the next game.