How to play “Pick Your Poison” game
Set up
Players
Pick Your Poison is a game for 3 to 10 players ages 10 and up. There is also an adults-only NSFW edition.
What you need to play
Pick Your Poison is a party card game, so you’ll either need to grab your own copy—or sweet-talk your sister, your neighbor, a friend, or your cousin into lending theirs (just make sure you return it in mint condition 😉).
Below we tell you where to get it at the best price.
The game includes 350 “poison cards”, cards with phrases that are used as options to choose from.
In this game “Pick Your Poison” means to choose between two options that involve a dilemma, as in the game What do you prefer…, with the difference that in Pick Your Poison there are always two bad options, hence the poison.
It also includes A and B cards that are used for each player to secretly choose his or her option.
And it also includes Double Down cards -we will see later what they are used for- and a small board to place the two options to choose from.
Rounds / Shifts
Pick your poison is played in rounds. In each round one player plays the role of judge and the others must choose poison.
Who’s first?
The first turn – first judge – goes to the player who has most recently celebrated his or her birthday. 😀
Goal of the game
What do you need to do to win?
The essence of the game is to guess what the majority of players will choose for each new dilemma.
What is a game of “Pick Your Poison” like?
Deal cards to each player
Each player starts the game with 9 cards:
- 6 poison cards
- One A card and one B card
- A Double down card.
Each round will follow the steps explained below:
The judge chooses A card
The judge picks one of their cards and places it in spot A on the board.
Proposals B
The rest of the players choose one of their cards, the one they consider to be the most difficult decision compared to A, and hand it to the judge face down so that no one can see it.
Reading and selection of B card
The judge shuffles the cards so they don’t know who submitted what. He then reads them aloud and finally chooses one and places it in position B on the game board. Others are discarded.
Clarifications
Players can ask the judge to clarify anything about the cards before choosing. The judge decides how to interpret them in case of doubt or ambiguity so that everyone chooses on equal terms.
Choose poison
Each player picks their poison and places their A or B card face down on the table.
Each player has the option to add their Double Down card next to their A or B option. If zero points are scored, the card is lost. If you get a point, the Double Down card will double its value.
Flipping the cards
Once everyone has made their selection, all the A or B cards are turned over.
Update scores
The judge updates everyone’s scores based on the following rules:
Pick Your Poison Scoring System
- One point for the player who has proposed the card B chosen by the judge.
- One point for each player who has selected the majority option.
- If all players have chosen the same option they all score one point but the judge LOSES two points for choosing an option B that has made it too easy for the others.
- If there is a tie, the judge earns three points and the other players none. If the number of players who choose is odd the judge can also choose poison but will only score points if there is a tie.
Next round
The player on the right of the previous judge will now be the judge and the game is played again in the same way, but before:
- Cards used as options are discarded.
- Each player gets back his A or B card and their Double Down card if they have played it and have not lost.
- Everyone draws a card from the deck – except the judge – to have six poison cards to play with in the next round.
Game over – who takes the crown??
And the winner is…
The game ends when a player reaches 15 points, becoming the winner of the game.
Buying guide and tips
Pick Your Poison has two versions, one suitable for families —ages 10 and up— and an NSFW one for adults only. Both versions have an expansion.
The game is published in English 🇬🇧, and although Spanish 🇪🇸 and German 🇩🇪 editions exist, they are very hard to find.
You can buy the game in specialist board game stores, although the best price and the best deals are usually on Amazon.
For all ages
This is the original game, suitable for all ages, with 350 cards.
This pack includes the original game plus an expansion with 100 extra cards.
For adults
This is the “after dark” game, for adults only, with 350 cards.
This pack includes the original game plus an expansion with 100 extra cards.
