The Dealer Review
Advert: this game was gifted by Invisible Typewriter, this has not affected our opinion.
If your mind instantly goes to eighths, grams and ounces when reading this title, shame on you. The Dealer obviously refers to a card dealer rather than anyone trying to shift some illicit substances. And if like The Shamen, you are still wondering if this review has any Vera’s, I can only reply: naughty, naughty, very, very naughty! Here is the review of the CARD GAME…
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Setup
Collect all the character cards together. Find The Dealer card and then randomly draw character cards to add to this, equal to the number of players. You may find you gravitate towards some characters more than others so may semi-pick these. However, you choose to do it, then distribute them amongst everyone at the table. Then shuffle the numbered cards and create a face down draw deck. Set up is no harder than this – what a treat ay!
Gameplay
Whoever has The Dealer card will draw a hand of cards from the deck equal to the number of players. They will allocate one of these numbered cards to each player, these cards range from 0-3. The receiving player will hold their card so that they cannot see it and rely on others at the table for information. Ultimately, it is a game of stick or twist with everyone but the dealer hoping to get a card total in the range of 3-5. The dealer, and perhaps some less scrupulous players, will be attempting to make you go bust by either sticking with less or more than the required card total. If you successfully stick, any cards in your hand go into your score pile. The player with the most points from these will be declared the winner at the end of the game.
Each round players have an ability which they can use for that round, these change the rules slightly, so that perhaps the Dealer has to tell them whether they have an odd or even numbered card, or perhaps they have a bigger range that they can succeed with.
A round lasts until all players have decided to stop taking cards, they then check whether they are bust or not. After that, all players pass their ability card (including the Dealer) to the person on their left. Once each player has had a chance of being the Dealer, the game ends and points are tallied from their scoring cards. That’s it in a nutshell!
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What it’s like
The Dealer is devious. It is a game where bluffing, scheming and reading the table is important. Determining who you can trust and who is lying, is key to success. Also as a player will you be someone who gains trust, only to break it at crucial moments? Or perhaps you will be the player no one trusts and use that to your advantage by telling the truth occasionally. There is so much deception and second-guessing that this has become a go-to game when we want a bit of banter at the table!
The player powers add just a touch more to the game which is very welcome. They can help give players little snippets of information or the tiniest of bonuses each round. These cards also help to keep games fresh and different too.
The Dealer works well with higher player counts and it is certainly my preference to have more people seated around the table. Even adding extra rounds with more players doesn’t seem to make the game outstay its welcome.
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Table Presence
So I am a big fan of the kookie neon-infused alien-esque creatures that adorn the specialist powers by Carly Berry. It reminds me of some of the children’s picture books I read my boys, in particular the cracking Here Come The Aliens! by Colin McNaughton.
The number cards are perfectly functional, while they have a bit of design about them, I am left wanting a bit more funk! Especially as these are the cards you look at most throughout the game. Equally, there is only so much you can do with number cards as so many games have found out.
The box is perfectly sized with no room for air and compact enough to take down the pub or throw in a rucksack when visiting friends.
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Final thoughts on The Dealer
The Dealer encourages and rewards top-class skullduggery. While that may not be for everyone, it certainly is for me and my family. Its also easy to pick up. With an experienced player as Dealer you can play the first round to teach the game quite easily.
Once everyone knows what they are doing, the game comes alive as you play the players more than you play the game. For that, there is a lot of fun packed in the relatively small box.
My eldest, Harrison, is very close to checking out on his own copy to take with him for his first year at university, as he thinks it will be perfect as an ice-breaker for his fellow students. I tend to agree, I could imagine friendships and memories being forged around a pub table with this game.
The Dealer is a game that comes alive with the ‘gotcha’ moments that get the whole table involved. If you think you have the right crowd for this one, it is well worth considering. It has certainly been a hit with us!
Key Facts
Number of players: 3 to 6
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 10+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 8+
Playing Time: 25 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 1 minute
Designers: Shaun Graham and Scott Huntington
Publisher: Invisible Typewriter
RRP: £14.00
Summary
A quirky little card game that allows players to show their true colours by lying, telling the truth, or telling the truth in a dishonest way. The Dealer is quick to pick up, but hard to put down!
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Simple to pick up
- Player powers for replayability
- Kookie artwork
- Super social
Cons
- Three player minimum
- Some people won’t like the deceit
- Need the right crowd
Need more games?
If you already own The Dealer and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- Flip 7
- Cockroach Poker
- L’Oaf
- No Thanks
Buy The Dealer
If you want to buy The Dealer after reading our review click on one of our affiliate links below (note there has been no affiliate links until this point)
Reviewer’s Note
For clarity: we don’t get paid for our reviews. However, we were kindly gifted this game by Invisible Typewriter. We have tried not to let this affect our review in any way.
We may however earn a tincy wincy commission if you buy a game having clicked one of our affiliate links like the one above… this hopefully gives us a bit of pocket money towards hosting costs and new games to review!
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