Reviewed By: Pugilist
Game Name: Wits & Wagers
Publisher: North Star Games
Game Type: Family Board Game
Number of Players: 3 - 7 (8 - 21 in teams - the more the better)
Solo Play Ability: None
Playing Time: 25 minutes
Ages: 10
Game Cost: $29.99 (A STEAL!)
Game Score: 88.5% / 100%
Wits and Wagers takes a new stab at the trivia based game, one that does not depend on you knowing the answer. In Wits and Wagers they'll be a question asked, the answer always being a number. The players will write their answers on the provided plastic coated cards with the provided dry erase markers and place them (then answer cards, not the dry erase marker, pay attention) face down on the betting mat. Once all answers are complete, the answer cards are turned over and arranged in order, lowest to highest on the betting mat.
It's important to note that there are only seven (7) slots available for betting and the cards are always grouped around the middle. In games where there are more than seven (7) players or teams (in a tournament only, when you're playing at home, you'll have just the seven answer cards), this may result in answers getting knocked off of the board. This only means they can't be used in the betting position, they will still pay out if they are in fact closest to the correct answer without being higher. That's right, a Price is Right system of selecting the answer is used. The exception being that all answers are written in secrete so people can't knowingly gank your answer.
Let's take a look at the betting mat. It has eight (8) spots on it:
- Pays 5 to 1 - The Correct Answer is Smaller than all Given Answers
- Pays 4 to 1 - Smallest
- Pays 3 to 1
- Pays 2 to 1
- Pays 1 to 1
- Pays 2 to 1
- Pays 3 to 1
- Pays 4 to 1 - Largest
The answers are arranged, as we stated above and as you would remember had you been paying attention, around the middle. If less than seven (7) unique answers are revealed, they are grouped around the middle, with the middle spot or spots being left empty. If you are disconcerted by this, well, that's life me bucko, move along.
So far, so good. The answers are arranged and next the players will have 30 seconds to bet. Each player owns two (2) betting indicators that they can never lose. They place these on the spots they believe are most likely to hold an 
answer that is closest to the correct answer without being larger. Later on in the game, should you have chosen the best answer, you can use the winnings to increase your betting. You will still be limited to betting on two (2) answers, but you can bet multiple times and have the opportunity to win, or lose, big.
As we mentioned, it's a Price is Right thing without the annoying twit who tries to gank your answer. In Wits & Wagers, it's not really knowing the answer as much as it is betting on the answer you think is closest to being right, but still lower or equal to, the correct answer. If two people write the same answer, that's just a indication that more people believe it's the correct guess. It's no indication that it's the right answer, if the games we played are to be used as a guide
Once the answer is revealed, people are paid off according to the odds. If you believed all the answers provided sucked because they were all too hgih and bet accordingly, you'll get the maximum payoff, 5-1. Smack talk is highly encouraged at this point. Lord your right answers, disparage the questions, point out that in a quantum view of the universe, you are right. Just about anything is allowed and encouraged. We had a no knives policy, but that's because I was wearing my good jeans.
Each game lasts for seven (7) rounds and then you count the chips you've won. If there is a tie you can have a tie breaking round or push up contest or even, if you are feeling wimpy, declare co-winners.
We played the game several times during Origins 2007. Once with a demo, once by ourselves, and once in a tournament on Friday evening at 7:00 PM. The tournament took place right next to our table, so the convenience factor was high and that led us to establish our amazing strategy.
Most teams entered the tournament looking around, sizing up the other teams, getting a little nervous, desperately trying to think us a team name that would rival our pre-planned and amazingly executed TEAM AWESOME TEAM. As the game began we quickly established how awesome we were by writing guesses that were outside of the realm of reason and betting on answers that proved, in the finally tally, to have missed their full potential. We were still TEAM AWESOME TEAM, of course and we never missed an opportunity to lord that over the other teams.
Throughout the seven (7) rounds of play we dominated the game, in our own minds, and remained aloof and superior in every way that was not related with winning. 
Wits & Wagers has won a slew of awards since it's debut, and, honestly, rightly so. It's a game that can be explained in less than 10 minutes and played in less than 60. Our tournament, in which we were eked out of first place by the other eight (8) teams, had a total of nine (9) teams and some 40 or so people, lasted less than an hour and during that time everyone involved was laughing and celebrating and having fun.
This is a game that's a family game, the table next to us was a mother with three young children (and they tied for first, mainly because we would not let them cheat off of us), a party game, a picnic game, and a game to start or end an evening of gaming for even the hard core gamers out there. That it's won as many awards as it has is a testament to the amount of play testing involved and the willingness of the game designers to take hard looks during the development process and eliminate things that slowed down play.
It's a great game that encourages communication, it's a steal at $23, and you have to ask yourself why you are wasting your time reading these last few words rather than clicking the link to buy the game for you, your friends, and your family. What? You don't want to scroll up? Fine, here's the link again you lazy sloths!
Buy Wits & Wagers here:
