Crooked Derby

BET IN SECRET. LIE IN PUBLIC. RIG THE RACE.

Crooked Derby is a turn-based digital board game for 2–6 players. Play solo against bots, host a table with friends, or buy into a Derby against strangers.

Secretly bet on one of six equally matched horses, then publicly claim which horse you support.

Every card is played face-up, so you must manipulate the race without revealing where your money really is. Watch how your opponents play, question their stories, and Call the Bluff—but every accusation puts your turn and your own secret on the line.

When the race ends, every bet and lie still hidden is revealed.

Win races, expose your rivals, protect your bankroll, and finish the match with more money than anyone else.

PLACE YOUR SECRET BET

Everyone sits down with the same bankroll. Before each race, choose which horse carries your money and how much of your bankroll you are willing to risk.

Your stake is visible to everyone.

Your chosen horse remains secret until the end of the race—unless someone calls your bluff.

A larger wager wins a larger share of the pot, but it also gives your opponents more reason to study every move you make.

TELL THE TABLE YOUR STORY

After placing your bet, publicly declare which horse you claim to support. This is your Public Story.

You can tell the truth, construct a convincing lie, or choose the horse your cards give you the best chance of defending.

Telling the truth lets you play more directly, but makes your intentions easier to follow.

Lying can redirect suspicion and sabotage towards another horse, but maintaining the deception may force you to make less efficient moves.

If nobody exposes your lie, the house pays you a 1,000-coin bonus at the finish—win or lose.

MANIPULATE THE RACE

Once the gates open, every card is played face-up, and every turn is on the clock.

Push a horse forward, drag the leader back, rescue a long shot, or prepare a late-race reversal.

Your cards will not always favour your secret horse. Sometimes the strongest move for the race is the worst move for your story. Sometimes helping the wrong horse is exactly what keeps your real bet hidden.

Every action becomes evidence.

Are your opponents protecting their money, supporting their Public Story, building an alibi—or trying to bait you?

CALL THEIR BLUFF

Watch how your rivals play and compare their actions with the stories they told.

At the start of your turn, you can Call the Bluff on another player's story. You get one call per race, and the verdict is instant.

Call it right and the house pays you a 500-coin bounty, the liar's real horse is exposed to the whole table, and you take their next turn.

Call it wrong and your own horse is exposed, their story is certified true, and they play your turn instead.

No money changes hands between players. What you risk is your turn and your secret.

The cards are visible.

The intentions are not.

WIN THE RACE BEHIND THE RACE

When a horse crosses the finish line, every secret bet still hidden is revealed.

Players who backed the winner split the pot in proportion to their stakes, plus a house bonus. If nobody backed the winner, the whole pot rolls over into the next race as a growing jackpot. Every lie that got away with it collects its bonus.

Then the table resets.

New bets. New stories. New opportunities to deceive—or be deceived.

One race can make you rich. One reckless wager can knock you out: run out of money and you're eliminated.

Finish the match with the largest bankroll to win.

CHOOSE YOUR TABLE

• Tutorial — a short guided race that teaches the crooked trade.

• Solo — set your own table: 1 to 5 bots at Easy, Medium or Hard, over 1 to 5 races.

• Multiplayer — host or join a table with friends over Steam or LAN. Free to sit.

• Derbys — pay the entry in Stubs, earned free every day, race strangers, and the winner takes the purse. Climb four venues, from the County Fairgrounds to the Back Lot, the Night Track and the Vault, each with its own world, crowd and sound.

In Solo and Multiplayer, pick your distance—a short Sprint or a Full Lap—and your deck. The Classic deck plays it straight. The Crooked deck mixes in dirty plays that move two horses at once, doping, and a hidden track trap: everyone sees that a trap was set, but nobody knows where.

KEY FEATURES

• Secret bets, public stakes — everyone sees how much you risk, but not which horse carries your money.

• Public Stories — tell the truth, construct a believable lie, or claim the horse your hand can best defend. A lie nobody exposes pays a bonus.

• Face-up card manipulation — every move changes the race and reveals something about the player behind it.

• Bluff Calls with real consequences — call it right to win a bounty and steal the liar's turn; call it wrong and you expose yourself.

• Six equally matched horses — favourites and long shots emerge entirely from the players' decisions.

• Bankroll management — decide when to play cautiously and when to risk everything. Go broke and you're out.

• Rollover jackpots — when nobody backs the winner, the pot carries into the next race.

• Derbys — buy into four venues against strangers, winner takes the purse.

• Sprint or Full Lap, Classic or Crooked deck — set the race to suit your table.

• Stickers and quick-chat taunts — needle your rivals without typing a word.

• Solo, friends and online play — compete against bots at three difficulties or face other players online.

• Matches for 2–6 players — every additional player introduces more stories, motives, and opportunities for deception.

• Compact multi-race matches built around tension, misdirection, and sudden reversals.