- Publisher : Iello
- Designer(s) : John Cooper, Kory Heath
- Artist(s) : Fiore GmbH
- Players : 3–6
- Playing time : 20 Min
- Weight BGG : 1.63
What's this?
The Gang is a unique card game that reimagines poker in a cooperative form. Inspired by Texas Hold’em, this game puts you in the shoes of robbers who must coordinate their actions to pull off a legendary heist.
How do you play?
The game is played by 3 to 6 players and follows rules adapted from Texas Hold’em:
How the Heist Works
A game consists of 3 to 5 heists, each divided into 4 phases:
Pre-flop: Each player is dealt 2 personal cards and selects a white chip indicating the estimated strength of their hand.
Flop: Three community cards are revealed. Players adjust their assessment with yellow chips.
Turn: A fourth community card appears, followed by a new selection of orange chips.
River: A final community card is revealed, and players select their final red chip.
The Stakes
The goal is to estimate the strength of your hand based on the revealed cards and the chips taken by other players. At the end of the last round, the player checks whether the ranking of the combinations is correct. A mistake? The heist fails. Three successes? It’s a victory. Three failures? It’s a defeat.
Advanced Modes
Variants like Accomplice (advantages) and Break-in (penalties) cards add spice for experienced players.
Is it good?
The Gang offers an innovative approach to poker, focused on cooperation. A unique concept that combines deduction, observation, and teamwork!
Victory relies on communication and the collective evaluation of each player’s hands, without ever directly revealing their cards. The game is reminiscent of The Crew or The Mind, where players observe the other players and attempt to guess their cards without being able to speak. This communication, limited to poker chips, provides an interesting challenge and encourages deduction.
Replayability is quite good thanks to the different difficulty levels. “Break-in” cards will complicate your task by adding obstacles, while “Accomplice” cards will provide valuable assistance during the game.
Various missions, similar to those in The Crew, would have been a nice addition. It’s a shame they aren’t included.
The game will appeal to poker fans and could also appeal to those new to the card game.
If you already know poker, the rules are easy to grasp. The games are fast-paced and dynamic.
In summary, The Gang, with its cooperative poker concept, offers a gaming experience that is original, accessible and refreshing for the poker genre.
Many thanks to the Espritjeu online store for allowing me to test this game by sending me a copy. To discover their catalog, I invite you to visit their website:
Review The Gang
Positives
- A unique and refreshing cooperative approach to poker
- The game relies on observation and deduction
- Ideal for short sessions
- Multiple difficulty levels and special cards
Negatives
- The enjoyment of the game relies heavily on player involvement and experience.
- Adding different missions, like in The Crew, would have been a real plus.
