The Gang (Board Game) Rules: Plan the Perfect Heist with Your Crew
Hello! Duane here. I recently played this gem at Gaming Library’s High Stakes event and wow, this game grabbed me faster than a royal flush on the river. I even introduced it to my new-to-board-games friends, Lester and Pry, and now they’re hooked too. This is The Gang.
If you love movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Now You See Me, or anything that mixes bluffing, tension, teamwork, and high-stakes planning, you might have just found your next board game addiction. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. Cooperative poker? How does that even work? Trust me, it works beautifully. More on that later.
Let’s walk through the rules so you and your crew can hit the table and start pulling off the perfect heist.
Game Overview
The Gang is a fast-paced cooperative card game for 3 to 6 players. It feels like a cross between poker night and a slick crime caper. Each player gets pocket cards, everyone evaluates their hand strength, and the whole group needs to correctly sort themselves in order from weakest to strongest. If even one player misjudges, the heist fails.
Think poker, but instead of trying to beat each other, you’re trying to read each other. It is Texas Hold’em meets teamwork.
Fun poker fact: The longest poker game in recorded history allegedly lasted eight years, five months, and three days. That is longer than any campaign of Gloomhaven.
What’s Inside the Box
Before you jump into your first heist, here’s what comes in The Gang:
90 Cards
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52 Playing Cards
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3 Vault Cards
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3 Alarm Cards
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6 Gameplay Overview Cards
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6 Hand Ranking Cards
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10 Challenge Cards
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10 Specialist Cards
24 Chips
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6 White chips (1 to 6 stars) for Round 1
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6 Yellow chips (1 to 6 stars) for Round 2
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6 Orange chips (1 to 6 stars) for Round 3
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6 Red chips (1 to 6 stars) for Round 4.
The components are sleek, thematic, and very “casino heist”. Those poker chips feel incredibly satisfying too. Fun fact: Real poker chips have specific weight standards to prevent cheating. No wonder holding them immediately feels dramatic.
Setting Up Your First Heist
If you know Texas Hold’em, you’ll learn this game quickly. If not, no worries. Even complete poker beginners pick it up instantly. Watching a quick Texas Hold’em tutorial helps but is not required.
Here’s how to set it all up:
Step 1: Prepare the Playing Area
Lay out the three Alarm Cards and three Vault Cards with the gray side up. These are your targets.
Step 2: Hand Out Overview Cards
Each player gets two guides:
• Gameplay Overview
• Poker Hand Ranking
These are lifesavers during your first runs.
Step 3: Sort Out the Chips
Use only the chip values for your player count.
Example, for four players, use only the 1 to 4 star chips per color.
Organize them by color with the light side up. Dark sides are for advanced variants.
Step 4: Ready the Deck
Shuffle the 52 playing cards and place them in a face-down pile.
Step 5: Prepare Round 1
Place the white chips within reach. These represent your first heist resources. Later rounds use yellow, orange, and red chips.
Once everyone is ready, deal two cards per player. These are your pocket cards.
How the Game Works
A full game of The Gang consists of three to five heists. Each heist has four rounds, and each round ramps up the tension.
You win the entire game if your group completes three successful heists. You lose if you fail three times.
Breakdown of Each Heist
Round 1: Pocket Cards
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Deal two cards to each player.
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Lay out the white chips.
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Players grab one chip to represent the current strength of their hand.
Here’s the poker twist:
If you take the highest star chip, you think you have the best hand.
If you take the 1-star chip, you believe you have the weakest.
There is no turn order. You may:
• Take a chip from the center
• Take a chip another player already took
• Return your chip to the center if needed
You just cannot have two chips of the same color.
Once everyone has one chip, the round ends.
Round 2: The Flop
Reveal three community cards.
Lay out the yellow chips and repeat the same process.
Keep previous chips visible so everyone can see how evaluations change.
Round 3: The Turn
Reveal one more community card, then take the orange chips.
Round 4: The River
Reveal the final community card, then take the red chips.
These red chips are the only ones that matter for the final showdown.
The Showdown
Reveal your hands starting with the player holding the red 1-star chip.
If each revealed hand is equal to or stronger than the previous player’s hand, the heist succeeds.
Flip a Vault Card to gold.
If any player accidentally reveals a weaker hand than someone earlier, the heist fails.
Flip an Alarm Card to red.
This is where the tension peaks. No bluffing allowed. You win only by evaluating correctly.
Poker fun fact: The odds of getting a royal flush are about 1 in 649,740. Thankfully, The Gang does not require that level of cosmic luck.
Winning the Game
You win if:
• You turn three Vault Cards gold
You lose if:
• Three Alarm Cards flip to red
Beginner Tips for Cracking Your First Heist
Communicate With Chips, Not Words
Remember, you cannot discuss your hand.
Chips are your only communication tool.
Watch how everyone’s chip selections evolve round by round.
Know the Poker Hand Rankings
Refresh your memory on pairs, straights, flushes, and full houses.
It will make your evaluations smoother.
Stay Calm
The pressure is part of the charm.
Fun fact: In real poker tournaments, players practice breathing exercises to keep their tells under control. Try it.
Expect to Lose Your First Few Games
Mind-melding takes time. It took me about ten games before my first win. Worth it.
Why You’ll Love The Gang
Fast and Replayable
Each game lasts around 20 minutes. Perfect for weeknights or quick breaks.
Easy to Teach
Once you understand the structure, it runs smoothly even with new players.
Flexible Player Count
Works with three players or a full six-person crew.
Perfect for Gatherings
Great for family nights, office bonding, board game cafes, or any social setting.
Plus it gives you that poker-night vibe without real gambling. Always a win.
Ready to Pull Off the Perfect Heist?
Few games blend cinematic tension, cooperation, poker logic, and group mind-reading as cleverly as The Gang. It is thrilling, memorable, and wildly addictive.
Grab your copy of The Gang from Gaming Library, your friendly neighborhood destination for tabletop fun. If you are new, our team can even teach you the mechanics in-store. And while you are here, check out our fantasy roleplaying games, party games, and strategy titles too.
Your next big heist awaits. Shuffle up, deal in, and start making your own legendary crew stories.
