
- BGG rating
- 6.3
Pickpockets: Business Cards
- 3–4 players
- 15–30 min
- 2016

2016
Rules assistance for Pickpockets
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Pickpockets is a board game released in 2016 for 3–4 players, 15–30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Matt Loomis and Isaac Shalev and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Push Your Luck, and Deduction.
All players play as thieves who are pulling bills out of a wallet stuffed with cash. What none of them know, is any player may be an undercover cop, trying to catch as many thieves as possible. In Pickpockets, players will take turns either drawing or manipulating money cards in a wallet until a player reveals themselves as an undercover cop, yelling “Hands up”. All other players will reveal their cards. The Undercover Cop Wins if at least one other player has two or more marked bills in their possession. Otherwise the Pickpocket with the most money wins. Alternatively a player can skip town if they have enough unmarked money in their possession.
Pickpockets supports 3–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Pickpockets is 15–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Pickpockets for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Pickpockets has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Pickpockets belongs to these categories: Card Game, Print & Play, and Deduction. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Push Your Luck, and Deduction. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Pickpockets are: Matt Loomis and Isaac Shalev. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Pickpockets as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.