For Sale

Goal: Have the most money after both phases of the game!

Setup

Coins come in only two denominations: $1 and $2. With 3-4 players each player gets $1 × 14 + $2 × 2 = $18; with 5-6 players each gets $1 × 10 + $2 × 2 = $14 (more players, less money each); the 2-player variant uses $18. The property cards (values 1-30) and the check cards (values 0, 2, 3...15, skipping 1) — 30 of each — are shuffled, then the surplus is removed at random according to the player count: 24 each with 3 players (8 rounds), 28 each with 4 players (7 rounds), all 30 with 5 players (6 rounds) or 6 players (5 rounds). The 2-player game uses 18 of each (9 rounds).

Phase 1 — Buying Properties (Auction)

1. Reveal a number of property cards equal to the player count.
2. Players take turns in order: either Raise (strictly higher than the current bid), or Pass.
3. How bidding works: in the original game you push coins onto the table, so your bid is the total of the coins you commit — it must be an amount you can make exactly with the coins in hand (no change is given). Example: holding only $2 and $2 you cannot bid $3, only $2 or $4; keeping a $1 coin is what lets you bid odd amounts.
4. When you pass, you take the lowest-valued property still on the table and take back half your own bid rounded down, so the amount you actually pay is rounded up — a bid of 3 means taking back 1 and paying 2. If the amount due cannot be made exactly you overpay and the excess leaves the game. Your turn is skipped for the rest of this round.
5. The last player remaining cannot pass: they pay their full bid and take the highest-valued property (if nobody raised at all, that is a free 0 bid).
6. If you pass with a bid of 0, you pay nothing but still take the lowest property.
7. The player who took the highest-valued property in the previous round leads the next round (the first round is decided at random).
8. Repeat until the property deck is empty.

Phase 2 — Selling for Cash

1. Reveal checks equal to the player count.
2. All players simultaneously choose one property card from their hand and place it face-down.
3. Reveal all chosen properties. The highest property takes the highest check, second-highest takes the second-highest check, and so on.
4. Property values 1-30 are unique, so two players can never play the same value (the implementation still keeps acquisition order as a fallback).
5. Repeat until all properties are sold.

Winning

After all properties are sold, the player with the most money (remaining coins + checks) wins. If two players tie on total money, the one holding more remaining coins wins.

Controls

• Phase 1: Enter a bid amount (at least the minimum raise, and exactly payable with your coins) and click Raise, or click Pass. The Min raise / All in shortcuts are always payable (the last remaining bidder cannot pass).
• Phase 2: Click one of your property cards to select it for the round.
• Hot-seat mode: Pass the device when the Pass Device screen appears.

Phase 1 — Property Valuation:

• Property cards 1-30 have increasing value, but the marginal value is not linear — properties 25-30 are extremely valuable in Phase 2.
• The fair price for a property is roughly proportional to its rank within the round being auctioned.
• Starting funds are tiny ($18, or $14 with 5-6 players) yet must cover 5-8 rounds — roughly 2-4 per round, so don't overpay early.

Phase 1 — When to Pass:

• Pass early if the bid exceeds the property's relative value to you.
• Passing with a high bid still gets you a property (the lowest) at half price — and since you take back half rounded down, odd bids cost one extra coin.
• Passing at 0 costs nothing and still gets you the cheapest property, so weak rounds are a free escape hatch.
• The last remaining bidder cannot pass and must buy at the current bid, so only hold out to the end when the top property is worth that price.

Phase 1 — Coins Are Bidding Power:

• Your bid must be makeable exactly with your coins (no change). Holding only $2 and $2 you cannot bid $3 — only $2 or $4 — which directly limits your flexibility.
• Spend the $2 coins first and keep the $1 coins: only $1 coins let you bid odd amounts and follow small raises.
• A player with no coins left can only pass and collects cheap properties — always keep something in reserve.

Phase 2 — Card Management:

• Your weakest property will likely lose every round — save it for rounds with low checks.
• Use mid-value properties strategically: sacrifice them when high checks aren't on the table.
• Reserve your strongest properties for rounds with the highest checks (12-15).

Phase 2 — Reading Opponents:

• Track which properties opponents bought in Phase 1 — the auction is public information, so memory is the only limit.
• If an opponent has only low properties left, they cannot contest high checks — use your mid properties freely.
• Counting cards is powerful: know which checks are still in the deck and how many were removed before the game.

General Tips:

• The player who wins the most valuable property leads the next auction — leading lets you set the opening bid.
• Check distribution is skewed: checks 12-15 are rare and valuable — plan your strong properties for those rounds.
• Ties at the end are broken by remaining coins, so avoid spending down to zero in the final rounds.

For Sale is a property auction card game designed by Stefan Dorra and first published in 1997. It's considered one of the best filler-length auction games, renowned for its elegant two-phase design.

The game's brilliance lies in how Phase 1's spending decisions create Phase 2's strategic landscape. Every coin you spend (or save) in the auction directly shapes your selling power later. This creates a tight economic puzzle in under 30 minutes.

Psychology: For Sale is a study in valuation and bluffing. Players reveal their risk tolerance through bidding aggression, their pricing intuition through pass timing, and their card-reading ability through Phase 2 selections. The game is a compact showcase of behavioral economics — sunk cost fallacy, anchoring, and opponent modeling all play a role.

This implementation features:

• ✅ Classic money: $18 per player with 3-4 players, $14 with 5-6 players, in $1 and $2 coins only
• ✅ Authentic two-phase rules with the deck trimmed per player count (8 / 7 / 6 / 5 rounds) plus a 2-player variant
• ✅ Bids must be exactly payable with your coins (no change); half-price pass rounded down; the last bidder cannot pass
• ✅ The most valuable property winner leads the next auction; Phase 2 is revealed simultaneously before scoring
• ✅ AI opponents with 3 difficulty levels using valuation-based bidding
• ✅ Hot-seat multiplayer (2-6 players on one device)
• ✅ Property acquisition order tracking for tie-breaking, and remaining coins break final ties

Note: For entertainment and self-reflection. Not a psychological assessment tool.