Rep Bet and Gamble Games | Friends

Quick Intro

Rep Bet and Gamble Games are a family of partner games built on one idea: you bet on yourself. In the first round each partner goes all out to set a mark, such as the most push-ups they can do in a minute or the longest they can hold a wall sit. In every round after that, each partner bids what they will do next, then tries to make the bid. Knowing what you have left after a hard first round is the whole game.

The same rules work on reps, hold times, rope waves and jump distance, so this guide gives the rules once and then a short section for each exercise, covering what changes. The technique for each exercise is in its own guide, linked in its section.

What You’ll Need

A stopwatch or a phone.
Whatever the chosen exercise needs: nothing for push-ups, squats, mountain climbers, jumping jacks or bicycle crunches, a clear wall for the wall sit, two pull-up bars for the dead hang, a battle rope each for the waves and a few markers for the broad jump.
Something to write the marks and bids on.

How to Play

Set the marks. Round one sets each partner’s mark. Depending on the game, both partners do the exercise all out for the agreed time, hold until form breaks or take one maximal jump. Each partner counts or times the other. Write both marks down.
Rest fully.
Bid. Each partner bids what they will do in the next round: a number of reps in the same time, a hold time or a jump distance. A bid can be above or below the mark. Bids are said out loud before the round starts and do not change once it is running.
Play the round. Both work toward their bid and may stop once they reach it.
Score the round.
- A partner who misses their bid loses the round.
- If both make their bids, the bid that is the larger share of its owner’s mark wins.
- If both miss, nobody scores.
Repeat. Play several bid rounds, three to five is a good number, with full rest between them. The partner who wins more bid rounds wins the game.

Scoring a round

Each bid is compared with its owner’s own mark. Say one partner set a mark of 30 push-ups and the other a mark of 15. The first bids 27 and makes it. The second bids 13 and makes it. 27 against a mark of 30 is 90 per cent of that partner’s mark; 13 against a mark of 15 is about 87 per cent. The first partner wins the round.

If the first partner had bid 33 and stopped at 31, they would have missed their bid and lost the round, even though 31 is more than they managed in round one.

Why the Scoring Works

The rules are built so the obvious shortcuts do not pay.

A low, safe bid loses. Anyone can bid 5 push-ups and make it. Since the winning bid is the larger share of its owner’s mark, a timid bid loses to a partner who bid nearer their own mark and made it.
A bid beyond reach scores nothing. A bid far above the mark sounds bold, but a missed bid loses the round outright.
Unequal partners play on equal terms. Every bid is measured against its owner’s own mark, so a partner who does 15 push-ups and a partner who does 30 have the same chance. The contest is about judgement and effort, and raw strength does not decide it.

The interesting bids are close to the mark: a little under it if the first round took a lot out of you, a little over it if you held something back or know you pace better the second time.

What Counts

Each exercise needs its own standard for a clean rep, a broken hold or a measured jump, given in the sections below. A few rules apply to all of them:

Agree the standard before round one, and use the same standard in every round. A mark set with clean reps and a bid made with rushed ones are not the same thing.
Each partner counts or times the other.
A rep that one partner is unsure about does not count.
A handicap version must match. If a partner does push-ups from the knees, both the mark and every bid are on their knees.

Making It Fair

These games balance themselves, since every bid is measured against its owner’s own mark. No head start or points lead is needed. A partner who needs an easier version, such as push-ups from the knees, can use it, as long as round one used the same version. More on keeping contests close is in Training With a Friend.

Staying Safe

Only round one goes all out. For the holds, only round one is held until form breaks. In the bid rounds each partner stops once they reach the bid.
Rushing to make a bid breaks form. The last few reps of a bid round are when push-ups sag, squats get shallow and mountain climbers turn into hip bounces. Those reps do not count, which removes the reason to rush them.
Either partner can stop any round early, for any reason. A missed bid is only a lost round.
Rest fully between rounds. A rushed rest makes the next bid a guess about fatigue more than a judgement of what you can do.

The Games

Rep Bet: Push-up

Round one is as many clean Push-up reps as each partner can do in an agreed time, such as 60 seconds. Only clean reps count, in round one and in every bid round: the body stays in one straight line and the chest goes down to the agreed depth. A weaker partner can do push-ups from the knees, as long as round one was on the knees too.

Rep Bet: Bodyweight Squat

Round one is as many clean Bodyweight Squat reps as possible in an agreed time, such as 60 seconds. Agree the depth before starting and keep it honest, since a shallow, rushed squat does not count. This is a good game to learn the bid rules on, because the squat is simple. Round one usually takes more out of the legs than people expect, which is what makes the bids interesting.

Rep Bet: Mountain Climbers

Round one is a shorter all-out effort, such as 30 seconds of Mountain Climbers. Agree how to count before starting, for example one rep each time the right knee comes in. Count only reps with the hips level. Piking the hips up as fatigue sets in is the usual way reps get sloppy.

Rep Bet: Jumping Jacks

Round one is as many Jumping Jacks as possible in an agreed time, such as 45 seconds. Agree what a full rep is, for example the hands meeting overhead and the feet going wide each time. It is a light, simple version, so it works as a warm-up game once both partners know how the bids work. Leave enough room overhead and to each side for the arm swing.

Rep Bet: Bicycle Crunch

Round one is as many Bicycle Crunch reps as possible in an agreed time, such as 45 seconds. Only a full, controlled twist bringing the elbow toward the opposite knee counts. Keep the lower back pressed toward the floor; letting it arch to speed up the reps does not count and strains the back.

Wave Count Gamble: Battle Ropes

Each partner needs their own anchored rope. Round one is as many clean Battle Ropes Wave alternations as possible in an agreed time, such as 30 seconds, and each partner counts the other’s waves. Only full waves count. Grip and shoulder fatigue from round one make the bids harder to judge than they look, so watch the grip near the end of each round.

Hold Time Gamble: Wall Sit

Round one is a Wall Sit held at the same time until form breaks, with each partner timing the other. In the bid rounds, each partner bids a hold time and stands up once they reach it. Only round one is held to the point of breaking. A first hold to failure takes a lot out of the legs, so the bids after it are where the game is won or lost.

Hold Time Gamble: Dead Hang

This version needs two pull-up bars. Round one is a Dead Hang held at the same time until grip fails, with each partner timing the other. In the bid rounds, each partner bids a hang time and drops down under control once they reach it. Land with soft knees every time, whether the grip fails or the bid is reached. Grip endurance is hard to judge after a hang to failure, so expect bids to surprise in both directions.

Distance Gamble: Broad Jump

Round one is one maximal Broad Jump each, measured to the heel closest to the start line. Both partners agree the measurement. Before each later jump, each partner places a marker at the distance they bid to reach, which can fall short of the mark or go past it. Landing at or past your own marker makes the bid. Markers go down before the jump and are not moved afterwards. A single jump tires the legs little, so a bid just past the mark is a real chance and not a long shot. Jump onto a soft, non-slip surface with clear space beyond the landing.

FAQ

Can I bid more than my mark?

Yes. A bid above the mark counts as more than 100 per cent of it, so it wins any round where you make it and your partner’s bid is a smaller share of theirs. The risk is that a missed bid loses the round.

What if we both bid exactly our marks and make them?

Both bids are 100 per cent of their marks, so the round is a draw. Play the next round.

How many bid rounds should we play?

Three to five is usually enough. Fatigue builds with each round, and judging that fatigue is part of the game, but by the sixth or seventh round form tends to slip.

Does the mark change after round one?

No. The mark set in round one stays for the whole game, so every bid is judged against the same number.

Related to Push-up, Wall Sit and Broad Jump.