Pit (game)

Pit

The box and cards for Pit
Publisher(s)	Winning Moves
Years active	1904
Genre(s)	Trading Card Game
Players	3 to 7 players
Setup time	1 to 2 minutes
Playing time	1 to 10 minutes per round, Any number of rounds
Random chance	Dealing cards, blind trades
Skill(s) required	Hand management, Deal making

Pit is a fast-paced card game for three to seven players, designed to simulate open outcry bidding for commodities. The game was developed for Parker Brothers and first sold in 1904. It is currently being produced by Winning Moves. This popular version of the game was developed by Edgar Cayce, who would also become famous for his psychic predictions.

The inspirations were the Chicago Board of Trade (known as 'The Pit') and the US Corn Exchange and it was likely based on the very successful game Gavitt's Stock Exchange, invented in 1903 by Harry E. Gavitt of Topeka, Kansas (and reprinted in 2004 in an authentic "heirloom" edition by Out of the Box Publishing). Versions of the game have been marketed under the names Billionaire, Business, Cambio, Deluxe Pit, Quick 7, and Zaster.

Some decks consists of 74 cards with nine cards each of eight different commodities. The specific commodities have varied over the various editions of the game, but those used in most modern editions are Barley, Corn, Coffee, Oranges, Oats, Soybeans, Sugar and Wheat.

The classic version has seven commodities consisting of; flax, hay, oats, rye, corn, barley, and wheat. Two special cards are also included, the Bull and the Bear; use of these cards is optional.

Versions of the game starting in the 1970s contained a bell used to start trading. The first player to hold all nine cards of a commodity would ring the bell.