How to Play Winking Murder

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Winking Murder is a social deduction parlour game for 6 to 20 players in which one hidden Murderer tries to eliminate everyone else through covert winking, while a Detective attempts to catch them out. It demands sharp observation, a straight face, and the nerve to wink discreetly across a crowded room.

The game works in almost any setting where players can sit facing one another: living rooms, classrooms, youth groups, and family gatherings all suit it well. Rounds are short, the rules take under two minutes to explain, and the tension it generates is consistently out of proportion to its simplicity.

A little history

The precise origins of Winking Murder are unclear. It belongs to a broad family of hidden-role games, including Mafia and Werewolf, that became popular as parlour and party entertainment during the twentieth century. It is traditionally traced to British schools and youth clubs from at least the mid-twentieth century, where it spread by word of mouth rather than through any single published ruleset. No authoritative first record of the game has been firmly established.

Setting up

1. Gather all players in a circle, seated so everyone can see everyone else's face clearly.
2. From the deck, select one card to represent the Murderer (traditionally the Ace of Spades) and enough ordinary cards so there is one card per player in total.
3. Designate one player as the Detective before the cards are dealt, or use a separate draw to determine the Detective (see Variations).
4. Shuffle the selected cards face-down and deal exactly one to each non-Detective player. Players look at their card in secret and immediately return it face-down.
5. The player who received the Ace of Spades is the Murderer. They must not reveal this.
6. The Detective stands in the centre of the circle, or sits slightly apart, able to see all players.

How to play

1. Once cards have been seen and returned face-down, the Detective calls 'Begin' and the round starts.
2. All players, including the Murderer, look around the circle naturally. There is no set speaking order and no turns; the round runs in real time.
3. The Murderer kills other players by making deliberate, unambiguous eye contact with a target and winking once at them. A wink must be a clear single closing and opening of one eye, not a blink or a squint.
4. A player who receives a wink is dead. They must wait two to three seconds (to avoid immediately pointing to the Murderer), then announce 'I'm dead' and either slump dramatically or remove themselves visually from play. Dead players may not speak or gesture.
5. The Detective watches the group at all times, attempting to spot the wink being delivered.
6. Any living non-Detective player who believes they know the Murderer's identity may raise their hand to make an accusation. They must say 'I accuse' and name the suspect clearly.
7. Before an accusation is judged, a second living player must either support it or the accusation fails immediately. This two-player support rule prevents random guessing; if no second player backs the accusation within roughly five seconds, play continues and the accusing player receives no penalty beyond the lost opportunity.
8. If a second player supports the accusation, both accusers are committed. The named suspect must reveal their card. If the suspect is the Murderer, the Detective and surviving players win. If the suspect is innocent, both accusers are eliminated from the round as dead, and play continues.
9. The Detective may make one formal accusation per round without needing a supporter. If the Detective's accusation is wrong, the Detective is out of the game for that round but the round continues without a Detective until all players are dead or the Murderer is named by two surviving players.
10. The round ends when the Murderer is correctly identified, when all non-Murderer players are dead, or when only one living non-Murderer player remains (at which point the Murderer wins by default).

Winning and scoring

The Murderer wins the round by eliminating all other players before being identified. The Detective and surviving players win by correctly naming the Murderer with a supported accusation, or by the Detective making a correct solo accusation. For a scored session, award one point to the Murderer for a successful round and one point to the Detective for a correct identification. Play as many rounds as you like, rotating the Detective role each time, and the player with the most points at the end wins overall.

The fine points

The most common dispute is whether a wink was deliberate. The standard ruling is that the wink must be clear and directed: if the intended victim saw it as a wink, it counts, regardless of whether others noticed. If a player claims they were winked at but the Murderer denies it, the victim's word stands and they are dead. This prevents the Murderer from arguing their way out of every kill. A blink during natural eye contact does not count; if a player dies claiming they were winked at but the Murderer genuinely only blinked, the round must nonetheless continue as played, since there is no objective way to reverse the call mid-game.

A second common issue is dead players signalling. Any dead player who gestures, mouths words, or otherwise communicates the Murderer's identity to living players should be warned and, on a repeat offence, excluded from the next round entirely. Similarly, living players must not discuss suspects aloud with one another in a way that effectively replaces the formal accusation mechanic; quiet observation is fine but open conferencing degrades the game significantly.

How to win more often

• As the Murderer, prioritise players who are not looking directly at you. Wait for the Detective to turn their head before you wink, and vary the rhythm of your winks so you do not establish a pattern.
• As the Detective, resist the urge to stare at one suspect too long. Scan the whole group steadily; the Murderer will exploit any sustained gap in your attention.
• As a civilian, look for the tells of recently delivered winks: a micro-smile, a slight shift of eye focus, or a gaze that holds a fraction too long before moving on.
• Do not rush your accusation. An unsupported guess costs you little, but committing two players to a wrong accusation gifts the Murderer two free eliminations. Only accuse when you are genuinely confident.
• As the Murderer, consider targeting players who are looking at you, since killing them quickly removes the most attentive witnesses. A bold, fast game often beats a slow, cautious one.

Variations

Detective Draw

Instead of appointing the Detective in advance, deal cards to every player including the Detective candidate. One card designates the Detective (traditionally a King or Joker) and one designates the Murderer. This removes any social pressure around who is chosen as Detective and means everyone learns their role simultaneously, keeping the identities of both special roles secret until revealed.

Multiple Murderers

For groups of 12 or more, deal two Murderer cards. The two Murderers act independently; they do not know each other's identity. This shortens the round considerably and raises the tension for all players, since the threat of a wink can come from two directions at once. An accusation names one Murderer at a time; the round continues until both are caught or both win.

No Detective

In this version, there is no designated Detective. Any living player may make an accusation at any time, but must immediately nominate a second player to support them before the suspect is asked to reveal. This variant works well when players want a more chaotic, discussion-heavy game, and it means the Murderer must manage social suspicion rather than simply avoiding a single watcher.

Lights Out

Played in a normally lit room, but with one brief dimming of the lights at a random point called by a neutral timekeeper. During the blackout, the Murderer may wink freely and any player who notices on the lights returning that another player has slumped or looks suddenly shifty can use that information. This variant adds a chaotic burst of information and is particularly popular with older children and adults.

Winking Murder: frequently asked questions