Pub Quiz Rules: 10 House Rules Every Quiz Night Needs

Every quiz night has rules. The only question is whether you decided them before the night, or whether a table of six decides them for you halfway through round three.

Nothing sours a quiz faster than an argument nobody knows how to settle. Was that answer close enough? Can they have seven on a team? Did the lads by the fruit machine just look something up? If the rules are written down and read out at the start, you are not making a judgement call. You are just pointing at the sheet.

Here are the ten house rules I use, and why each one is there. Copy them, change them, stick them on the wall.

1. No phones. Not even to check the time.

This is the big one. The moment one team is seen on a phone, every other table assumes they are cheating, and the whole room goes sour.

Say it at the start: phones face down on the table or in pockets. If someone needs to take a call, they take it outside and away from the answer sheet. Anyone caught looking something up loses the round, not just the question.

You will rarely have to enforce it. Saying it out loud is usually enough.

2. Maximum team size, stated up front

Six is the sweet spot. Big enough that a group of mates can play together, small enough that one table of ten doesn't flatten everyone.

If a bigger group turns up, let them split into two teams. They normally enjoy beating each other more than winning anyway.

3. The quiz master's decision is final

Write this on the sheet in capitals. You will be wrong occasionally, and that is fine. What is not fine is a ten-minute debate while the rest of the room waits for the next round.

If someone has a genuine point, hear it at the break, not mid-round. If they are right, give them the mark and say so out loud. People respect a quiz master who admits a mistake far more than one who digs in.

4. Spelling doesn't count, unless the question is about spelling

If it is obviously the right answer, give the mark. "Nietzsche" spelled four different ways is still Nietzsche.

The exception is when the spelling is the point, like an anagram round or "how do you spell…". Say so in the question.

5. Surnames are enough, unless you say otherwise

"Who painted the Mona Lisa?" — "Da Vinci" gets the mark. If you want a full name, put it in the question: "Give the full name of…".

Deciding this after the answer sheets come in is exactly how arguments start.

6. Answer sheets in by the time the next round starts

Collect sheets at the end of each round, or have teams swap and mark each other's. Either works, but pick one and stick to it.

Late sheets get marked, but only if they arrive before you read out the first answer. After that, they get nothing. It sounds harsh. It is also the only way to keep a pub full of people moving.

7. No shouting out answers

A team that shouts an answer has given it to the whole room. Nobody minds a groan or a "oh I KNEW that" once the answer is read out, but before is off limits.

First offence is a warning and a laugh. Second offence, they lose the point.

8. Ties are settled with a tiebreaker, not a coin toss

Have a tiebreaker question ready before the night: a number question where the closest answer wins. "How many steps are there to the top of the Eiffel Tower?" or "In what year did…". Nobody knows the exact answer, so it is fair, and it is good tension for the end of the night.

9. Picture and music rounds follow the same rules

Say it anyway. People seem to think a picture round is a free-for-all, and that Shazam on the music round doesn't count as a phone. It does.

If you are building a music round, it is worth reading how to build a pub quiz music round, because the format itself can make Shazam pointless.

10. Have fun, or go home

It is a pub quiz. The prize is a bar tab. The rules exist so the night runs smoothly, not so anyone can win on a technicality.

If a team is taking it far too seriously, a bit of gentle ribbing from the quiz master usually sorts it. And a booby prize for last place does more for the atmosphere than any rule on this list.

How to actually enforce the rules

Rules only work if people know them. Three things make that happen:

• Read them out at the start of every quiz. Keep it to thirty seconds and make it light.
• Print them on the answer sheet. A short version at the top means nobody can say they didn't know.
• Be consistent. If you let one team off for a phone, you have to let everyone off. Better to be fair and a bit strict than friendly and random.

A version you can print

If you want a short version for the top of your answer sheets, this is the one I'd use:

Phones away. Max six per team. Surnames are fine. Spelling doesn't count. Sheets in before the next round. No shouting out. The quiz master's word is final. Enjoy yourselves.

That fits on one line of an A4 sheet and covers nearly every argument you'll have.

Frequently asked questions

Are phones allowed at a pub quiz?

No. Almost every pub quiz bans phones, because it is impossible to tell looking something up from checking a message. Ask teams to keep them face down or in pockets.

How many people are allowed on a pub quiz team?

Most quizzes cap teams at six. Some allow up to eight. Whatever you choose, say it at the start and apply it to everyone.

What happens if there is a tie at a pub quiz?

Use a tiebreaker question with a numerical answer. The team whose answer is closest wins. Have one prepared before the night.

Do you have to spell answers correctly?

Usually not. If the answer is clearly right, most quiz masters give the mark. Only enforce spelling when the question is specifically about spelling.

If you are starting a quiz night from scratch, how to run a pub quiz night covers the full format. And if you would rather not write the questions yourself, every one of our packs comes with a tiebreaker and answer sheets ready to print. Grab the free sample quiz and see for yourself.

Mitch and Harry