The rules

How to play

Show up, grab a table, name your team. Here’s everything else.

ThursdaysDoors open at 7 PM and trivia starts at 7:30. Come any time in between. MB Lounge is a rail bar and seating is first come, first served, so spots aren’t guaranteed.
Up to 6players per team. No sign-up, no reservations. Just show up.
FreeNo entry fee. The winning team each night takes home a $25–$50 bar gift card.
+5 pointsfor every first-time player you bring. Grow the crowd, pad your score.

The rounds

  1. Single Answer Round

    5 pts each

    Ten questions. Just answer them. Every question comes with a picture clue.

  2. Flash Round 1

    5 pts each

    Five questions. Kurt names the category, each team sends one player up to the buzzers, and the first right answer takes the points. Stumped? A picture clue can come into play.

  3. Picture Round

    5 pts each

    Ten pictures, you identify them. It’s timed, and the clock depends on how nasty Kurt thinks the round is.

  4. Flash Round 2

    5 pts each

    Same as Flash Round 1. New categories, new victims.

  5. Family Feud Round

    10 / 5 / 3 / 2 / 1

    Ten survey questions. Guess America’s most popular answer for 10 points; the 2nd through 5th most popular answers earn 5, 3, 2 and 1.

  6. Flash Round 3

    10 pts each

    Buzzers again, but now every question is worth double.

  7. List Round

    10 pts per answer

    The wild card, and it’s against the clock. Often a list of things to identify, but Kurt does all sorts of weird things here. Expect the unexpected.

  8. Flash Round 4: Numbers

    10 pts each

    Players head up with whiteboards instead of buzzers. Every answer is a number, and the closest without going over wins.

  9. Final Questions

    Bet 5–20

    Two brutally hard questions, no clues. Bet 5 to 20 points on each. Right: win your bet. Wrong: lose it.

Flash round twists

The Roundly Double

Hidden somewhere in every Flash Round. We roll a twenty-sided die and the question is worth that many points. The player at the buzzer can decline, but if they guess, they’re risking it: right answer wins the points, wrong answer loses them.

The Bonus Question

Every Flash Round also has a bonus. The player who gets that question right earns one more question that only they can answer, worth another 5 points.

Seasons & playoffs

Every night counts toward the season. Where you finish earns Tournament Points (TP):

1st10
2nd8
3rd6
4th4
5th2
6th1

Ties in the season standings are broken by total points. You don’t need to make it every week; just come when you can.

  1. 8-week regular season. Rack up Tournament Points.
  2. Top 8 make the playoffs, seeded by regular-season TP.
  3. 3 playoff weeks. Seeds are paired off head to head and one team from each pairing is eliminated each week. Eliminated teams can still win the nightly prize!
  4. The champion wins $250 and a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Team names are locked once the playoffs begin.

See the bracket →

House rules

  • Phones down while questions are live.
  • No music-ID apps. Shazam is not a team member.
  • Disputes are welcome between rounds. Bring proof.
  • No audience participation. Know the answer? Join a team!

FAQ

Is it really that hard?

Yes. The average player misses about half the questions, and that’s by design. Instead of punishing you for missing one or two, Very Hard Trivia gives every team room to show off its niche knowledge.

Do we have to come every week?

Nope. Every night is its own game with its own prize. Coming regularly just helps you climb the season standings.

How are the themes picked?

Each night has a theme that shows up throughout the questions. Teams submit ideas and a spin of the wheel picks next week’s theme. Browse every theme we’ve ever played.

How big can our team be?

Up to 6 players. Bring a first-timer and your team gets 5 bonus points per newbie.

Can you host trivia at our event?

Absolutely. Tell us about your event and Kurt will get back to you.