What does changing the rules of the game mean?

Changing the rules of the game means altering the conditions of a situation that is already under way, often to favour someone. The expression can also have a positive meaning when it refers to something that completely transforms an industry or a way of doing things.

At the card table

Few things cause more arguments during a game than changing a rule halfway through a hand. That is why it is worth agreeing on everything before dealing, as we explain in how to avoid arguments during a game.

Away from the card table

The expression is used when someone alters a contract that has already been signed, a company changes the terms of a service or a government changes a law while a process is under way. It usually sounds like a complaint: ‘They’ve changed the rules of the game on us.’

The positive meaning

Today, the expression is also used for something that revolutionises things: ‘The internet changed the rules of the game in music.’ This Spanish usage is a common translation of the English term game changer.

• ‘You don’t change the rules of the game halfway through a match.’
• ‘This invention changes the rules of the game.’

Other expressions in the same family include playing your cards right and putting your cards on the table.