Rarely is a game stripped down to its bare essense as cleanly as I'm the Boss! is. Up to fifteen deals can be made over the course of the game, and a player who is part of a successful deal will receive a certain amount of money.

How much money? Well, that depends on whatever deal is made among the players involved, as negotiated by that round's boss. Complicating matters quite a bit, however, each player has a hand of action cards that can be used to derail negotiations, insert themselves into a deal, take over the role of boss, and otherwise muck with the smooth flow of deal-making that other players had hoped to achieve. Nertz to them! If you want to make a deal, you gotta cut me a share!

Once nine deals have been made, a die is rolled after each subsequent deal to determine whether the game ends (with the odds increasing each time). Victory goes to whoever has the biggest bankroll!