Contents
Whist Basics
How to Play Whist
Basic Whist Strategy
Whist Variations
Bid Whist
Oh Hell
German (Two-Player) Whist
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How to Play Whist
Number of Players
Whist is played by four people divided into two teams, or pairs. You can split the pairs yourself or use the deck to do it:
- Before play begins, each player chooses a card from the deck.
- The players who draw the two highest cards form one pair. The players who draw the two lowest cards form the other.
Partners must sit across from each other at the table.
Although partners play and count their trick totals as a team, they are not permitted to consult with each other about play during the course of the game (though a good whist player can get a sense of his partner’s hands by watching the way his partner plays).
Variation for Two Players
For a version of whist designed for two players, see “German (Two Player) Whist.”
Cards
Whist is played with a standard deck containing 52 cards, ranked from highest to lowest within each suit:
The Deal
The player who drew the highest card when choosing teams is the first dealer. The player to the dealer’s left cuts the cards, then the dealer proceeds to deal out the entire deck. The first card goes to the player to the dealer’s left and then continues clockwise until each player has received 13 cards.
Determining the Trump Suit
The last card, which belongs to the dealer, is dealt face up on the table. This card determines which suit will be the trump suit (see below). This card will remain face up on the table until the dealer’s first play. At that point, the dealer may pick up the card and add it to his or her hand.
The Trump Suit
Any card from the trump suit will defeat any card from any of the other non-trump suits. Within the trump suit, card value is determined by traditional rank—a higher trump card prevails over a lower trump card.
For example, if the final card dealt is the 7 of diamonds, then diamonds will be trump for that round of play. Any diamond card will defeat any card of another suit, even if the value of the non-trump card is higher. Therefore, the 
would defeat the 
. However, the 
(or any diamond higher than 3) would defeat the .
would defeat the . However, the (or any diamond higher than 3) would defeat the .Whist Game Play
Every round of whist is made up of 13 tricks and follows the same basic pattern:
- Lead
- After the lead
- Winning the trick
- Playing the next trick
- End of the round
Lead
A round of whist begins when the player to the dealer’s left leads the first card of the first trick, which means that the player places a card from his or her hand face up in the middle of the table. The player may lead any card in his or her hand.
After the Lead
Play then proceeds clockwise around the table, with each player placing a card face up next to the led card, following these guidelines:
- If you hold in your hand a card or cards of the same suit as the led card, you must play one of those cards.
- If you don’t hold a card of the led suit, you may play any card in your hand. You may choose either to lay down a card of another suit, which is called discarding, or you may play a card from the trump suit.
Winning the Trick
The highest card played of the led suit wins the trick unless it was trumped. If a trump card was played, then the highest trump card wins the trick. The player who wins takes the four cards of the trick and places them face down at his side.
Playing the Next Trick
The winner of the trick leads the next trick. Play once again proceeds clockwise until all four players have played a card, a winner of the trick is determined, and the cycle repeats.
End of a Round
A round of whist concludes when all 13 tricks have
been played.
Scoring in Whist
Whist is scored by round, game, and match:
- Scoring a round: At the end of the round, each pair counts the number of tricks they’ve won collectively. The pair scores a point for each trick it has won above six tricks (the first six tricks are together called a book). For example, if one pair of players takes eight tricks and the other pair takes five tricks, then the first pair scores two points for that round.
- Scoring a game: Traditionally, the winner is the first pair to win five total points, which generally requires several rounds of play. Many players set their own points number required to win a game.
- Scoring a match: The first pair to win two out of three games takes the match.
Honors
Some players add a wrinkle to whist scoring by giving points based on the ace, king, queen, and jack of the trump suit. In this system these cards are called the honors. Honors scoring works in the following way:
- A team that holds all four honors at the end of the round scores four points.
- A team that holds three honors scores two points.
- If neither team captured three or more honors, no points are scored.
The points scored through honors are added to the game score. Honors, however, are counted only after the points scored from tricks, so if a team reaches five points based on their trick total, the team that lost in tricks cannot then tie or win a round by scoring honors. Also, if your team begins the round with four points, you cannot win the game by scoring honors.
Revoking Penalty
If a player fails to follow the led suit despite holding a card in that suit, it is called revoking. When a player revokes, the other team has two options for imposing a penalty:
- Add three points to their own total game score.
- Take three tricks from the other team and add them to their own trick total for the round.
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