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Whist

Players
4, in two teams
Deck
52 cards, no jokers
Level
Medium
Game
First to 5

The classic partnership game: no bidding, just trumps and tricks. Win more than six of the thirteen with your partner.

At a glance

Take more than six tricks

Whist is the classic English and the ancestor of Bridge. Two teams play 13 . There is no bidding: the suit is decided by the last card dealt.

Your team scores for every trick it wins above six.

Setup

Four players, two teams

Use a standard 52-card deck without jokers. Cards rank from ace (high) down to 2.

Four players form two fixed , partners sitting opposite. You and North play against West and East.

The deal

Thirteen cards each

The dealer deals the whole deck one card at a time, face down, clockwise, starting on their left. Everyone gets 13 cards, and the dealer’s last card is special.

In this example East deals, so you are on the dealer’s left.

The last card sets trump

The dealer turns their last card face up on the table. Its suit is trump for this hand. The card stays there until it is the dealer’s turn to play to the first trick; then the dealer picks it up.

East turns up the 5 of diamonds: diamonds are trump.

The dealer’s last card, on show.

A turn

Lead and follow suit

The player left of the dealer the first trick with any card: that’s you. Everyone else must if they can. The highest card of the suit led wins, unless someone plays a trump.

You lead the ace of hearts. West plays the 4 and North the 2. East picks up the 5 of diamonds and plays the 9. Your ace wins.

The winner leads next

One player from the winning team gathers the four cards into a face-down pile. Whoever won the trick leads the next one.

That is one trick for you and North. You lead again.

Special cards

No card of that suit? Trump it

If you cannot follow suit, you may play any card: throw away something useless, or play a trump. Any trump beats every card of the other suits.

You lead the king of clubs. West plays the 5 and North the 8. East has no clubs and plays the 3 of diamonds, a trump. East wins the trick.

Scoring

Six tricks first, then points

After all 13 tricks, the team that won more scores one point for each : every trick above six. The first six, called the book, count for nothing.

7 tricks1 point
8 tricks2 points
10 tricks4 points
13 tricks7 points

You and North win 8 tricks, West and East 5. Your team scores 2 points.

Six tricks buy you nothing.

Honours, if your table counts them

The traditional game also scored honours: the ace, king, queen and jack of trump. A team that held all four between them scores 4 extra points; three of the four scores 2. Many players today leave honours out.

This hand the diamond honours are split: North had the ace, you the king, East the queen and jack. Nobody scores for them.

With honours, a team already on 4 points cannot use them to reach 5.

Winning

First to 5 points

The deal passes to the left after each hand. The first team to reach 5 points wins the game. Traditionally you play a rubber: the first team to win two games.

In America a game to 7 was customary, and the older Long Whist played to 10.

Point at a dot to see why it matters

Variants and house rules

Honours
The ace, king, queen and jack of trump. Holding all four between partners scores 4, three of them scores 2. Not usable to reach the last point of a game.
American whist
The same game, played to 7 points instead of 5.
Long Whist
The older form of the game, played to 10 points.

Tips from the table

  1. Lead from your longest suit: once the high cards are gone, its small cards can win tricks.
  2. Remember the turned-up card: the dealer holds at least that trump.
  3. Classic advice: play low as the second player to a trick and high as the third.

Whist: quick answers

  • How many cards do you deal in Whist?

    All 52 cards, one at a time, so each of the four players gets 13. The dealer’s last card is turned face up to set trump.

  • How is trump chosen in Whist?

    By the last card dealt, which belongs to the dealer. It is turned face up, and its suit is trump for the whole hand.

  • How do you score Whist?

    The team that won more tricks scores 1 point for every trick above six. Winning 9 tricks, for example, scores 3.

  • How many points do you need to win Whist?

    5 points in classic English short whist. American whist was often played to 7.

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