The games · Coolhand Cards

Whist

The English trick game in two partnerships. No bidding, the last card dealt names the trump, and every trick over six scores a point.

Players: 4
Family: Trick-Taking
App: Coolhand Cards · iOS and Android, soon

How it goes

You and the player across the table are a side. The whole deck is dealt out, thirteen cards each, and the last card, which belongs to whoever dealt, is turned face up to name the trump suit, the one that beats every other. The player to the left of the deal leads. A trick is one card from each player in turn. Follow suit if you can. The highest trump takes the trick, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump fell. When all the cards are gone, the side with more tricks scores a point for every trick over six, and the first side to five points wins. There's no bidding.

A good hand

Length in trumps and aces in the other suits. Seven tricks is the bar, so your side wants every trick it can force. Lead your long suit to draw out the high cards, keep a trump back to stop the other side's long suit, and remember what your partner led. It tells you where their strength is, and with no bidding it's the only message they can send.

The usual mistake

Trumping a trick your partner already holds, which spends a trump to take what was yours anyway. Leading trumps when the other side has more of them than you do. And losing count. Whist is a memory game, and the most common error is forgetting how many trumps are gone and leading into a suit the other side still commands.

Played differently where you are?

Card games change from table to table, and we researched some of these games instead of playing them. If Whist goes differently where you play it, tell us. That's one of the things the closed beta is for.

The closed beta is by invitation. How to ask to join.