GAME GUIDE
Whist
Ancestor of Bridge, a classic trick-taking game.
01 · UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLE
Essential rules
Objective
Ancestor of Bridge, a classic trick-taking game.
Variant played: Two-player teams · trump is set by the last card dealt to the dealer
- Players
- 4
- Duration
- 20–40 min
- Deck
- 52 cards
Spot the trump suit
The last card dealt to the dealer shows the trump suit. There are no bids in this Whist variant.
Follow the requested suit
You must play a card of the requested suit if you have one. The value of your other card does not let you avoid that obligation.
Trump with a trump card
If you do not have the requested suit, you may play a trump. Here, spades are trumps and your hand contains no hearts.
Discard
You have no card of the requested suit and no need to trump in this example. Discard another suit; this card does not take the trick.
Collect the trick and lead
The highest trump wins the trick; without trumps, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next trick.
Score beyond six tricks
Each team must take more than six tricks to score. In the thirteen tricks, eight won are worth two points for the team.
Detailed rules
Variant played: Two-player teams · trump is set by the last card dealt to the dealer · Version 1.0.0
The essentials to get started
Ancestor of Bridge, a classic trick-taking game.
Spot the trump suit
The last card dealt to the dealer shows the trump suit. There are no bids in this Whist variant.
Follow the requested suit
You must play a card of the requested suit if you have one. The value of your other card does not let you avoid that obligation.
Trump with a trump card
If you do not have the requested suit, you may play a trump. Here, spades are trumps and your hand contains no hearts.
Discard
You have no card of the requested suit and no need to trump in this example. Discard another suit; this card does not take the trick.
Collect the trick and lead
The highest trump wins the trick; without trumps, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next trick.
Score beyond six tricks
Each team must take more than six tricks to score. In the thirteen tricks, eight won are worth two points for the team.
The table guides you through each turn and suggests the legal moves. This guide presents the basic rules; regional variants may differ.
02 · Cards to inspect
Cards to inspect
Look at the ranks and suits of these cards.
VIDEO ACTIONSView every type of move
Spot the trump suit
1 / 6Preparing cards…
Read the steps in this demo
- Spot the cards in this example.
- Look at the ranks and suits of these cards.
- A final spade fixes spades as trump.
Cards to inspect
01 · Situation
Spot the cards in this example.
The last card dealt to the dealer shows the trump suit. There are no bids in this Whist variant.
Teaching example · playable table cards