Whist Rules & How to Play

Objective

Score points by winning exactly the number of tricks you bid. If your tricks won differ from your bid, you lose points based on the size of the difference. Round scores add to your match total.

Players, cards and round sequence

There are four seats: you and three computer opponents. Whist uses a 32-card deck with ranks 7 through Ace in each suit. Each round deals the same number of cards to every player; any remaining cards stay out of the hands.

A full match has 24 rounds in this order:

1. Four rounds with 1 card per player.
2. One round each with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 cards per player.
3. Four rounds with 8 cards per player and no trump suit.
4. One round each with 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 cards per player.
5. Four final rounds with 1 card per player.

The round starter rotates clockwise after each round. That player bids first and leads the first trick.

Bidding

Before cards are played, each player bids once, in clockwise order from the round starter. For a round with N cards per player, a bid can be any number from 0 through N.

The final bidder cannot choose a bid that makes all four bids add up to N. This keeps the bids from predicting that every trick will be taken.

Tricks, lead suit and trump

Each trick has one card from every player, played clockwise. Follow the lead suit when you have it. If you are void in the lead suit but hold a trump card, you must play trump. If you have neither, you may play any card. There is no requirement to beat a card already played.

Rounds with fewer than eight cards have a trump suit chosen from an undealt card; that card stays out of the hands. In the four eight-card rounds, every card is dealt and there is no trump.

If any trump cards are played, the highest trump wins the trick. Otherwise, the highest card in the lead suit wins. The trick winner leads the next trick.

Scoring

• Exact bid: score 50 points plus 10 points for each trick bid. For example, an exact bid of 3 scores 80 points.
• Missed bid: lose 10 points for each trick above or below your bid. For example, bidding 3 and winning 1 trick scores −20 points.

Scores may be negative. The round score is added to your cumulative match score.

How to play Whist on CardsGames

After the deal, submit your bid when it is your turn. Then play a legal card to each trick, following suit and observing the trump rule. Try to win exactly your bid while anticipating the other players’ bids. The game handles the round sequence and scoring through the full 24-round match.

Ready to play? Play Whist online.