Objective
Win as many tricks as you can with your partner. The first six tricks your team takes are called the book and score nothing. Every trick after that, called an odd trick, scores one point. Games are often played in a rubber: the first team to win two games takes it.
Setup
Partners sit opposite each other. Deal all 52 cards one at a time, face down, starting on the dealer’s left, so everyone has 13. The dealer turns the last card face up on the table, and its suit is trump for the hand.
The turned card belongs to the dealer, who picks it up when it is their turn to play to the first trick. Cards rank from ace (high) down to 2 in every suit. The deal passes to the left after each hand.
How to play
The player to the dealer’s left leads any card. Each player in turn must follow suit if they can. If you cannot follow suit, play any card: a trump to try to win the trick, or a card from another suit to throw away.
The highest trump wins the trick. If no trump was played, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner gathers the trick, keeps it face down in front of their team, and leads to the next.
There is no bidding and no talking about your hand. You learn about your partner’s cards from what they lead and what they play, so good Whist is a quiet conversation.
- 1Turn the dealer’s last card to set trumps
- 2Lead any card
- 3Follow suit if you can; if not, trump or throw off
- 4Highest trump, or highest card of the suit led, wins
- 5Score one point for every trick over six
Scoring
At the end of each hand, count the tricks. A team that took 7 tricks scores 1 point, a team that took 9 scores 3, and a clean sweep of all 13 scores 7, which wins a game in a single hand. Only the team that took more than six tricks scores.
| Item | Score |
|---|---|
| Each trick over six | 1 point |
| Game | First team to 7 points |
| Rubber | First team to win two games |
Most American tables count only tricks. The older English game also scores honors, covered under Variations.
Variations
English short whist: play to 5 points instead of 7 and count honors, the ace, king, queen and jack of trumps. A team whose two players were dealt all four honors between them scores 4 points, and three of the four scores 2. Honors cannot be scored by a team that already has 4 points.
Long whist: the older form, played to 10 points with honors.
Relatives: Bid Whist and Solo Whist add bidding, and Knockout Whist is a simple elimination game for families.
Bridge took Whist and added an auction for the trump suit and a dummy hand played face up. If you enjoy Whist, it is the natural next step.
Tips from the table
Open with your longest, strongest suit. It tells your partner where your strength is and sets up winners for later in the hand.
Second hand low, third hand high. Playing second to a trick, a low card usually does best; playing third, play high to back up your partner.
Return your partner’s lead. If your partner opened a suit, they usually want it back.
Count trumps. There are thirteen. Once they are all out, the cards left in your long suit are winners.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
How is trump chosen in Whist?
The dealer turns the last card of the deal face up, and its suit is trump for that hand. There is no bidding.
Why do the first six tricks score nothing?
They are the book. Only tricks over six, the odd tricks, count, so a team needs at least seven tricks to score.
Is Whist the same as Bridge?
No, but it is Bridge’s ancestor. Bridge adds an auction to choose trumps and a dummy hand that is played face up.
Can Whist be played with two or three players?
The classic game needs four. For two players, try German Whist; for a family group, Knockout Whist works with two to seven.
New rules every month
Get the next game before it hits the site.
