What you need
Four players, in two fixed partnerships, sitting opposite each other. A standard 52-card pack, no jokers. Cards rank ace high, then king down to 2. Suits are equal except for the trump suit of the current deal.
A second pack is traditional. While one deal is played, the dealer’s partner shuffles the spare pack and sets it to the right. The next dealer picks it up and passes it across to be cut. It also makes the next dealer obvious: the spare pack sits to their left.
Setup
Partners can be chosen by cutting the pack. A common method is that the two higher cards play the two lower cards, with ace ranked low for the cut only.
The player to the dealer’s left shuffles. The player to the dealer’s right cuts. The dealer deals all the cards, one at a time, clockwise, so each player has 13. The last card belongs to the dealer and is turned face up. That suit is trumps. It stays face up until the dealer plays to the first trick.
Play is clockwise. There is no bidding in classic whist.
How to play
The player to the dealer’s left leads to the first trick. Any card may be led. Each player in turn plays one card. You must follow suit if you can. If you cannot, you may play a trump or discard another suit.
The trick is won by the highest trump in it. If nobody played a trump, the highest card of the suit led wins. The winner of the trick leads to the next. Play all 13 tricks.
A revoke (failing to follow suit when you could) is a serious mistake. Card Game Heaven records a traditional penalty of 3 points, which the other side may add to their score, deduct from yours, or take as three of your tricks. Agree the penalty before you start if you are not playing in a club.
Scoring and winning
The side that won more than six tricks scores 1 point for each trick above six. Those are the odd tricks. The first side to 5 points wins the game. That usually takes several deals. In America a target of 7 was customary; long whist used 10. A rubber is the best of three games.
Honours are optional and add luck. They are the ace, king, queen and jack of trumps. A side that held all four scores 4; a side that held three scores 2. A side that already has 4 points towards game cannot score honours on that deal. If both sides would reach 5 on the same deal, tricks are scored first, so the side scoring tricks wins. Many modern tables simply do not count honours.
Common variants
Whist drives often fix the trump suit in advance instead of turning the last card: hearts, then diamonds, then spades, then clubs, and sometimes a no-trump hand every fifth deal. Tournaments also prefer a fixed number of deals, so tables finish together. Each player’s score is then the total of odd tricks their side took.
The name whist is also attached to other games. Knockout whist, solo whist, bid whist and German whist are not this game. If someone at the table learned a different one, name the version before the first deal.
Tips for first games
Lead from your longest suit, and do not lead trumps unless you have at least five. If you lack the top cards of that suit, a fourth-highest lead is a traditional signal. Return your partner’s suit when you can. It does not matter which of you wins a trick.
Watch the cards. A good table keeps a running count of trumps and of the top card left in each suit. If you cannot remember every card, remember those two things.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for classic whist? Four, in two fixed partnerships. Two-player German whist is a different game.
Who chooses trumps? In the classic deal, nobody bids. The last card, which belongs to the dealer, is turned up and its suit is trumps.
What is an odd trick? A trick above the first six. If your side wins 8 tricks, you score 2.
Do we have to score honours? No. Pagat notes that honours were traditional but many players now leave them out, because they add luck.
How long is a game? A game is first to 5 points and a rubber is the best of three games. Card Game Heaven puts a rubber at about an hour.
