Whist Rules

Whist is a game that has many variations. For this reason, you need to know what version of the game you are playing so that you can in turn follow the appropriate Whist rules. With that being said, there are some Whist rules that are pretty much the same across the board. These basic rules are used no matter what version of the game you are playing.

To start, the game of Whist is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The cards rank from highest to lowest in a similar fashion to most card games. In most variations of the game, four players are needed to play Whist. Two partnerships are formed, and teammates sit across the table from one another. Players will draw cards in order to determine the teams. The two players with the highest cards will partner together, with the remaining players making up the other team. The players will cut the cards in order to determine who deals. During a game of Whist, you are not allowed to comment on the cards that you receive or if you are happy with the results. Additionally, players are not allowed to signal or communicate with their partner in any way.

Any player at the table can shuffle the cards, but the player to the dealer’s left is usually responsible for doing so. In order to speed up the game, many prefer to use two decks of cards. This way, the second deck can be shuffled and ready to go when the time comes.

The player that is seated immediately to the dealer’s left is obligated to take the first trick. Moving clockwise, the other players each play a card based off the initial trick. If available, they must play a card of the same suit. If no card of the same suit is available, the player can play any card either trumping or discarding. The trick is won by the player who has the highest card of the suit. But, if a trump is played, the player with the highest trump will become the winner. The winner of the first trick leads the game into the next one. This process is carried out time after time until all 13 tricks are played. When everything is said and done, the score is then recorded. If neither team has accumulated enough points to win, another hand is played to determine who will come out on top.

To become a good Whist player, start out with the basic play as outlined above. From there, it will be easy to catch onto the more intricate details and playing techniques.