Overview
Whist is a foundational member of the modern trick-taking family. Prominent in 18th-century England and documented by Edmond Hoyle, it strongly influenced later games such as Bridge and shares core ideas with Spades and Hearts. With no bidding phase, play centers on memory, suit management, and partnership timing.
In Cardems, you partner with North against East and West at a classic four-player table. With no bidding phase, every hand hinges on the suit of the Turned Trump card and how efficiently your partnership can win tricks beyond the initial six.
Objective
Be the first partnership to reach 5 points. Points are scored by winning more than 6 tricks in a hand (each trick beyond six is worth 1 point).
Setup & The Turned Trump
- Four players are seated in two fixed partnerships (North & South vs. East & West).
- A standard 52-card deck is dealt one card at a time clockwise until each player has 13 cards.
- Turned Trump Mechanic: The dealer's final (13th) card is turned face up on the table before the opening lead. The suit of this card becomes the Trump suit for the entire hand.
- The turned card belongs to the dealer's 13-card hand. Cardems shows it before play so everyone knows both the card and the trump suit; it then remains available to the dealer like any other hand card.
- The player to the dealer's left leads to the opening trick.
How to Play
Play proceeds clockwise around the table for 13 consecutive tricks:
- The Lead: The winner of the previous trick (or the player left of the dealer on the first trick) leads any card from their hand.
- Following Suit: Every player must follow the led suit if they hold a card of that suit.
- Playing Trump or Discarding: If a player has no cards in the led suit (is void), they may play a Trump card to contest the trick or discard any non-trump card from another suit.
- Determining the Winner:
- If one or more Trumps are played, the highest Trump card wins the trick.
- If no Trumps are played, the highest card of the suit originally led wins the trick.
- Card ranks follow standard order:
2 < 3 < 4 < 5 < 6 < 7 < 8 < 9 < 10 < J < Q < K < A(Aces are high).
- The player who wins the trick collects the 4 cards and leads to the next trick.
Scoring: The Book & Overtricks
In Whist, taking the first 6 tricks is called making the Book. The first 6 tricks carry zero points. Only tricks won in excess of six score points for the partnership:
| Total Tricks Won | Tricks Above 6 (Odd Tricks) | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 6 tricks | 0 | 0 points |
| 7 tricks | 1 over the book | 1 point |
| 8 tricks | 2 over the book | 2 points |
| 9 tricks | 3 over the book | 3 points |
| 10 tricks | 4 over the book | 4 points |
| 13 tricks (Grand Slam) | 7 over the book | 7 points |
Winning the Match
The first partnership to accumulate 5 points across hands wins the match (the standard Short Whist format). The deal rotates clockwise after every hand.
Strategy
- Watch the Turned Card: The dealer's turned card provides guaranteed information about one specific card and suit in the dealer's hand.
- Never overtake your partner unnecessarily: If your partner has already played a winning high card (such as an Ace or a high trump), play your lowest card to conserve your own high cards for future tricks.
- Establish long suits: Leading from a 4-card or 5-card suit helps drain opponents' holdings in that suit, turning your low cards into winners once everyone else is void.
- Compare Whist with other classic partnership trick-taking games such as Spades, Hearts, Tarneeb, and Twenty-Nine.
FAQ
What is the "Book" in Whist?
The Book is the first 6 tricks won by a partnership in a single hand. No points are awarded for the first 6 tricks; points are only awarded for tricks 7 through 13.
Does the dealer get to keep the turned trump card?
Yes. The dealer turns the 13th card face up for all players to see the trump suit, and then picks that card into their hand during the first trick.
Can I lead a trump on the first trick?
Yes. Unlike Spades where trumps must be "broken" first before leading them, Whist permits leading a trump on any trick, including trick 1.
How does Whist differ from Spades and Bridge?
Whist has no bidding phase, no contracts, and no penalties for taking tricks. The trump suit is determined automatically by the dealer's turned card, making it a pure test of trick execution.
