Whist is an 18th-century English trick-taking card game for four players in two partnerships. It rewards memory, card-counting and quiet partnership play — there is no table talk allowed.
The setup
- Four players in two partnerships; partners sit opposite each other.
- A standard 52-card deck. In each suit, cards rank A (high), K, Q, J, 10 … down to 2 (low).
- The dealer deals all the cards out one at a time, clockwise — 13 to each player.
- The dealer’s last card is turned face up: its suit is trumps for the hand (the dealer takes it into hand after the first trick).
Playing a hand
- The player to the dealer’s left leads the first trick, playing any card.
- Going clockwise, each player must follow the led suit if they can. If they can’t, they may play anything — a trump, or a discard.
- The trick is won by the highest trump in it — or, if it has no trump, by the highest card of the suit that was led.
- The winner of a trick leads the next. Thirteen tricks make a hand.
Scoring
- Only tricks beyond the first six count. Those first six are called the "book".
- Each trick above six scores one point (win 9 tricks and you score 3).
- A game is usually played to 5 points; a match is the best of three games (a "rubber").
- Optional "honours": holding the A, K, Q and J of trumps between partners can score bonus points — agree beforehand.