What are odd tricks in Whist?

Each team's first six tricks are called the book and score nothing. Every trick a team wins beyond six is an odd trick, worth 1 point. So a team that takes nine tricks scores three points. The first side to reach 5 points wins the game.

Is there bidding in Whist?

No. Classic Whist has no auction or contract. The dealer's last card is turned up to fix the trump suit, and play begins straight away. This is what sets Whist apart from its descendants Bridge and Spades, where bidding drives the whole hand.

How is trump decided in Whist?

The dealer deals all 52 cards one at a time, and the very last card — the dealer's own — is turned face up. Its suit becomes trump for the hand, and the dealer takes that card into their hand before play starts. There is no choice involved.

How is Whist related to Bridge?

Bridge grew directly out of Whist in the late nineteenth century, adding bidding, a dummy hand, and richer scoring. If you know Whist you already understand following suit, trumping, and partnership play — the core that Bridge builds on. Whist remains the simpler, faster game.

Play Whist Online Free — Classic Partnership Card Game

Play Whist Online — Pure Trick-Taking, No Bidding

Whist is the classic English trick-taking game and the ancestor of Bridge. Four players form two partnerships, and there is no bidding to slow things down — you just play. The dealer's last card turns up to set trump, and every trick your team wins past six scores a point. First team to 5 wins. Free in your browser, no sign-up.

How Do You Play Whist?

Goal: win more than six of the thirteen tricks with your partner, and score the extras.

Setup

Deck: a standard 52-card deck, dealt out completely — 13 cards each.
Teams: you (South) partner with North; West and East oppose you.
Trump: the dealer's last card is turned face up. Its suit is trump, and the card stays in the dealer's hand.

Playing and Scoring

The player to the dealer's left leads. You must follow the led suit if you can; if not, you may trump or throw off.
The highest trump wins the trick, or the highest card of the led suit if no trump is played.
The first six tricks a team takes are its "book" and score nothing. Every trick beyond six — an odd trick — is worth 1 point.

Tricks won	Odd tricks	Points
7	1	1
9	3	3
13 (all)	7	7

Strategy

Lead from your longest suit. Playing a long suit again and again forces out the opponents' cards and leaves you with winners at the end.
Return your partner's lead. If your partner opens a suit, playing it back helps them set up their long cards.
Save trump for control. Do not waste trump on a trick your partner is already winning — keep it to stop the other side.
Count the trump. Track how many have been played; once you hold the last one, your side controls the hand.
Third hand high. As the third player to a trick, play a high card to try to win it or force out a bigger one.

About This Version

Three AI difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard) from the menu. This is classic partnership Whist: no bidding, the dealer's turned card sets trump, and scoring counts odd tricks to 5. Install it as an app from your browser menu to play offline.

A Short History

Whist rose to prominence in England in the eighteenth century, and Edmond Hoyle's 1742 treatise on the game was one of the first card-game bestsellers. It ruled English card tables for over a century before Bridge, its direct descendant, overtook it around 1900.

Other Card Games to Try

Hearts — trick-taking where you avoid points
Spades — partnership bidding with a fixed trump
Euchre — a faster partnership game with bowers
Klondike Solitaire — the classic single-player game