Whist, from the first card to the last

The basics

Whist is a trick-taking game. Everyone is dealt thirteen cards, and the round is played as thirteen hands: each player puts down one card, and the best card takes the hand. Win more hands than the other side to win the round; win more rounds to win the match.

• Two players play head-to-head. 26 cards are dealt and 26 stay in the deck.
• Three players play everyone for themselves. 39 cards are dealt and 13 stay in the deck.
• Four players play as two teams of two, partners sitting across from each other. All 52 cards are dealt.

Dealing and play always go anti-clockwise, as in Rung and Hukm.

Words you will hear

TrumpRung · Hukm

The suit that beats every other suit for the round.

HandTrick · Sar

One card from each player; the best card wins it. One hand won is one sar.

Round

One full deal, played out over thirteen hands.

Match

A series of rounds: three for a Duel or Battle, seven for an Epic War.

CourtCoat

Winning all thirteen hands of a round.

Goon Court

A court against the trump-caller: the side that called trump does not win a single hand.

Playing a round

1. 01

   Draw for the caller

   In the first round everyone draws a card. The highest card becomes the trump-caller; ties go ♠ over ♥ over ♦ over ♣. In later rounds, the winner of the previous round calls.

2. 02

   Deal to five

   Cards are dealt anti-clockwise. The deal pauses as soon as every player holds five.

3. 03

   Call the trump

   The caller looks at their five cards and names the trump suit. The remaining eight cards are then dealt.

4. 04

   Lead

   The caller leads the first hand. Every player plays one card, in turn, anti-clockwise.

5. 05

   Follow suit

   You must play the suit that was led if you can. If you cannot, play anything — including a trump.

6. 06

   Win the hand

   The highest trump wins. With no trump played, the highest card of the led suit wins. The winner leads the next hand.

7. 07

   Thirteen hands

   When every card has been played, the side with the most hands wins the round.

The clock. Every move has a 10-second timer. If it runs out, the game plays for you: your lowest card of the suit led if you have one, otherwise a sensible card chosen by a bot at your table’s tier.

Winning a match

The side with the most hands wins the round, and the side with the most rounds wins the match. The round’s winner calls trump in the next round.

• Four players: the winning team calls. If the calling team wins again, the same player calls; if they won with a court, their partner calls; if the other team wins, the player seated next after the previous caller calls.
• Three players: two players can tie for the most hands in a round — both win it. If all three win a round each, one more round decides the match.

Courts

Take all thirteen hands of a round and you win a court, worth bonus points on top of the round:

• +2 if your side called the trump.
• +4 if the other side called it — a Goon Court: the callers did not win a single hand.
• In Undeclared Trump nobody calls, so a court is a flat +2.

Called Court Coming soon — declare at the start of a round that you will take all thirteen. Make it and you score +2; miss and your opponents score instead.

Scoring

Matches earn points, which build your career and rank. They are separate from coins, which you spend in the shop.

Court bonuses are added round by round, on top of everything above.

The variants

Before a match you pick how hands are collected and how trump is set. The ideas behind them are on The Twists; here are the exact rules.

Weapons

Weapons are switched on or off when you set up a game. With them on, every player gets one weapon per round — an attack or a defence, never both. The ideas are on The Twists; these are the exact rules.

1. The trump round. After a Standard trump call, the deal holds at five cards. Each of the caller’s opponents (never the caller’s partner) gets a 10-second turn to change the trump with the Lance; a later opponent may change it again. If the trump moved, the caller gets one 10-second turn to raise the Banner and restore their original suit. There is no trump round under Hidden or Undeclared Trump.
2. After the deal. Every player who has not used a weapon gets one 15-second turn, caller first, then in play order.
3. Attacks. Dagger — put one card into the deck and draw one blind (2 and 3 players). Arrow — take a random card from a rival and give them one of yours. Cannon — throw in your own thirteen and draw thirteen from them and the deck; everyone else keeps their hand (2 and 3 players). Crossed swords — send your partner a card; they have 10 seconds to send one back, or their lowest card goes (4 players).
4. Defence. When an Arrow hits you and your weapon is still unused, you have 10 seconds to raise the Shield: take your card back, then return theirs or give them any other card instead. Raising it is your weapon for the round.
5. Fair turns. Every player takes their turn, weapon or not, so nobody learns who holds what. Every weapon used is announced; cards that change hands are shown only to the two players involved.
6. Getting weapons. Win them from mystery boxes and the lucky draw. A weapon is spent when it is used; passing costs nothing.

Bots and tiers

Every table has a tier, from 1 · Beginner through 2 · Mid-level and 3 · Advanced to 4 · Expert. Empty seats are filled by bots at that tier, and they only ever see their own cards — no peeking. If you lose your connection, a bot keeps your seat warm and you take it back when you return.