Traditional card games
Whist
- players
- 4
- minutes
- 45
- years
- 12+
In the box
1 52-card deck
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Team-BasedTrick-taking
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Two teams of two, partners sitting opposite, compete for the thirteen tricks of a deal; the last card dealt, the dealer’s own, is turned up and sets trumps. The dealer’s left-hand neighbour leads; you must follow suit, and if void you may trump or discard as you like, never being forced to play higher. A team’s first six tricks do not count, each further trick scores 1 point, and the table may add honours: 4 points for the four top trumps, 2 for three of them, scored after the tricks. The first team to 5 points wins the game.
Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026
Never played? Aim of the game and full rulesStep by step, with examples, for a first game.The rules, step by step
Setup
2 teams of 2, 13 cards each, Last card: trumps
- Four players in two teams, partners sitting opposite each other.
- A 52-card deck dealt out entirely, one card at a time: thirteen cards each.
- The last card, the dealer's, is turned face up and sets the trump suit. It stays visible until the dealer picks it up to play to the first trick.
How to play
13 tricks, Follow suit, Trumping not compulsory
- The player to the dealer's left leads; the winner of each trick leads to the next.
- You must follow the suit led. If you cannot, you may trump or discard freely: trumping is never compulsory, and neither is beating the cards played.
- The trick goes to the highest trump, or failing that to the highest card of the suit led.
Scoring
First 6 tricks: nothing, 1 point per extra trick, Honours 4 or 2
- A team's first six tricks score nothing: they make up the book.
- Each trick beyond the sixth is worth 1 point, to the team that took seven or more. A deal is therefore worth at most 7.
- Honours, if your table plays them: the team that held the four top trumps (Ace, King, Queen, Jack) scores 4 points; three of the four, 2 points.
- Tricks are scored before honours, and a team that already has 4 points cannot score honours.
- In Marquoir, enter each team's points for every deal, honours included.
End of the game
First team to 5, Rubber: best of 3
- The first team to 5 points wins the game.
- If both teams reach 5 points in the same deal, the team that gets there with its tricks wins: in that case, do not enter the other team's honours.
- People often play the best of three games: this is the rubber.
House rules and pitfalls
Whist is the direct ancestor of bridge, sharing its card play but not its bidding.
- Whist is the direct ancestor of bridge, sharing its card play but not its bidding.
- This sheet follows short whist, played to 5 points, as described by Pagat, the English Wikipedia and the Académie des jeux oubliés. The original game, the one in the French Wikipedia, is played to 10 points (long whist), and Americans used to play to 7: set the target when you start.
- In long whist, honours are also scored after tricks, except for a team on exactly 8 points at the start of the deal: when the time comes to play their first card, the player holding three honours lays them out and the team wins at once; if they hold only two, they may ask their partner about the third, which is called calling.
- Many tables do not count honours, which add luck. The 4 and 2 point scale is that of modern short whist; according to the English Wikipedia, the older British short whist gave only 2 and 1. In tournaments (whist drives), a fixed number of deals is played, with trumps rotating in an agreed order.
- Colour whist, played in Belgium, and English solo whist are related games, with bids and individual scores. Marquoir offers them as variants, every player for themselves, with no automatic end: enter what each player wins or loses according to your table's scale.
never played?Aim of the game and full rules9 chapters · about 3 min read
Goal of the game
Whist is played by four, in two teams of two partners sitting opposite each other. The aim is to win as many tricks as possible: of the thirteen tricks in a deal, each trick a team wins beyond the sixth scores it one point. The first team to 5 points wins the game. It is the ancestor of bridge, without the bidding: trumps are decided by chance.
What you need
A 52-card deck and four players. Teams are drawn by lot, usually by each player drawing a card: the sources differ on which pair plays together, the two highest for the Académie des jeux oubliés, the two lowest for the English Wikipedia.
The order of the cards
In each suit, from highest to lowest: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9… 2.
Preparing a deal
- The dealer deals all the cards, one at a time, starting with the player on their left: thirteen each.
- They turn their last card, their own, face up for everyone to see: its suit is trumps for the deal. They take it back into their hand when it is their turn to play in the first trick.
- The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick.
Playing a trick
- The player who leads plays a card: its suit is the suit led.
- Each player in turn, clockwise, must follow suit: play a card of the suit led if they have one. They do not have to beat the cards played.
- If they have none, they may trump by playing a trump, or discard any other card. In whist, trumping is never compulsory.
- The trick is won by the highest trump if there is one; otherwise, by the highest card of the suit led.
- The trick won is placed face down in front of the team, with just one of the partners to make counting easier, and its winner leads to the next.
for example
Diamonds are trumps. Léa leads the King of clubs. Tom, on her left, has no clubs: he trumps with the 3 of diamonds. Sam, Léa's partner, follows with the 5 of clubs. Zoé follows with the Ace of clubs. The 3 of diamonds, the only trump, wins the trick for Tom's team.
Counting points
When all thirteen tricks have been played, each team counts its own. The first six score nothing: this is the "book". Each extra trick is worth 1 point. A team that has made 9 tricks scores 3 points; the other, with 4 tricks, scores nothing. A deal is worth at most 7 points, for all thirteen tricks.
Honours, optional
The Ace, King, Queen and Jack of trumps are the "honours". A team that held all four, between the two partners, scores 4 extra points; three of the four, 2 points. They are claimed after the last trick, at the latest before the next deal’s trump card is turned up. Two rules govern them:
- tricks are scored before honours: if a team reaches 5 points with its tricks, the game is over and the other team's honours are not entered;
- a team that already has 4 points at the start of the deal can no longer score honours: it needs a trick.
Many tables do without them, as they add an element of luck.
End of the game
The first team to 5 points wins the game. In Marquoir, enter each team's points for every deal, honours included: the counter stops as soon as a team reaches 5. People often play the best of three games: this is the rubber. For those who keep count, the game won is worth 3 points if the losers had nothing, 2 if they had 1 or 2 points, 1 if they had 3 or 4, and winning the rubber earns 2 more points.
Tips for beginners
- Count the trumps that have fallen: once you hold the last one, every card you have becomes a winner.
- Lead from your long suit, the one you hold the most cards in.
- Do not trump a trick your partner is already winning.
- Remember the suit your partner led, and come back to it: it is their way of talking to you.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Variant
Classic whist
Colour whist
The Belgian bidding game (proposal and acceptance, solo, misère, abundance): every player for themselves, each entering what they win or lose by the table’s scale, and you stop whenever you like.
Solo whist
The English bidding game, in which one player may take on the other three: every player for themselves, each entering what they win or lose by the table’s scale, and you stop whenever you like.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
Which game is it the ancestor of?
Bridge: same tricks, same trumps, but no bidding. Four players, two teams, and trumps are set by the last card dealt, turned face up.
How do you score points?
By winning more than six tricks: each trick beyond six scores one point for the team. The first team to 5 points wins the game; in long whist, you need 10.
Do you have to follow suit?
Yes, always, if you can. Without the suit led, you trump or discard, as you choose, and you never have to beat the cards played. Strength comes from remembering the cards and working with your partner.
How are trumps decided?
The dealer turns up their last card: its suit becomes trumps for the deal. They take it back into their hand at the first trick.
What are honours worth?
They are the Ace, King, Queen and Jack of trumps. A team that held all four scores 4 extra points, three of the four 2 points. They are scored after tricks, and a team on 4 points can no longer score them: the last point has to be won with a trick.
What about colour whist, or solo whist?
They are related games, with bids (proposal and acceptance, solo, misère, abundance) and individual scores: each player wins or loses according to the contract. Marquoir offers them as variants, every player for themselves, and you decide when the game ends.