Not everyone has heard of Whist. The game is not as well-known in the USA these days. A similar game, Bridge, is more popular in the USA and internationally. Yet at one time Whist was a game played at social clubs and coffee houses. Whist remains a popular game today in the UK. Serious players compete in local Whist tournaments. What is the long-lasting appeal of Whist?
History of Classic Whist
Members of the private gentlemen's club, Turf Club, developed the rules for the version of Whist most commonly played during the eighteenth and nineteen century. This version of Whist began as a private game offered only at the Turf Club. However, the game grew in popularity among the British upper class and the Turf Club members shared the card game with others. In 1864, the Portland Club officially sanctioned the new rules for Whist.
Classic Whist Rules and Dealing
Classic Whist is a four player take-trick game with two partnerships. The four players are grouped into two fixed partnership and sit facing each other. No one can signal his partner.
Two card decks are often used to save time. After a card dealing, the dealer's partner shuffles the extra deck of cards and places it on the right. The dealer for the next hand can pick up the shuffled deck of cards and pass it to his right to be cut.
Use a standard 52 card deck. The cards in each suit are ranked from ace high to two low. The player on the dealer's left shuffles the cards and the one on the right cuts the cards. The person who deals provides one card at a time until each player has 13 cards. The entire deck is used. The final card is the dealer's card and becomes trump for the entire hand or trick. The trump beats all cards regardless of rank. Two points are also given for the honor cards - King, Queen, Ace and Jack of trumps.
Playing Classic Whist
The first trick is led by the player to the dealer's left. The player can lead with any card. In a clockwise order, players each play a card to the trick. Players lay cards of the same suit as the lead card if possible. If a player runs out of a card in the designated suit, he can play any card. The player with the trick with the highest trump wins. If the trick has no trump, the highest card in the designated suit wins. The winner of a trick leads next with the card of his choice.
Memory is also important in Whist strategy. When a trick is completed, the cards are placed face down and kept in a pile near the player who won the trick. Before a new trick begins, a player may ask to see the cards from the last trick but not previous ones.
There are 13 tricks in classic Whist. When all 13 tricks are completed, the score is calculated. The partners with the most won tricks scores one point for each trick won in excess of six. The partners who reach five points first wins the game. If no one has enough points to win, another hand is played until a there is a winner.
Types of Whist
A large number of games are based upon classic Whist. Various types of Whist include:
- Solo Whist: Players make bids to win in 5, 9 or 13 tricks or to lose all tricks.
- Hearts: Hearts follows similar rules but players do not take tricks.
- Bid Whist: Players follow classic Whist rules but also bid.
- Israeli Whist: Players bid on the exact number of tricks taken.
- Knock-out Whist: If a player does not win a trick, he is eliminated from the game.
- Spades: Spades are always trump and players place bids.
- Danish Whist or Call-Ace Whist: Bidders choose partners by calling an ace.
- Minnesota Whist: The game has no trumps and can be played to win or lose tricks.
Whist remains a popular game for card players in some variation. In this way, classic Whist lives on.
Source:
Phillips, Hubert, The Pan Book of Card Games, Pan Books Ltd. 1960
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