Whist

The classic game of whist is a plain-trick game without bidding for 4 players in fixed partnerships.

There are four players in two fixed partnerships. Partners sit facing each other. The game is played clockwise.

A standard 52 card pack is used. The cards in each suit rank from highest to lowest: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2.

The dealer deals out all the cards one at a time so that each player has 13.

The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick. Any card may be led. The other players, in clockwise order, each play a card to the trick. Players must follow suit by playing a card of the same suit as the card led if they can; a player with no card of the suit led may play any card. The trick is won by the highest trump in it - or if it contains no trump, by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of a trick leads to the next.

This game has fixed sequence of trumps Heart for Round 1, Spade for Round 2, Diamond for Round 3 and Club for the 4th. The 5th round which is the last round before the team score totals are compared to decide the winner has Heart as trump.

When all 13 tricks have been played, the side which won more tricks scores 1 point for each trick they won in excess of 6.