Whist Game Rules

How to play Whist card game

At Playiro, we’ll walk you through how to play Whist, explain the core rules, and offer beginner-friendly strategies that can help you win more tricks and outplay your opponents.

Preparations

To play Whist, you’ll need:

• A standard 52-card deck (no jokers)
• 4 players, split into two fixed partnerships (North-South and East-West)
• Pen and paper to keep track of the score

Setup:

1. Deal all 52 cards so each player receives 13 cards.
2. The last card dealt is turned face up — its suit becomes the trump suit.
3. Players sit across from their partner (your teammate sits opposite you).

Game Play

Whist is played in tricks, with each player contributing one card per round.

Basic rules:

• The player to the left of the dealer leads the first card.
• All other players must follow suit if they can.
• If you cannot follow suit, you may play a trump card or discard any other card.
• The highest card in the led suit wins the trick — unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump wins.

After each trick:

• The team that wins the trick sets it aside.
• The winner of the previous trick leads the next one.
• The round ends after all 13 tricks have been played. Then it's time to tally the scores.

How do you win in Whist?

Once all tricks are played, each team counts how many tricks they won.

Scoring:

• The team that wins more than 6 tricks earns 1 point per trick over 6.
• Example: Winning 8 tricks earns 2 points (8 − 6 = 2).
• The losing team scores 0 points for that round.
• The goal is to be the first team to reach a set target — commonly 5, 7, or 9 points, depending on what the players agreed upon before starting.

Strategies and tips for Whist

Teamwork, memory, and a bit of luck all factor into Whist. But there are a few clever strategies you and your partner can use to increase your chances of victory. Here are Playiro’s top recommendations:

Play with your partner in mind

Whist is a team game. Try not to steal tricks from your partner unnecessarily. Work together and use each other’s strengths to beat your opponents.

Pay attention to what's been played

Observing which cards and suits have already been played — especially trump cards — can give you a significant advantage in later tricks.

Use trump cards wisely

Hold onto your trump cards and play them only when necessary (for example, when you can’t follow suit) — it’s often a winning strategy.

Start low, finish strong

Save your high cards for the later stages of the round. Once you have a better understanding of which suits your opponents are weak in, those high cards can become game changers.

Overview of the game rules