Whist Rules Overview: Whist is a straightforward trick-taking game played in pairs. Partners sit across from each other and aim to collect as many tricks as possible. Dealing and Starting: Each player is dealt 13 cards. The first player to start is chosen randomly. In subsequent rounds, the starter is the player to the left of the previous starter. A round consists of 13 tricks, and a new round begins when all cards have been played and redealt. Trumps: Each round features a trump suit, which ranks higher than other suits. Every fifth round has no trump suit. The order of trumps is: Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, Clubs, and No Trump. Playing: The leading player can play any card, including a trump. Following players must play a card of the same suit if they have one; otherwise, they can play any card. The highest card in the leading suit wins the trick, unless a trump card is played, in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. Scoring: After a round, scores are tallied. Each team gets a point for every trick over six. Points accumulate across rounds, and the first team to reach 7 points wins the game. Since there are 13 tricks per round, winning all 13 tricks in one round secures an immediate victory.
