A Young Lady’s Primer on the Playing of Whist

Of all the diversions appropriate for an eligible young lady among mixed company, perhaps none is more suitable for the after-dinner hour than that estimable game of luck and skill, Whist. As you embark upon your own matrimonial pursuits, opportunities for playing Whist are likely to abound, making some knowledge of its rules and strategy highly recommended. It is to this audience that this guide is addressed.

Rules of Play

Whist is played by four players, arranged around a table in facing pairs. The player opposite you is your partner—you will win or lose together. From among the four players you must select one to begin as dealer. This may be done by agreement, or by drawing a card each to see who picks the highest.

The dealer gives the first card to the person on their left, then proceeds dealing clockwise until all cards are dealt, leaving each player with thirteen cards. The last card will go to the dealer, who will leave it on the table face up until the end of the first trick. The suit of that card will be trump for the duration of that hand.

The player to the dealer’s left is first to play. He or she may play any of the cards in their hand. The next player to their left then plays, and must play a card of the same suit, if they have any. If they have no cards on suit, then they may play any card in their hand.

Once all four players have played a card, then the winner of the trick must be determined. If any cards of the trump suit have been played, then the player of the highest of those is the winner of the trick. If no trump cards have been played, then the highest of the on-suit cards is the winner. The winner of the trick is then first to play for the next trick.

When all cards (thirteen tricks) have been played, points are awarded. The number of points awarded to each team is the number of tricks they won in that hand, minus six.

After the points have been tallied, the deck is shuffled and dealt by the person to the last dealer’s left. Play then proceeds as described above. The rotation of dealers and play of hands repeats until one of the pairs of players has amassed ten points, which wins them the game.

Basic Whist Strategy

Lead with your non-trump aces and kings early, while other players still have cards of those suits and are forced to play beneath you. A non-trump ace saved to the end is often useless.

If you are leading the trick and do not have many high cards, it is advisable to play a middle-ranked card, such as a nine, to increase the likelihood that your partner will win the trick and lead next.

An ace of the trump suit is guaranteed to win one trick. You can play it early and take that trick right away. Or you can hold the ace, hoping to play it over the king of the same suit, and deny your opponents one more trick.

If your partner is winning a trick and unlikely to be beaten by the other players, then play a card lower than theirs. Save your high cards for future tricks.