Whist

Setup

The dealer deals the entire deck out to the players, giving each player a 13-card concealed hand. Partners are sitting across from each other. The trump suit changes each round, with the sequence being hearts in the first round, then diamonds, spades, clubs, and no trump.

Play

Play consists of a series of tricks. The player to the left of the dealer leads the first trick with any card they choose. The next players must follow suit if they are able, or play any suit if they are void of the leading suit. The winner of the trick is who played the highest trump card, or if there are no trumps in the trick, the highest card of the leading suit. The winner takes the trick and sets it in front of them, then leads the next trick.

Scoring

Once all cards in a hand have been played, each partnership scores the total number of tricks it took above six. For example, if North-South won 9 tricks and East-West won 4, NS receives 3 points and EW receives 0.

The first team to reach 7 points wins the game. If both teams are tied at or above 7, keep playing rounds until a winner is determined.

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