Trick taking games are card games played in rounds called tricks. Each player puts down one card, you must follow the suit that was led if you can, and the highest card of that suit wins the trick unless someone plays a trump, which beats every other suit. Whist, Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Oh Hell and Bridge all work this way.
What changes from game to game is the goal. In some you want to win as many tricks as you can. In others you want to avoid certain cards, or hit a bid exactly. Once you understand a single trick, the rest is just a matter of learning what each game rewards.
Trick taking games at a glance
| Game | Players | Deck | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whist | Four, in two partnerships | Standard 52 cards | Easy |
| Hearts | Usually four, each on their own | Standard 52 cards | Easy to medium |
| Spades | Four, in two partnerships | Standard 52 cards | Medium |
| Euchre | Four, in two partnerships | Short deck of 24 cards, nine to ace | Medium |
| Oh Hell | Three to seven | Standard 52 cards | Easy to medium |
| Bridge | Four, in two partnerships | Standard 52 cards | Hard |
Player counts are the usual ones. Many of these have variations for other numbers, and house rules are common, so agree on yours before the first hand.
The rules in short
Whist
This is the grandparent of the family, and it's the easiest way to learn what a trick is. Partners sit opposite each other, and the whole deck is dealt out. The last card dealt is turned face up to show which suit is trump. Over thirteen tricks, your partnership tries to win more than the other side. Nothing else gets in the way, which is why I'd start new players here.
Hearts
Here you're trying to avoid points. Every heart you win in a trick counts against you, and the queen of spades is worth far more than any of them. Before play starts, everyone passes three cards to another player, and the direction changes from hand to hand. The lowest score wins. There's also a bold move called shooting the moon, where you win every heart and the queen of spades, and everyone else takes the penalty instead. I've written out the details in my guide to the Hearts rules, passing and scoring.
Spades
Spades are always trump. Before each hand, every player or team bids how many tricks they expect to win. If you make your bid, you score. If you don't, you lose points. A common rule is that nobody can lead a spade until a spade has already been played, which keeps the trump suit hidden for a while.
Euchre
Euchre uses only 24 cards, from nine up to ace, and each player gets five. One card is turned up, and players decide whether to make its suit trump. The team that names trump needs to win most of the tricks. The jack of trump becomes the top card, and the other jack of the same colour ranks just below it. Those two jacks are called the bowers, and they're where most of the surprises come from.
Oh Hell
This one is all about honest guessing. The number of cards dealt changes each round, often counting up and then back down. Before you play, everyone says how many tricks they expect to win, and you score for getting your number exactly right, not for winning the most. Winning too many hurts as much as winning too few. The suit of a turned-up card is usually trump for that round. It's also known by other names, such as Contract Whist.
Bridge
Bridge starts with an auction. Partners use bids to say what they hold, and the final bid sets a contract that names the trump suit, or no trump, and how many tricks the declaring side promises to win. The declarer's partner then puts their cards face up as the dummy, and the declarer plays both hands. It's rich and rewarding, but it takes real time to learn. I'd save it until your group already enjoys the others.
Which one should you pick?
- A family evening with mixed ages: Whist or Hearts. The rules fit on one hand.
- Four friends who love a bit of banter: Spades or Euchre. Partners make the table louder.
- A big group that wants chaos: Oh Hell. Everyone can play, and nobody can be certain of the outcome.
- People who want a long-term hobby: Bridge, once they're comfortable with the basics.
Whichever you choose, keep a pen and paper nearby. Scoring is the part most groups forget, and a quick note after each hand saves arguments later.
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Trick taking games for two
Most of the famous games need four players, but a few were built for two. Here are the ones I'd look at first:
- Piquet uses a 32-card deck and mixes declarations with trick play. It's old, elegant and a little fiddly.
- Sixty-six uses 24 cards and is quick, with a clever way of scoring points from pairs of king and queen.
- Schnapsen is a 20-card Austrian cousin of Sixty-six. It's fast, and each hand is over before you know it.
- Klaberjass is a two-handed trick game with its own odd rankings, popular with players who like something a bit unusual.
If you want more choices that don't need a crowd, my list of 2 player card games covers other ways to spend an evening with one other person.
How to teach one to beginners in 5 minutes
Skip the rulebook. Show people what a trick is by playing it. This is the order I'd follow:
- Deal everyone a few cards and say that each player will put one card in the middle. That's a trick.
- Lead a card and explain that everyone else must play the same suit if they can. If they can't, they may play anything.
- Show that the highest card of the led suit wins, and that the winner collects the cards and leads next.
- Add trump last. Say that one suit beats the rest, and let them see a low trump beat a high card of another suit. That's when it clicks.
- Play the first hand with cards face up, if you like, so people can ask questions as they go.
If your group already knows Uno, you've got a head start. Matching a colour or number in Uno is a bit like following suit, so you can use it as a bridge into trick play.
Frequently asked questions
What is a trick in a card game?
A trick is one round of play in which each player puts down a card. The highest card of the suit led wins it, unless someone plays a trump.
What does following suit mean?
It means playing a card of the same suit as the first card played in that trick. If you can't, you may play any card, including a trump in most of these games.
What is the easiest trick taking game to learn?
Whist is the simplest, since it has partners, a trump suit and nothing else. Hearts is easy too, but its scoring takes a few hands to get used to.
Do trick taking games need partners?
Not always. Whist, Spades, Euchre and Bridge use partnerships, while Hearts and Oh Hell are every player for themselves.
