Knock-out Whist
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Knock-out Whist is known by a variety of names including Trumps in Britain, Reduction Whist, Diminishing Whist and Rat. The diminishing bit is because one less card is dealt each hand. It is a basic trick taking game and is a good way to teach tricks to children.
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[edit] The game
A standard 52 card pack is used. The cards in each suit rank from highest to lowest: A K Q J 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2. The game can be played by two to seven players.
For the first deal the dealer deals seven cards to each player and one card is turned up to indicate trumps.
The player to the dealer's left leads to the first trick; any card may be led. The other players, in clockwise order, each play a card to the trick and must follow suit by playing a card of the suit led if they have one. Failure to follow suit will result in disqualification from the game. This is known as reneging. A player with no card of the suit led may play any card either discarding or trumping. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led, unless a trump is played in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of the trick leads to the next trick.
In a variation, in the first play of each hand, a person may not play a trump. If they have no choice but to play the trump, it does not count as a trump, rather it is counted as a normal card.
At the end of each hand any player who took no tricks is eliminated from the game. The player who took the most tricks gets to select trumps in the next hand. If players tie for the highest number of tricks taken they play Rock, Paper, Scissors or cut cards to decide who calls trumps. The deal rotates clockwise and one less card is dealt each hand.
The game is won when there is only one player remaining.
[edit] Misere Knock-out Whist
A short form of the game where the object is not to win tricks and any player who takes two or more tricks is eliminated from the game.
[edit] Faulkner's Rules Knock-Out Whist
One version of Knock-Out Whist that has become more popular in recent years in the UK is Faulkner's Rules Knock-Out Whist.
In this version, any player who takes no tricks is not eliminated from the game but is dealt TWO cards, known as 'dogs'. The dealer deals to all players as usual, and the player receiving their 'dogs' can choose to take whichever 2 cards they like when the dealer gets to them. They may play their cards whenever they choose to in the hand, but play still continues in a circular order.
Obviously, if they have not played any 'dogs' by the time the 2nd to last trick is in play, they must play.
If they win a trick in this hand, they are back in play as usual, with the full number of cards as with all other players.
If they do not win a trick in this hand, they are now dealt just one 'dog' as another chance and they can play this whenever they like as well.
If they do not win a trick in this hand then they get one final chance to stay in the game, known as a 'blind dog'. They are dealt a card, which they must place to their forehead AFTER the winning player has chosen trumps for the round. All other players can see what this card is and the player with the blind dog can play it at any point, but will obviously not know what his or her card is, so this is a huge round of luck for them to stay in.
Dogs are only available in the first 4 rounds of play - once players have only 3 cards, any player who had no tricks is eliminated as usual.
[edit] Buy Back Rules
This popular form of the game originated in Manchester. The only variation is that if a player wins no tricks in the first round, they have the option to buy themselves back in for the second round and proceed as normal. The buy back option applies when two or more players have won a trick in the opening round.
[edit] Skill and Judgement
Skill and Judgement is a legendary player of the Knock Out Whist game. At the old venue, The Red Lion, he was moderately successful, but he does not seem to have adapted to his new surroundings at The Cotton Tree. It is alleged that some of his fellow players' hostility to him has been part of the problem. Shouts of 'Bang!' and 'ABS' (Anybody But Skill) have been heard in Withington Village as Skill struggles to win a hand. Opponents have been known to go a whole weekend without using a cashpoint due to Skill's generosity on the baize.
[edit] In the event of fire or flood
Should there be an occasion where a game in progress is interupted by an act of God or random fire hazard, players should note that the particular hand in question must be played out to its natural conclusion prior to any preventative measures being taken.
- Rules of Card Games: Knock-Out Whist. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
