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 (from the way one less card is dealt each hand) and Rat. It is often simply called Whist by players who are unfamiliar with the game properly called Whist. It is a basic trick-taking game and is a good way to teach the concept of "tricks" to children.

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 that its suit is the trump suit for the first round. (In subsequent rounds, one player selects the trump suit; see below.)

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. A player with no cards 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.

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 cut cards or play Rock, Paper, Scissors 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] References

Rules of Card Games: Knock-Out Whist. Retrieved on 2007-04-25.