THE WHIST VARIATIONS MASTER LIST
Whist is a classic card game known and loved by many. It originated from an even older version called Ruff and Honors. It becomes widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries and has continued its legacy of being one of the most well-known games through today., Along with the well-known classic rules, Whist has of course sparked many variations of itself through the years. Below is a list detailing our favorite of its variations that we have on our site. I hope you enjoy it.
OUR WHIST VARIATIONS
WHIST
It would not be a master list if we did not include the original. The game that started it all. Whist is a traditional style trick-taking game for 4 players. There will be two teams of two who compete to be the first team to earn 5 points. Each round consists of 13 tricks which in order to score any points your team must win the majority.
ONEONTA WHIST
Oneonta Whist is a variation where a single person plays a solitaire version of whist. The goal is to get as many points as possible. The player competes against dummy hand and they will bid on how many tricks they can take in a round. The player scores points if they succeed in taking as many tricks as they bid! It is definitely one of the most clever whist variations we have on the list.
WHIST 22
Whist 22 is the most different of the whist variations. It has a different deck and a different number of players and bidding! Whist 22 is a bidding trick-taking game for 3 or 4 players. It uses a tarot deck instead of the traditional 52-card deck. The goal of the game is the same, however, has the most points at the end of the game. In this game, though there are no partners and you play alone.
ROMANIAN WHIST
While Romanian Whist is one of our whist variations it plays similarly to a game titled Oh Hell. It’s a trick-taking game for 3 to 6 players. The hand sizes change very round, players must make exact bids on how many tricks they will take, and the player with the most points at the end wins. A very different but fun variation.
OPEN WHIST
Open Whist is a trick-taking game for 4 players. It uses partnerships, so there will be two teams of two. The first team to reach 7 points are the winners. the twist however if that the game is played with columns instead of hands.
ISRAELI WHIST
Israeli Whist is very similar to traditional Whist except that there are two bidding rounds used to determine trumps, and it scores similarly to Romanian Whist. You must win as many tricks as you bid exactly. It still is played with 24 players but there are no teams. The winner is the player with the most points at the end fo the game.
MINNESOTA WHIST
Minnesota Whist is played with 4 players in two teams of two. There is also bidding, but it is to determine if players will be playing to win or avoid tricks in the round. The first team to 13 points wins!
KNOCK OUT WHIST
Knock out Whist is a fun variation where a player is eliminated if they do not win a trick during the round. It adds a bit of spice to the competition of the game. it can also be played with 2 to 7 players.
SCOTCH WHIST
Scotch Whist is a very versatile version of whist. It can be played with 2 to 8 players and can be played with teams fo as individuals. Its has a smaller deck, only using 36 cards, and the first player (team) to 41 points wins!
GERMAN WHIST
German Whist is a Whist game for 2 players. The game is played in two parts. for the first 13 tricks, you will be building your hand for the second half of the game. In this game, the last 13 tricks determine the winner. the player that wins the majority of them wins.
BID WHIST
Bid Whist is a great variant that includes bidding to the traditional gameplay. It’s a bidding trick-taking game for 4 players. The game is also played with partnerships, so there will be two teams of two. The players will set a target score and will need to reach this in order to win. This version of Whist is incredibly customizable because bids include how many tricks will be needed to win, if there will be a trump suit and if there is what it will be, and the ranking order of cards. It’s a more complex version of the original with some great mechanics.
WHIST VARIATIONS MASTER LIST SUMMARY
Above is an encompassing list of all the Whist versions we have on the site. This is by no means a completed list, however, and in our journey to become the best game rules site we will surely be adding more. We hope you enjoyed this list and if you are still hoping for some more Whist content check out what this site has to offer.